Broward Schools

Two years into an ambitious plan to deal with plummeting enrollment counts in Broward County schools, Superintendent Howard Hepburn told WLRN he did not know how many more would be shut — but said they are "halfway there" in saving the $100 million targeted. He also played down Gov. Ron DeSantis' claims that the district is a "disaster" — and had a message for families fearful of immigration enforcement.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said the Broward public school district is “a disaster” being run to benefit “the entrenched interests, particularly the school unions, rather than the parents and the students,” and that the state should consider taking it over.

Broward has 10,000 fewer students than it did last year, digging a budget hole of $94 million in the district. In five years, Broward County Public Schools is looking at a projected loss of over 25,000 students, according to district data.

The district hosted a series of community meetings in September to gather feedback from families and anxieties about potential impacts, including how students with special needs might be affected. Tuesday's meeting recapped the findings and potential strategies.

The U.S. Department of Education claims the popular leadership program, Latinos for Action, for K-12 students discriminates against non-Latino students, though everyone —regardless of race or ethnicity— is allowed to enroll.

As the school board on Tuesday recapped Broward Estate's controversial transformation, members looked forward to phase two of the 'Redefining Our School's initiative — and warned that more facilities could be on the line.

Broward voters gave a resounding thumbs up to the creation of an inspector general for the county's corruption-checkered public schools system.

Candidates running for seats in Districts 1, 2, 3, 5, and 9 took part in web forums held this week by the League of Women Voters of Broward County. You can watch those videos here.

Howard Hepburn was voted in to lead the school district through one of the most challenging periods it has faced in recent years after Licata said he would step down for health reasons after just 10 months on the job.

Video counseling at school was never an option before the pandemic, but an analysis by AP has found the service is now so prevalent it exists in 16 of the 20 largest school districts, including several in Florida.

The Broward County School Board has signed off on a three-year contract with Dr. Peter Licata, two weeks later than expected. The agreement will give him a slightly lower salary and less job security than he had hoped for. Still, Licata has called it a "dream job."

The Broward School Board has approved a $21.6 million settlement for the 2021 partial roof collapse at an Oakland Park middle school.