It’s back to square one for Broward County Schools looking for a way to deal with a dip in enrollment that’s led to a dip in funding.
The community rejected a proposal by Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn to close three campuses: Olsen Middle School in Dania Beach, Oakridge Elementary in Hollywood and Broward Estates Elementary in Lauderhill. It also would’ve shifted a Montessori magnet program at Virginia Shuman Young Elementary to nearby Bennett Elementary School.
School board members say that doesn’t mean closures aren’t coming.
“We’re going to meet tomorrow and in the workshop, we will talk about closing schools, talk about the inevitability at some point of getting smaller. Smaller is probably 180 schools, not 239,” said Dr. Allen Zeman, at-large school board member.
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Zeman is convinced if the district downsizes from 239 schools to 180, it could set aside another $1,000 per student for instruction.
“If closing some schools is what is needed, then we will do that, but I think it needs to be driven by the historical knowledge and data that the community has,” said Sarah Leonardi, school board member for District 3.
Feedback from the community at a series of meetings held over the last two weeks made it clear some people were unhappy with the proposal. The way the district went about sharing the now-rejected plans appeared to be part of the problem.
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“We didn’t have the compelling argument as to why we had to repurpose, close schools, add programs, change boundaries," Zeman said. "It was a hodgepodge of considerations that we got from the Superintendent. The community told us that’s not good enough."
The district has its fourth superintendent in four years, which has some wondering if the shakeups at the top are leading to uncertainty in the classroom.
School board members say the district is resilient.
“We’ve had a lot of turnover in the district and a lot of changes in the last few years, I’m trying to bring stability and listen to community members and uplift their voices,” Leonardi said.
A workshop meeting to discuss repurposing schools and Superintendent Hepburn’s now revised “Redefining Broward Schools” plan, is scheduled for Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Plantation High School.
