The Broward County Public Faculties Board has shared particular plans on how the district plans to handle the extreme decline in pupil enrollment.
At a current city corridor gathering hosted at Hollywood Hills Excessive Faculty, newly appointed Superintendent Howard Hepburn outlined two distinct proposals: one involving the closure of three faculties, and the opposite, a extra in depth plan that will shut 42 faculties.
Underneath the primary proposal, 30 faculties would endure adjustments, with three slated for closure: Oakridge Elementary in Hollywood, Broward Estates Elementary in Lauderhill, and Olsen Center Faculty in Dania Seaside.
Whereas Broward Estates and Olsen are each recognized as severely under-enrolled, Oakridge Elementary operates at 76% capability and hasn’t beforehand been flagged for enrollment points. However its outdated services and D-grade standing prompted consideration for closure, based on Alan Strauss, a district official addressing attendees on the city corridor.
Broward Estates might grow to be an early studying middle, Olsen could also be transformed into district administrative area, whereas Oakridge could possibly be offered and probably used for workforce housing, Strauss stated.
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Plans for repurposing embrace changing Broward Estates into an early studying middle, reworking Olsen into administrative places of work, and probably promoting Oakridge for workforce housing.
The remaining 27 faculties affected by Hepburn’s proposal would see alterations resembling boundary changes, partnerships with personal entities, repurposing of services, and adjustments to applications and grade configurations.
As an illustration, Pines Center in Pembroke Pines is slated to grow to be a 6-12 “faculty academy,” modeled after Millennium 6-12 in Tamarac, lately lauded because the district’s top-performing highschool by U.S. Information & World Report.
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Different transformations embrace Hollywood Central Elementary transitioning right into a Okay-8 establishment and Sunland Academy in Fort Lauderdale shifting from a Okay-3 setup to a conventional Okay-5 format.
Second plan to shut 42 faculties
The choice strategy to handle the county’s under-enrollment predicament, a notably extra assertive technique, entails downsizing the district to accommodate solely at the moment enrolled college students, described by Strauss as a “mathematical train.”
This second plan proposes the closure of 42 faculties and a whole redraw of college boundaries, comprising 32 elementary, eight center, and two excessive faculties. Nevertheless, particular faculty names weren’t disclosed by district workers.
Whereas this plan goals to rectify the almost 54,000 vacant seats within the district, it will seemingly necessitate the elimination of magnet applications, faculty alternative choices, and pupil reassignments, as each faculty would function at full capability. It might additionally result in extra college students leaving the varsity district, Strauss stated.
Enrollment is already anticipated to say no by one other 4,300 college students this fall, largely attributable to a spike in vouchers for personal faculties, officers stated. Enrollment within the Hollywood and Pembroke Pines space has plummeted over the previous 25 years as a result of explosion of constitution faculties in these areas.
In February, the district recognized 67 faculties as under-enrolled, with pupil populations under 70% of their capability, serving because the preliminary focus of dialogue.
Extra city halls deliberate
Additional engagement with the neighborhood is deliberate by means of additional town hall meetings over the following two weeks. The subsequent is at J.P. Taravella Excessive Faculty on Tuesday adopted by Dillard Excessive on Wednesday.
After they wrap up the presentation at every city corridor, attendees can touch upon the concepts in individual or by filling out a web-based survey answering questions like, “Do you like the superintendent’s issues or whole district realignment?”
Addressing neighborhood members on Monday, Superintendent Hepburn emphasised the significance of suggestions in navigating complicated challenges, stating, “Suggestions is really a present when addressing complicated challenges.”
Hepburn will current a last beneficial plan to the Broward Faculty Board throughout a workshop on Could 14. The board will vote on a last plan on June 18.
The district would implement the adjustments within the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 faculty years. For extra info go to browardschools.com/redefining.
