Broward could have at least seven fewer elementary and middle schools due to closures and consolidations next year, under the school district’s latest proposal to deal with dwindling enrollment.
Five schools would get additional grade levels, with four elementary schools and one high school adding middle school grades. Some other schools would get complete programming overhauls, including a redesign of Hallandale High to replicate the high-performing Pompano Beach High.
The proposals, released Friday afternoon, are part of the district’s latest phase of its initiative called “Redefining Broward County Public Schools.” The district has lost about 37,707 students over the past decade, including nearly 10,000 the past year alone, and has more than 50,000 empty seats.
The declines are attributed to an increase in private school vouchers, homeschool options and a decline in families with school-aged children due to affordability issues.
The School Board plans to discuss the ideas at a workshop scheduled for noon Tuesday. District officials said more meetings with affected communities will be held before any final recommendations are made.
Some proposals that could generate a large amount of discussion include:
— Combining Fairway and Sunshine Elementary schools in Miramar into one elementary, with the other campus being used for an unspecified district purpose.
— Converting Glades Middle into a vocational school.
— Closing Northfork Elementary in Fort Lauderdale and leasing it to Junior Achievement for a new education center.
— Closing Plantation Middle and turning Plantation High into a 6-12 school.
— Closing Bair Middle in Sunrise.
— Combining Palm Cove Elementary and Pines Lakes Elementary, both in Pembroke Pines, into one campus.
— Converting Panther Run Elementary in Pembroke Pines into a special day school for students with autism.
— Closing Forest Glen Middle in Coral Springs.
The proposals, which would take effect next school year, look to be more aggressive than a similar effort last year, which only resulted in one school closing and several adding new grade levels.
To get input on the plan, the district held a series of private meetings with municipal leaders and public town halls with parents, students, teachers and community members. Many city leaders offered to take over portions of school campuses to reduce the amount of educational space.
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The attendees at town halls offered a variety of ideas, including adding more vocational and arts programs, creating centers for students with autism, changing the grade configuration of the schools and improving marketing. But many also pleaded with the school district to spare them from closure and complained that communities were being pitted against one another.
“Our kids, teachers and our schools shouldn’t have to survive school like it’s the Hunger Games,” an attendee at a Sept. 10 meeting in Miramar wrote in a comment portal. “They deserve hope, not fear.”
Here is a closer look at what is being proposed in different areas of the county.
Coral Springs
The district has proposed closing Forest Glen Middle, with those students attending Coral Springs Middle or Lyons Creek Middle in Coconut Creek. The change also would affect boundaries at Ramblewood Middle and Sawgrass Springs Middle, both in Coral Springs, according to a presentation.
The idea of closing any Coral Springs school troubled City Commissioner Joshua Simmons, who attended a Sept. 30 meeting at Coral Springs High.
“I am not in favor of any schools in Coral Springs closing and I’m not in favor of any of our Coral Springs students being bused outside the city. They need to stay in Coral Springs,” Simmons said. “I have not heard anything about cutting back on salaries or positions or any internal measures that are being taken by this organization before going out and causing harm to our neighborhoods.”
Fort Lauderdale
The district has proposed closing North Fork as an elementary school and reassigning those students to Walker Elementary. The North Fork site would be used by Junior Achievement of South Florida to build an education center, the proposal states.
Thurgood Marshall Elementary would change into a K-8 school, while Bennett Elementary would house a sports academy program, the presentation states.
Stranahan High would develop a maritime industry magnet program.
Hallandale Beach
Hallandale Beach High would be redesigned to replicate the successful Pompano Beach High School under a proposal from the district.
Pompano Beach High, which is one of the district’s top-performing high schools, requires students to meet certain academic requirements to get in and stay at the school. It’s also unique in that it operates just four days a week. Hallandale High also would be a four-day-a-week school.
“Pompano Beach High School is one of the most attractive high school options that the district offers, but it’s so far away,” district administrator Valerie Wanza told attendees at a Sept. 15 meeting at the school. “They always have a student waiting list.”
The proposal would give priority to students who live in Hallandale High’s current boundary, the proposal states.
Hollywood/Dania Beach
The district has proposed keeping Hollywood and Dania Beach schools open but using some excess classroom space for other purposes.
Portions of space at Attucks Middle may be used for workforce programs at the school through Sheridan Technical College and Community Schools South, a presentation states.
The district also may work with the city of Hollywood to use space at McNicol Middle for administrative purposes, the proposal states.
The district also is working with the city of Dania Beach to occupy space at Olsen Middle “to deliver community programming that will also be available to enhance the academic offerings at the school.” Olsen was a school the district proposed to close last year due to low enrollment.
Miramar/Pembroke Park
The district also has proposed combining two low-enrolled elementary schools in Miramar, Fairway and Sunshine, and repurposing the closed school for another district use, according to the district’s presentation.
The district’s two half-empty middle schools, Glades and New Renaissance, also could be combined into one.
Under the district’s proposal, New Renaissance would remain a middle school while Glades Middle would become a branch campus for Sheridan Technical College, “to expand workforce education opportunities in partnership with the City of Miramar and the local business community.”
The district has proposed expanding the elementary schools that feed into Glades — Dolphin Bay, Silver Lakes and Sunset Lakes — to include grades 6 to 8. Glades students also would have the option to attend New Renaissance.
The Glades proposal didn’t go over well with students, parents and teachers at the A-rated Glades Middle, who attended a Sept. 10 meeting at Miramar High.
“Please rethink any plan to close Glades Middle,” Angelo Russo, an eighth-grade student at the school, told attendees. “Glades may be low on students, but it’s not failing. We have 862 happy, proud students and a student-teacher ratio of 19 to 1. Glades is a high-performing school worth keeping.”
Wanza, who led the community meetings, warned attendees that tough decisions were coming.
“It doesn’t mean your school is going to stay open because you came tonight. I’m going to be straight up honest,” Wanza told attendees at the Sept. 10 meeting. “We have to understand when a (middle school) building can hold 1,800 children, and there are only 800 children there, and there are neighboring middle schools with room, that is a conversation we are going to have.”
The district also is considering a partnership with the town of Pembroke Park to lease space at Watkins Elementary for community programming.
Pembroke Pines
The district has proposed combining Palm Cove Elementary and Pines Lakes Elementary into one facility and repurposing the other facility for another district use. The presentation doesn’t say which one would remain a school.
The district also would combine Chapel Trail and Panther Run elementary schools into one school on the campus of Chapel Trail. Panther Run would become a special day school for students with autism.
Plantation
The district has proposed combining Plantation Middle and Plantation High into one 6-12 school to be located on Plantation High’s campus. The school would develop a public service career development theme in partnership with the city of Plantation.
Plantation Middle has suffered declining enrollment for years, and the district already uses part of the campus for its safety and emergency operations department. Plantation Mayor Nick Sortal said the school has had a bad reputation for years.
“What can we do as leaders to pick that school up,” Sortal said at a Sept. 25 meeting. “The frustrating thing for me is I hear people say, ‘I’ll never go to that school.’ And I say, ‘Have you been on campus? Have you seen it with your own eyes? Nope.”
Sortal said he would leave it up to the district whether combining the middle and high school was the best option.
But Jackson Miller, a junior at Plantation High, said at the same meeting he doesn’t like the idea. He said the school has a lot of great programs but has gone through an administrative shakeup that has caused teachers to leave.
“Our teachers and staff are under unnecessary strain and adding more grades is not the answer,” Miller said. “Before we can redefine Plantation, we need to perfect it. We need to fill empty staff positions now. This is how you can help us.”
Sunrise
The district has proposed merging Bair Middle and Westpine Middle, which are both half empty. Students would attend class at Westpine, and the Bair campus would be used for another district purpose, the presentation states. The district would also lease out space at Westpine to the city of Sunrise for community use.
