New list identifies 9 Broward schools that could be closed or changed

Nine Broward schools could be the focus of dramatic changes next year, with some possibly facing closure, under a new proposal from Superintendent Howard Hepburn to deal with underenrollment.

Hepburn presented five schools to the School Board on Tuesday that could be candidates to be closed or repurposed in some way, such as becoming a new type of school or office space. They are: Broward Estates Elementary in Lauderhill, North Fork Elementary in Fort Lauderdale, Silver Lakes Elementary in Miramar, Silver Shores Elementary in Miramar and Olsen Middle in Dania Beach.

He also proposed making grade configuration changes to four other schools: Coconut Creek Elementary, Hollywood Central Elementary, Thurgood Marshall Elementary in Fort Lauderdale and Pines Middle in Pembroke Pines.

These schools were all on a list of more than 40 schools the district released last month that would be the focus of a series of community meetings, which started Monday and continue through Sept. 30.

Since the meetings are still happening, district officials stressed that the schools on the latest list could change. Hepburn is expected to bring back a formal recommendation next month that will include closing five schools, which may or may not be on Tuesday’s list.

Some board members asked why Tuesday’s list was released if these aren’t the final recommendations. Officials said the list provides a good starting point.

“We did feel as staff we needed to draw attention to the schools that were the lowest enrolled or have the most challenges because we didn’t want those to get lost in the conversation of soliciting proposals for every school in a particular area that we’re looking for,” Joe Beck, the district’s director of demographics and enrollment planning, told the School Board. “We wanted to draw the focus around the schools that might need the most immediate attention.”

The schools in the current proposal that would be closed or repurposed range from 32% full (Broward Estates) to 62% full (North Fork). In addition to capacity, the district is considering the age and condition of the campus, academic performance, historical significance and capacity in nearby schools to absorb the students.

The district has faced steep enrollment declines in the past two decades and now has about 45,000 empty seats, which is the equivalent of more than 40 schools. While some School Board members have suggested closing dozens of schools over the next year, district administrator Valerie Wanza said the district is starting small.

“We can’t boil the entire ocean,” Wanza said. “So we started to narrow our scope to these schools for this year.”

Two of the schools on the list for possible closure, Broward Estates and Olsen, were also recommended for closure in a plan released by the district in April. That plan also included changing Hollywood Central to a K-8 and Pines Middle to a 6-12 collegiate academy, where students who stayed for high school could earn college credits.

The School Board scrapped that earlier plan in May, saying the district hadn’t gotten adequate community input and had focused only on a few parts of the county, including the southern region and the Fort Lauderdale area.

The latest plan still targets those same areas, with the exception of Coconut Creek Elementary, a low-enrolled school in the north that could be converted into a K-8.

The city of Coconut Creek is eager to hear more about that proposal, which will be discussed at a community meeting Wednesday night at Coconut Creek High, Bernadette Hughes, government affairs manager for the city, told the School Board.

She said the area near Coconut Creek Elementary is an “education corridor” that is close to Coconut Creek High, Atlantic Technical High School and College Academy, a college-level high school program on the Broward College north campus.

Hughes said converting Coconut Creek Elementary into a K-8 would “serve as a feeder for Coconut Creek High and provide additional continuity for Coconut Creek students from elementary to high school.”

Some speakers Tuesday suggested alternatives to closing some schools.

Cathy Nonnenmacher, chief financial officer for the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale, proposed a partnership between the museum and school district for a new academic program at North Fork Elementary.

Ana Garcia, city manager of Dania Beach, said her city has invested $10 million in property adjacent to the school for recreational facilities, including track fields and basketball courts.

“This could be an example for sports and physical fitness,” she said. “We know our kids could definitely be more fit.”

In addition, Garcia said the city would like to spend $8 million to $10 million to renovate empty space at the school for an emergency operations center, used mainly during hurricanes. When not in use by the city, it could house a program in meteorology or broadcasting for the school, she said.

“You all have to think outside the box,” she said.

Board members seemed divided over the latest proposal, as they have during most of the efforts this year to close or repurpose schools.

Daniel Foganholi, who represents District 1 in the southeast part of the county, voiced concern about the latest proposal to possibly close Olsen, since it’s the only middle school in Dania Beach.

“Now, we are saying this is going to be better for our community and better for our district,” he said. “You’re making my kids from Dania Beach go down to Hollywood to have something taken away. What benefit is it to those families? What benefit is it to those kids?”

District 5, which includes Lauderhill and the western part of Fort Lauderdale, has three schools that are on the new list: Broward Estates and North Fork, which could be closed, and Thurgood Marshall, which could have a new grade configuration. That alarmed Board member Jeff Holness, who represents the district.

“I am just concerned. We have nine schools here. Three out of the nine are from District 5 and that would represent one third of what’s proposed here,” he said.

Board member Allen Zeman, who holds a countywide seat, has been one of the strongest advocates for closing schools. He said Tuesday the district doesn’t need 238 campuses and can redirect money to improving education in the remaining schools.

“I don’t think we ought to be calling parents of a school that’s potentially being closed and asking if they like that idea. I know they don’t like it,” he said. “The idea is we go through this process, which is perceived as negative by some, so that it’s a positive for the whole district, including them, in the long term.”