FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Broward County public schools are still bracing for changes, but after closure considerations prompted protest, the new superintendent changed direction.
Florida’s diversion of public funds to private education, and the expansion of charter schools with the flexibility to tailor their programs has been costly for the public school system.
“We have been on a budget crunch,” Superintendent Howard Hepburn said about the estimated 50,000 students that left their area’s BCPS.
On Sunday, during This Week In South Florida, Hepburn said he has a “repurposing” plan to deal with the declining enrollment. He will present it to the school board on Tuesday.
“We’ve heard it loud and clear from the public that they want more full-choice programs,” Hepburn said.
Hepburn said BCPS needs to be more competitive to stop losing students to charter and private schools in South Florida, and he is hoping “student interest” programs are the solution.
Initially, a failed proposal considered closing 42 schools, and another considered closing three schools: Olsen Middle School in Dania Beach and two elementary schools — Broward Estates in Lauderhill and Oakridge in Hollywood.
To change his mind about closing schools, Hepburn attended seven town hall meetings. The shift toward partnerships, conversions, and real estate transactions followed the last of the meetings on Friday night.
The new plan, which remains under development, includes the conversions of Pines Middle into a K-12 academy and Hollywood Central Elementary into a K-8 campus.
The final decision on how to face the challenge rests with the school board members, who are scheduled to vote on June 18. There won’t be changes for the 2024-25 academic year.
Hepburn said he wants parents, guardians, and community leaders involved, and he added, “We are going to make sure they are engaged in that process.”