FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — On Monday, Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Howard Hepburn unveiled a list of schools that would close and consolidate under the district’s “Redefining Our Schools” initiative.
The announcement came after a public meeting where parents could weigh in. The initiative is in response to dwindling student enrollment numbers.
The affected schools are:
- North Fork Elementary School, 101 NW 15th Ave., Fort Lauderdale
- Palm Cove Elementary School, 11601 Washington St., Pembroke Pines
- Panther Run Elementary School, 801 NW 172nd Ave. Pembroke Pines
- Sunshine Elementary School, 7737 La Salle Blvd., Miramar
- Bair Middle School, 9100 NW 21st Manor, Sunrise
- Plantation Middle School, 6600 W. Sunrise Blvd., Plantation
- Seagull Alternative High School, 425 SW 28th St., Fort Lauderdale
Glades Middle School in Miramar and Walter C. Young Middle School in Pembroke Pines had previously been under consideration to close, but they were ultimately left out.
This comes as a letter was sent to families on Monday informing them that the district is starting a hiring freeze. There will also be a freeze on out-of-county travel and limits on overtime.
Hepburn said many other large urban school districts are facing the same challenge of declining enrollment.
“We can’t continue to kick that can down the road and hoping and praying, we need to take action, and part of that action right now is not (to) hire new people that we ultimately are going have to release at the end of the year,” he said.
The Broward County School Board will formally vote in January on the recommendations.
On declining enrollment, the superintendent said the district has lost several thousand students just this school year. Enrollment has fallen significantly over the last few years.
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