FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Broward County school leaders are exploring new ways to repurpose underused school campuses and district properties, aiming to save money and generate revenue after voting to close under-enrolled schools.

At Tuesday’s meeting, officials discussed options that include renting out space in the seven-floor Kathleen C. Wright Administration Center in downtown Fort Lauderdale and relocating district offices from the building’s prime 14th-floor space to underutilized school sites.

Officials said the move could reduce costs while opening up valuable downtown space.

“This location in particular is right in our city, and it gives us the ability to have practical training, outdoor training that we simply don’t have in our city right now,” said Fort Lauderdale Police Department Chief Bill Schultz.

Also on the table is an unsolicited proposal to repurpose Seagull Alternative High School into an indoor and outdoor training facility for Fort Lauderdale police and fire departments.

“So the classroom space is already there, we have the desk, the chairs, the projection systems, things of that nature, so we wouldn’t have to replicate a lot of things or even build new stuff,” said Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Chief Stephen Gollan.

Another major discussion centered on the future of the North Fork Elementary campus in Fort Lauderdale.

Two proposals are under consideration: one from the youth empowerment nonprofit Junior Achievement and another from a project called Sistrunk Rising.

The Sistrunk Rising proposal outlines plans to create job training opportunities for high school students, bring in a national hotel brand, and develop affordable housing for school staff.

“It’s an exciting moment to hear these proposals give the board an opportunity to really do something different with these sites instead of them just sitting there and not being used at all,” said Broward Superintendent Howard Hepburn.

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