FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Just weeks into the summer break, Broward County school administrators are already planning for the 2025-2026 school year by closing schools.
Broward County Public School officials voted 7-2 in favor to close schools for the 2025-2026 school year on Tuesday.
During the “Redefining Our Schools” Board Meeting, board members agreed to close a minimum of five schools for the next school year and approve the recommended timeline.
Back in April, school officials were considering closing three schools: Broward Estates Elementary in Lauderhill, Olsen Middle School in Dania Beach, and Oakridge Elementary in Hollywood, due to low enrollment. But they ended up scrapping that plan.
During town hall meetings, the plan to close schools has not sit well with some communities.
“You can not just pick up a community that’s been built over decades and then put it into a facility,” said Michelle Hearne, a Virginia Shulman Young Elementary parent.
“It is actual children who are being affected here,” said one parent.
‘We shouldn’t close Olsen for the sake for the kids in Dania Elementary, for the sake for the kids that come out of Hollywood,” said a man.
Officials then juggled between plans to close as many as eight schools to no schools for the past few months.
On Tuesday, the school board finally voted yes on a plan to close schools. The district has not named the five schools that will be closing but officials said they want to make cuts fairly.
“It is very clear to me that I know exactly where these schools fall. So I’m saying the same thing I been saying now four times. The same I-95 corridor, and the same part of south county where we know two things exist. They’re black and brown populations and there’s a huge charter school population,” said Torey Alston, a school board member.
“The criteria we use and the decisions that we make and the lens of equity that we put on our decisions about the candidates that are brought us will determine whether we’re doing these things fairly or not,” said Dr. Allen Zeman, a school board member.
BCPS Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn said work will begin to close schools based on the recommended timeline.
“I think we make it district-wide by intentionally and purposefully conversations with every community stakeholders,” he said.
These stakeholders include parents, communities and city leaders across the county.
BCPS has been experiencing a consistent enrollment decline. There are currently roughly 43,000 empty seats in permanent capacity throughout the district, causing it to lose money. The school board believes their plan can save millions of dollars for the district.
“We’re talking about closing schools. That’s really the big change everybody wants to talk about. Where are the schools and will the school board do it? It seems like we finally going to do it,” said Alston.
Officials believe closing schools is the best plan to counter the district’s issues.
“We need to think desperately about how we put our money into K-12 education. Because paying for a building we don’t need is a waste of money,” said Zeman.
Officials want to explore ways to meet the community’s evolving educational needs to improve student-centered learning opportunities, increase parental and community involvement, new programs to retain students, attract new students and be more fiscally responsible.
The school board is aiming to release the names of schools that will be closing around September.
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