The Broward County School Board has discussed a plan to close and merge 10 schools because of declining enrollment. The board is expected to decide in January how many schools will ultimately be closed.
Ten schools are on the consolidation list: seven elementary schools and three middle schools. They include Banyan Elementary, Coral Springs Elementary, Silver Lakes Elementary, Dolphin Bay Elementary, Hollywood Park Elementary, Lloyd Estates Elementary and Oakridge Elementary. Forest Glen Middle, Young Middle and William Dandy Middle School are also on the list.
Board member Allen Zeman wants 26 schools closed. In his view, that would be only a 13% reduction in the number of schools, while student enrollment has fallen 34% in recent years. During a debate in August, the board noted that the list of 26 schools is not currently under consideration.
District officials and the superintendent say that with 60,000 empty seats, they must close and merge more schools to bring the system in line with enrollment. The board has already closed seven schools over the past two years.
Four of the 10 schools (Banyan, Lloyd, Forest Glen and Dandy) could be taken over by operators of the Schools of Hope program, according to the district’s director of strategy, Valerie Wanza.
Parents of students at the schools on the list can follow board meetings and consultation dates on the Broward County Public Schools website. Earlier reports gave different dates for the vote. The latest point to January.
Source: Sun Sentinel
KN
Source: Słoneczne Radio
