(The Center Square) – Closing or conslidating schools due to declining enrollment in the nation’s sixth largest K-12 public district will be discussed in a briefing on community input Tuesday in Florida.
The Broward County school board, previously with more than 240,000 students and 239 schools, recorded a 3.8% drop in enrollment from the first day of the 2024 school year. On Sept. 8, the so-called “benchmark” day for enrollment, enrollment was down to 236,667.
“While the significant enrollment loss is a reality that we cannot ignore, there is still great desire for local schools,” said a school system summary of input from recent community meetings. “This official benchmark day enrollment will be used for planning purposes across the District,” a school system memo stated.
The school system held a series of eight community meetings in August and will present a summary of the findings to the board on Tuesday, school system spokeswoman Keyla Concepción told The Center Square.
The review process has been named “Redefining Our Schools Part 2″ and was initiated at a school board workshop Aug. 26.
At the workshop, the school board agreed on the schools to be discussed, a timeline, stakeholder engagement plan and other issues.
On Tuesday, the system will present a summary of input from stakeholders “as well as other relevant information for the school board’s consideration,” according to a school system document.
The school system is requesting the board to “review the comprehensive presentation and provide guidance and direction to the superintendent” on the next steps in the process of closing or consolidating schools and the timeline.
“The financial impact for Redefining Our Schools is contingent upon the final decisions made by the school board,” a school system document states.
