Overview
- The board reviewed a summary of community feedback from the Redefining Our Schools Part 2 process and was asked to direct next steps on a closure and consolidation timeline.
- Benchmark enrollment stands at 236,667, a 3.8% drop from 2024 and about 10,000 fewer students, with officials citing charter growth, vouchers and shifting enrollment patterns.
- Administrators recommend closing seven to ten schools, and 34 campuses are under review for potential closure or repurposing, including at least seven elementary and middle schools under the proposal.
- Officials outlined potential savings of about $1.8 million per elementary school, $2.7 million per middle school and $4.3 million per high school, after reporting a $90 million funding decline.
- Parents and community activists urged the board to keep neighborhood schools open, while some members pressed for deeper cuts and floated selling the downtown Fort Lauderdale headquarters.