Broward school board approves plan to close underenrolled elementary school

The Miami Herald | By Amanda Rosa | January 22, 2025

After a year of intense school board discussions, varying proposals and public outcry, one Broward County public school will close.

The Broward County School Board voted to close Broward Estates Elementary School in Lauderhill and repurpose it as an early learning center for pre-Kindergarten age children.

The board also decided to convert Coconut Creek Elementary School, Coral Cove Elementary School, Hollywood Central Elementary School into K-8 schools. Additionally, in Miramar, Silver Shores Elementary would turn into a full-choice school where students can apply to get in. Students currently zoned for Silver Shores would be assigned to Silver Lakes or Silver Palms elementary schools. In Pembroke Pines, Pines Middle School will become a sixth through 12th grade collegiate academy.

The board has been discussing school closures for the last year because of consistently decreasing student enrollment countywide. There are about 45,000 empty seats in the district, equivalent to about 50 schools. Broward Estates, with a student body of about 200, is at 36% capacity.

The board heard two proposals: one from Superintendent Howard Hepburn, who recommended the Broward Estates closure and the other school reconfigurations the board approved, and one from board member Allen Zeman, who pushed to close five schools.

Enrollment at Broward public schools has been steadily declining over the last 20 years as students have moved to charter and private schools. Enrollment in Broward public schools declined from 259,130 students in the 2004-05 school year to just over 201,000 in the 2023-24 school year, a 22% decrease, according to district data.

In 2023, the board asked then-Superintendent Peter Licata to identify at least five schools to close. At the time, most board members were in favor of closing five schools by fall 2025, but their ambitions deflated as the board named the specific schools they considered closing. Community members strongly opposed the closures.

In May 2024, Hepburn, who took up the task assigned to Licata, recommended closing three schools, which eventually dwindled to just closing one. The Broward Estates closure was the only proposal that got any community support, as some residents were interested in an early learning center, the Sun Sentinel reported.

Hepburn championed the idea to install an early learning center in the facility, citing data that only about 35% of students within a five-mile radius of Broward Estates are ready for kindergarten. Board members pointed to the success of Gulfstream Early Learning Center, a school district-run facility in Hallandale Beach.

The students zoned to attend Broward Estates will have to attend nearby Martin Luther King Jr. Montessori Academy or Plantation Elementary School.

“This process is not just about closing schools, it’s about creating opportunities, meeting the diverse needs of every child and ensuring families feel confident in choosing Broward County Public Schools,” Hepburn said during the meeting. “I want to emphasize that this is just the beginning.”

While meeting items on converting certain schools into K-8 centers were popular, discussion on whether to close Broward Estates was extensive and contentious, as several community members and elected officials asked the board to reconsider. As the meeting dragged on, some folks who spoke during public comment criticized what they saw as the board’s lack of planning for what happens next.

Lauderhill Mayor Denise Grant told the board that there is “a great outcry in the city” over the closure.

“The school has historical significance and adds to identity of the community and the preservation of its heritage,” Grant said. “Having a traditional elementary school in the neighborhood gives the community a sense of pride and ownership.”

Lauderhill resident Delphia Kaigler, 91, had strong words for the school board. “If it sounds like I’m angry, it’s because I am,” she said.

“This is no new story for me. I was before this school board in the ‘70s and the ‘80s, trying to save Broward Estates and Parkway,” she said. “We were able to keep the doors open, but that was it. Y’all have done nothing for Broward Estates since that time, but given us promises.”

Zeman was adamant in remaining “the lone wolf” on the board against the superintendent’s recommendations.

“I do not agree with any one of you,” Zeman told the board, arguing that early learning centers are not under the school district’s purview.

Unlike the community members who spoke during public comments, Zeman insisted that the district needed to commit to closing more schools—not just five schools, but eventually 33. He argued that the money spent on keeping low enrollment schools open should go towards improving education.

“We have chosen, for those past 23 years during that decline in enrollment, to kick the can, to do very little, to not offend people or parents or communities, even though that offense would create a better system,” Zeman said. “[…] What’s so frustrating from an operational perspective, is that the schools with the lowest enrollment, they’re using the least capacity, are costing the most per student.”

Board Chair Debbie Hixon said she agreed with some of Zeman’s points, but argued that the board would lose community trust if they “rip the Band-Aid” by closing several schools at once.

“The majority of these recommendations came from the community. The community asked for the K-8, they asked for the 6-12,” Hixon said. “We had a plan, but we scrapped it because the community made it very clear that they weren’t ready for all of that.”