Broward schools chief makes final recommendation to close 10 schools
South Florida Sun Sentinel | By: Scott Travis | November 5, 2026
The number of Broward schools recommended for closure likely will remain at 10, as most School Board members showed no interest in a proposal to increase the list to 26.
Superintendent Howard Hepburn issued his final recommendations on Thursday for which schools should close during the 2027-28 school year due to declining enrollment. The list was based on a discussion the School Board had during a workshop on Wednesday.
The School Board is expected to make a final decision Dec. 15.
The final recommendations match those from a district boundary committee. The schools were originally proposed by Hepburn in August, with one exception: Sheridan Park Elementary in Hollywood would close instead of Hollywood Park Elementary.
The other nine schools that would close are: Banyan Elementary in Sunrise, Coral Springs Elementary, Silver Lakes Elementary in Miramar, Dolphin Bay Elementary in Miramar, Lloyd Estates Elementary in Oakland Park, Oakridge Elementary in Hollywood, Forest Glen Middle in Coral Springs, Walter C. Young Middle in Pembroke Pines and William Dandy Middle in Fort Lauderdale.
This is the third year the School Board has closed schools as part of its “Redefining Broward County Public Schools” effort. One school was closed at the end of the 2024-25 school year, and six were closed at the end of the 2025-26 academic year.
While the superintendent’s memo on Thursday recommended 10 schools, a presentation for a workshop on Wednesday included an option to close 26 schools, based on a proposal pitched by School Board member Allen Zeman.
But the 26-school plan won’t happen during this year’s efforts, Zeman told the South Florida Sun Sentinel after Wednesday’s workshop, where the plan faced criticism from other board members.
“I am confident that the 16 schools beyond the 10 now know they are under the microscope and may decide to work hard to improve enrollment, performance and otherwise,” Zeman told the Sun Sentinel.
During the workshop, Zeman told the School Board that the district’s plan to close 10 schools represents only a 2.5% decrease in the district’s inventory, despite enrollment dropping about 34% over the past two decades. The district now has about 60,000 empty seats and closing 10 schools reduces it by about 9,000, according to district data. Each school closure could save between $2 million to more than $3 million, a district document states.
“When our enrollment goes down 34%, and we keep the same facilities footprint we’ve had forever, we’re tilting the amount of money we spent on facilities as compared to the amount of money we spent on education,” Zeman told the School Board. “And legislators in Tallahassee will continue to say, ‘ Why aren’t you spending more money on students?’”
But no other board members said they wanted to close more than 10 schools, and several wanted to close fewer. Some board members said the district has only discussed 10 schools as part of a series of town halls. Several criticized Zeman for pushing the idea.
“It created more panic. I’m getting calls, and people are afraid now that their schools are on the chopping block again when they’re really not,” Board member Maura McMarthy Bulman said at the meeting. “It’s just being thrown out there. Everyone’s upset enough about the 10 schools. If we wanted to do 26, we should have done it in August and not today.”
Board member Lori Alhadeff told Zeman that “it creates chaos within the district and within the communities when there is news out there when we’re talking about 10, and then one board member speaks to the 26. As much as we are individuals, we are a team, and so we need to have more of a unified message.”
Students and parents packed the boardroom on Wednesday to urge the board not to close their schools.
One of those was Jennifer Boyer, a sixth-grader who attends a law magnet at William Dandy. She said the school has its own mock courtroom, and students get to go on field trips where they meet legal professionals.
“William Dandy deserves a future. I may be a sixth-grader, but I understand that decisions made today can affect my education and the future of many other students,” she said. “I know our district is facing challenges with declining enrollment and funding. I understand that difficult decisions must be made, and I’m not asking you to ignore them. I’m asking you to look at the students, the opportunities and the future that is at stake.”
Under the proposal, William Dandy students and the school’s programs would move to Parkway Middle in Lauderhill. William Dandy’s building would be leased out to KIPP Public Charter Schools.
Several board members stressed to audience members that no decisions will be made until December.
“The decision has not been made. That’s why we are sitting here giving feedback” to district administrators, Board Chairwoman Sarah Leonardi said. “Last year, it took until the final vote, and things even changed at that final vote.”
