Broward schools dominate at color guard. Here’s why they might not get to compete
Miami Herald | By
A legal squabble over a contract might prevent Broward County Public Schools students from competing in color guard and marching band events just weeks away.
Color guard directors received an email from WGI, a nonprofit youth organization that produces competitions for color guard, percussion and winds, on Friday warning that students may not be able to compete in the 2026 season of events because the school district had not yet signed a contract required for participation.
Concerned Broward parents are encouraging community members to speak on the issue at the Feb. 10 Broward school board meeting. As of Tuesday evening, over 4,000 people have signed a Change.org petition urging the district to resolve the legal dispute as soon as possible. A regional WGI competition in Tampa starts in two weeks.
“We recognize how distressing and disruptive this news may feel,” said Ron Nankervis, the WGI executive director, in the Jan. 30 email. “Many of you have already made significant commitments toward the 2026 season — including travel planning, fundraising, and mobilizing your students and supporters.”
School board member Adam Cervera told the Herald that lawyers for BCPS and WGI will meet again this week to “try to hash all this out.” The WGI contract is not currently on the Feb. 10 school board agenda, but it can be added as an item to vote on if there is a finalized contract before then, Cervera said.
“I’m confident that after this call takes place, hopefully cooler heads will prevail, and we can get we can get something done,” Cervera said.
WGI has not responded to requests for comment. In a statement, BCPS Chief of Staff and Communications John J. Sullivan said, “Our General Counsel is working on a potential solution. We appreciate our parents’ outreach, and we will provide updates as they become available.”
Contractual sticking points
WGI and the school district entered in a three-year contract, called a master agreement, in 2022. That agreement allowed BCPS schools to participate in WGI events from 2023 to 2025. WGI and the school district began discussions to renew the contract in December.
The school district “inserted contract language that our legal counsel has determined is not applicable to WGI or the services we provide to your schools,” Nankervis wrote in his email. WGI offered a compromise, but the school district rejected the proposed agreement, Nankervis said. The email, which was later shared with the Herald, does not specify the contract details the parties disagree on.
Cervera said there are two main sticking points regarding the contract, and he bristled at what he called WGI’s “skewed” portrayal of the circumstances.
First, the school district wants language in the contract that complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, and requires WGI to store sensitive student information safely. WGI said no to that, Cervera said. Second, Cervera said, WGI wanted language in the contract that allows the organization to “just terminate [the contract] whenever they want for any reason at any time.” BCPS said no to that.
The school district’s amendments to the contract are standard for every agreement with a vendor it enters into, Cervera said.
Broward County School Board member Adam Cervera at a school board meeting in January. Cervera said there are two main disagreements between Broward schools and WGI, the organization that hosts the color guard and band competitions.
“I hope that by this time in the next 48 hours, that this is all resolved, and we get what we need. We can just vote on Tuesday and give our kids what they’ve been working for. I have all the confidence the world that we’ll get there,” he said. “I just don’t like the fact that WGI is painting it like the Broward school district are being jerks and they’re being totally unreasonable. Because that’s not the case.”
In the Jan. 30 email, Nankervis said many other Florida school districts, including Miami-Dade, approved the WGI contract “without significant changes, demonstrating that workable compromise is possible.” To that point, Cervera said BCPS will prioritize protecting student information regardless what other school districts do.
‘We have a reputation to hold’
The uncertainty has been very stressful for the hundreds of Broward students who look forward to competing in WGI events, said Pauleen Yunis, the color guard director at West Broward High School. The news brought several students to tears, she said.
Broward schools have been competing — and dominating — in WGI events for decades, Yunis said. Since 2008, West Broward has made finals and received medals several times. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High and Flanagan High are also known for excelling in competitions.
“We have a reputation to hold, and for us to not be able to go this year just sets the precedent for the future,” Yunis said. “Our Broward County Schools, like West Broward, Stoneman Douglas, Flanagan, set the bar for a lot of the organization across the U.S.”
Notably, the dispute over the contract has nothing to do with the school district’s financial issues and budget cuts. Students and parents fundraise to participate in WGI events, Yunis said. Teams and families have already spent money they raised on flights, hotels, buses and other expenses for this year’s events. If BCPS schools are barred from competing, she said, they may not get that money back.
“The kids are so talented. They’re working so hard. For them to not be able to go would just be devastating for everybody, honestly,” Yunis said. “I hate to use the word ‘devastating,’ but it is because they work so hard, especially the seniors.”
