Broward, Miami-Dade schools receive A-rating
MIAMI - Broward school officials had reasons to celebrate Wednesday as they received their first A rating from the state since 2011.
"We are officially an A-rated school district," announced Broward School Vice Chair Debra Hixon.
"We have no D or F schools and that's the first time since 1999," said Broward School Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn.
Miami-Dade schools also received an A rating.
"We are once again an A-rated school district, 5 years in a row," announced Miami-Dade School Superintendent Dr. Jose Dotres to a cheering board room.
For parents, it's great news.
"We recently moved into Broward so it's really nice o know that our schools are aiming for higher education," said parent Ligia Cordero-Allen.
Teachers say there was a big effort that got them here.
"We worked really hard. It was intentional starting from our students, families, stakeholders, definitely in the classroom. Everything we did was intentional," said Apollo Middle School Civics teacher Fenoune Sainvil.
Business leaders call this a win too.
"It helps us when we promote Broward as a business destination, more importantly, it helps us retain companies and people in Broward County," said Bob Swindell from the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance.
In Broward, this comes as enrollment is down some 50,000 students over the years. Many moved to charter or private schools. The hope is this will help get some back.
"Parents, students if you're not in our schools, you have plenty of time to register before school starts," said Dr. Hepburn.
Broward Schools reports 82 A schools 62 B schools and 69 C schools with no D and F schools in the district.