Student under-enrollment could mean Broward school closures
MIAMI - The future of several Broward schools is up for discussion in the coming days. The district is looking at solutions to help deal with under-enrollment and increasing costs for maintaining campus.
On Monday, CBS News Miami's Joe Gorchow spoke with the district superintendent, Dr. Peter Licata. He asked if the school board could afford to delay such a move any longer.
"No," Licata said. "Because financially, we are not in a place for that. Paying for things we don't have. We don't have students in seats."
Over the next several months, Dr. Licata will work to narrow down a list of schools to repurpose and present to the school board for a vote by June. He wants the data, in part, to help guide his recommendation on which schools to alter, which to close, and which to upgrade to redefine at least five schools ultimately.
School district numbers show that 67 of 239 schools operate at least 70% of their capacity or less. 45 are elementary schools.
And Licata says Broward's missing about 51,000 potential students.
"A lot of folks are moving out of Broward County that have kids," mentioned Licata. "People moving in are not having school-aged children."
He lists other factors, but the challenge remains the same.
"These conversations are about the bigger picture," emphasized Licata. "Unfortunately, this should have happened years ago, when enrollment started declining 5-6 years ago."
The goal is to combine or repurpose schools to create affordable housing. Lease or sell land, close schools, and make school boundary changes.
Licata wants input from all stakeholders in Broward: parents, spiritual leaders, community neighborhoods, and elected officials.
"That's our objective, to communicate with everybody," said Licata.
Multiple factors go into this list, from what programs a school offers to student enrollment.
"Some reason the school might be under-enrolled is the way it looks, the facilities," added Licata.
This leads to another aspect: money needed to repair.
"It definitely has to be part of the factor," said Licata. "
"You don't want to put a lot of money into something that may not be there."
CBS News Miami has closely covered how Broward Schools utilized a taxpayer-approved $800 million bond issued in 2014. We found dilapidated conditions at some schools, mostly in the east and Central Broward, like Parkway Middle, requiring a building replacement. One of many left behind for a myriad of reasons.
Gorchow asked Licata: "It would seem those would be the same schools potentially near the top of the list for being repurposed.
"Maybe for some people," said Licata. "We will see how that works out. From my 10,000-foot view, I see the whole county being impacted."
Again, Dr. Licata wants your input. He's hosting three town halls this month to hear opinions from the community, the first of which is this Thursday at Fort Lauderdale High, beginning at six at night.