Under-enrolled schools, the end of COVID funds have School Board members knee-deep in discussions about how, what, and where to save money next school year.
Broward County Public Schools is in a tough spot right now. Student enrollment is shrinking, and the extra federal money that helped during the pandemic is drying up. That combination is creating a serious financial crunch.
“We’re at a really critical point in our district—every dollar counts,” said school board member Rebecca Thompson at Tuesday’s meeting.
The district is looking at a $76 million budget shortfall before the next school year even begins. One big reason? About 8,000 fewer students are expected to enroll.
“We’ve talked about this before, but it’s time to get real,” said board member Dr. Allen Zeman. “Enrollment has dropped 17% over the last decade, but our spending hasn’t gone down by that much.”
To start tackling the problem, the board approved a reorganization plan on Tuesday that’s expected to save around $7 million. The good news: no layoffs for now. Most of the savings come from not filling open positions—like 104 security monitor jobs that were already vacant.
But that’s just the beginning. Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn said school closures and consolidations are likely the next step.
“We have way too many schools, and many of them just don’t have enough students,” he said. “If we combine some of them, we can offer better services and learning opportunities.”
