(The Center Square) – Declining enrollment and rising costs have cast constraints on the budget for Broward County Schools as the district considers measures including school closures to relieve financial pressure.
The school board met Tuesday morning for a workshop ahead of its regular meeting to consider budget reduction strategies.
“Moving forward we have a lot of work to do to realize savings in the district,” Chief Financial Officer Omar Shim told the board.
Shim said they must consider risks including further enrollment losses and fixed costs.
Broward County experienced “consistent” decline in enrollment during the school year for the past two years, losing about 2,500 to 3,000 students in the midst of the school year, according to Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn. That loss of students equates to a drop of about $30 million annually.
The board agreed to close six schools last year and now even more schools are facing the chopping block. Under examination for restructuring is Banyan, Coral Springs, Dolphin Bay, Silver Lakes, and Sunset Lakes, Hollywood Park, Lloyd Estates, and Oakridge elementary schools. The board is also looking at Forest Glen, Walter C. Young, and William E. Dandy middle schools.
In an effort to save money last year, the board also reduced 1,000 positions.
Part of the challenge, Omar said, is meeting the demand of rising costs for maintaining personnel, funding healthcare, transportation, utilities, and insurance, along with other operating costs. Many district expenditures, he said, are unable to be reduced due to collective bargaining commitments and contractual obligations.
Dr. Allen Zeman said board members needed to take into account that a significant portion of the school district’s future budget will be in the hands of voters in November.
The Next Generation Referendum is a renewal of the one-mill property tax voters previously approved in 2022. The funds go to recruiting and retaining teachers and staff, maintaining school resource officers and school safety staff, and mental health service programs.
“We’ve got to kind of recognize the magnitude of the referendum,” said Zeman.
Approximately $340 million of the district’s operating dollars are tied to that referendum.
“I think just be risk averse and to be honest with our people, we’ve got to make sure we understand whether those funds are coming. Not this year’s funds, as we all know that’s 2027-2028 funds, but that’s a lot of money we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got a plan that’s based in reality, not one that’s based on hope,” Zeman said.
