After months of debate, Broward school board set to take final vote on closures
The Broward County Public Schools board will meet Wednesday, Jan. 21, to bring a final vote on Superintendent Howard Hepburn’s recommendations for school closures, consolidations and boundary changes across the district.
The meeting is scheduled to take place at the Kathleen C. Wright Building in Fort Lauderdale.
While the agenda includes several operational and financial items, the most closely watched vote centers on Hepburn’s recommendation to close and repurpose seven schools as part of the district’s long-term effort to address declining enrollment and downsize a strained budget.
Hepburn released his final recommendations on Dec. 12. District officials say the changes are part of a BCPS multi-phase “Redefining Our Schools” initiative, which aims to address enrollment declines that have left thousands of classroom seats empty across the district.
The schools on the chopping block are among the most under-enrolled in the district, which is the nation’s sixth-largest with more than 236,000 students and over 300 schools. Broward has around 10,000 fewer students than it did last year and is carrying a $94 million deficit, according to district data.
The proposed consolidations have drawn strong reaction in Pembroke Pines, where two schools, Panther Run Elementary and Palm Cove Elementary, are on the superintendent’s closure list.
Both campuses would be repurposed for other district uses if the recommendations are approved, although there is no plan for what the use would be.
Under Hepburn’s recommendations, Panther Run Elementary students would be reassigned to Chapel Trail Elementary and Silver Palms Elementary. Palm Cove Elementary would be consolidated into Lakeside Elementary School and Pines Lakes Elementary School. A nearby Miramar school, Sunshine Elementary, is also recommended for consolidation into Fairway Elementary.
In addition to the closures, the board will vote on boundary changes affecting two secondary schools in the area, set to take effect for the 2026-27 school year. The proposal would shift the attendance zone for Walter C. Young Middle School west of I-75, reassigning those students to Silver Trail Middle School. A similar change is recommended at the high school level, moving the Charles W. Flanagan High School boundary west of I-75 and redirecting students to West Broward High School.
Parents, students and community members have been vocal in various discussions surrounding the recommendations through a series of regional stakeholder meetings held throughout last fall, with the final session taking place Nov. 13.
Wednesday’s vote represents the final step in determining what proposals move forward. Changes approved would be effective for the 2026-27 school year.
Among the other items up for approval Wednesday:
- A $36.7 million contract with Kelly Services to provide a “turnkey solution” for substitute teachers and classrooms assistants.
- The adoption of a Memorandum of Understanding outlining teacher salary increases.
- A closed-door attorney-client session to discuss settlement strategies in ongoing construction litigation between OHL Building, Inc. and Zyscovich, LLC, and the district.
The school board meeting will be streamed live online through the district’s website and YouTube channel.
This story was originally published January 20, 2026 at 2:42 PM.
