[Music] [Music] [Music] good evening my name is phah Wilson and I am the director of marketing and strategic Communications for Broward County Public Schools I want to welcome you today to Charles W Flanigan high school and we have interpreters here for you tonight if there is anyone that needs services in American Sign Language Haitian Creo Portuguese or Spanish we have interpreters that will come and introduce themselves to you and let you know about their services please [Music] ch hi I'm Sydney I'm here for American Science language interpretation thank you so much ladies we would like to express our gratitude to Charles W flan and high school band cheerleaders and principal Paula Peters for their warm welcome and Hospitality in hosting our community conversation tonight with that I would like to introduce the proud principal of Charles W Flanigan High School Miss Paula Peters thank you Miss Wilson I want to extend a warm welcome to all of you thank you for coming to Charles W Flanigan high school and at this time I'm going to ask you to stand for the presentation of colors I blood your legion nope sorry I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all at this time we welcome Sophie pige to sing the national anthem oh can you see by the darly light what so proudly we H at the Twilight last gleaming who BR stripes and bright stars through the parous fight or the ramp part we watch were so Gallant streaming and the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there oh say does that star Spangled B wave or the land of the free and the home the [Applause] bra thank you you may be seated and let's put our hands together for our Flanigan high school [Applause] students good evening my name is Zoe Saunders I'm the chief strategy and Innovation officer for Broward County Public Schools it is my pleasure to welcome you to our third Community conversation about redefining our schools before proceeding further I would also like to thank the ROTC Student Government Association band Color Guard culinary team 5,000 role models and the helpful it team so once again thank you to all the students who helped put today event together now I would like to pre preview what to expect from tonight's program first our school board chair Lori alhad will provide greetings on behalf of the Broward County School Board then superintendent Dr lacado will provide an overview of the redefining our schools process following the presentation District staff will facilitate small breakout sessions in classrooms and in a virtual teams meeting this format is designed to promote discussion and idea sharing we will provide more instructions following the presentation at this time it is my honor to introduce our Schoolboard chair Lori [Applause] alhad good evening and a warm welcome to everyone joining us for the second Community conversation being held as part of our redefining our schools initiative now it is my pleasure introduce my school board member who is here with us this evening please welcome Tori Alon of District Two unable to join us today is vice chair Deborah Hixon County at large seat 9 Daniel fogy District 1 Sarah Le nardy District 3 Dr Jeff holess of District 5 Brenda fam district 6 Nora roer district 7 and Dr Allan Zan countywide at large seat 8 who also want to welcome you this evening I would also like to recognize the elected officials joining us today if you are an elected official please stand thank you we are at a pivotal moment for Brower County Public Schools confronting challenges such as under enrollment and the need for Innovation this initiative represents more than just a conversation it's a collective call to action we are committed to making progress through transparent and inclusive efforts your commitment to joining us in this significant Endeavor is invaluable together we can foster transformative chains reshaping our schools for the better now please join me in welcoming superintendent Dr Peter Lata to the podium good evening and thank you for being here taking time and being interested in what goes in your community and what Broward County Public Schools does uh I will be reading from a script and that's not normally my my take on things but I want to make sure that every Community hears the exact same message from the first one to the second one to this one so it's important that I keep the verbiage exactly the same as we move through these slides I will pause through them on some significant slides simply because because they're they take a little bit time to to absorb and get the reality of why we're here so here we go first I'd like to thank our students for sharing their talents and bringing such a positive energy to this important discussion everything we do at the district is about you our students thank you to members of the community who are joining us in person and online for conversations about redefining our schools redefining our schools through the leadership the school board's leadership Brower County Public Schools is starting a new plan for the district's future this new initiative is called redefining our schools redefining our schools is about changing to better meet the needs of the students and the Greater Community at this time we do not have a predetermined list I'm going to stop there at this time we do not have a predetermined list we have a record of all our schools and their populations and their enrollment that was published we do not have a list a predetermined list we have committed to coming to the Community First to help us develop an approach that will be Equitable and positive for our students this evening we will focus on three topics first we will share why the district needs to change to be better and better serve our students second we will describe how we are approaching the process of redefining our schools and third we will share what you can do to shape the process of redefining our schools specifically we will capture your ideas around the criteria and goals of this process why now let's begin exploring the need to redefine our schools I will share some data and provide information and some context this is one we're going to hold on I want you to see the blue line from 2004 2005 all the way to our current enrollment this process probably should have started about 10 years ago and we have some time to catch up but we got to do it quickly as you can see from this chart student enrollment has been steadily decreasing since 2004 2005 school year like many school districts Broward schools experienced a steeper decline following the pandemic and expansion of voucher programs 2023 2024 comparison just in the past 10 years our enrollment has decreased by by 24,000 students our future enrollment is also projected to decline the decline in enrollment significantly impacts the budget the change over the past decade represents a financial loss of approximately $27 million annually BCPS is too big for current enrollment over the years the number of students enrolled in our schools has gone down but the number of school buildings has stayed the same as a result the district has about 50,000 empty seats hold on this map please if you look at this map quickly you see the entire county is impacted the entire County for the most part is impacted this is a map where our under enrolled schools are located the red circle represents elementary schools the green squares represent middle schools and the blue triangles represent high schools the purpose of this map is to show that there are under enrolled schools across the district this is an issue that will and should involve all of us together we will make changes that address short-term needs and plans for the future it clearly shows this isn't one or two communities it is the entire County as mentioned there are many under enrolled schools across the district this is not just a budget issue School budgets depend on student enrollment and offer the best education Options under enrolled schools often have fewer electives more limited course offerings and fewer instructional resources these same schools often face facility issues more choices we must also acknowledge that our community's educational needs and expectations have changed over the years and will continue to change BCPS is no longer the only option parents and students have many choices those choices include Charter Schools virtual learning programs private school scholarships and homeschooling as a district we also offer many amazing Choice programs that are very popular students have earned National recognition we need to offer more of those and these types of programs as we Define redefine our schools and need to do a better job of communicating that we are the best choice how now I'd like to describe how we are approaching the process of redefining our schools redefining options districts across the country are facing declining around rollment we are looking at how other districts are addressing this challenge I would like to share some common strategies to give you a sense of what we are considering redefining our schools will take different forms this is not a one-sized fits-all approach what works for one school and one community may not work for another school or another community school choice one option might be creating more magnet programs and full choice schools school choice schools attract students based on the specific educational programs offered such as engineering montau or other programs change grade level configuration another option might be changing the grade level served by one school merge or combine schools we will also look at combining schools that could look like two under enrolled schools becoming one school or an under enrolled Elementary and Middle School combining to become a K8 School School boundary changes School boundaries create attendance zones we might consider changing School boundaries to add or remove neighborhoods in those attended zones close schools school closures will be considered we must acknowledge that closing a school may be one of the most difficult decisions for a district to make our Northstar in this discussions will remain focused on what is in the best interest of our students repurposing schools repurposing schools is an Innovative way to transform for unus schoool areas into spaces that enrich the lives of students staff and the community this might look like the district is partnering with a service provider to deliver wraparound support to the students and the Greater Community Leasing and selling as the largest property owner in Broward County we might consider selling or leasing properties these properties could be converted into affordable housing for staff or other services some of these options may make people feel uneasy at first however we must have the courage to have difficult discussions to make tough decisions if we do we will create opportunities to reinvest in our mission now let's talk about the many opportunities that could come out of this process remember we have to have the courage to make difficult decisions we will create opportunities to reinvest in our mission if we have the cost savings generate or new Revenue we will have more dollars to enhance educational programs in increase teacher and staff salaries fund Capital Improvements and more the timeline timeline well it's tight timeline is because we know that it's on everyone's mind today we are starting the conversation to help guide the district's approach on the screen and I want to hold the screen for a moment if you look we're starting now in the blue square but by June it is the intent of the district to make decisions on where we move we're in 18 months away from the impact of those decisions we do not plan on any changes for next year and we are expecting to be on time with this in March the school board will develop the criteria and goals for the redefining process Based on data and input gathered through these Community conversations using the agreed upon criteria the district will narrow its focus at that point we we will ask the community to provide feedback on specific schools as we explore possible changes in May the school board will meet again to review the options considered for specific schools thereafter District staff will follow up on specific questions brought up during discussion in June school board will vote on a list of schools to be redefined with this vote the school board will direct me to begin the planning process around the proposal or the proposed School changes it is important to note that changes will take much longer to happen because additional Community input will be needed this means the earliest change would likely be for the 2025 2026 school year what's possible as we embark on this journey let's focus on what could be we know that change can be hard but if done correctly change can unlock new possibilities at the beginning of this process there will be some unknowns there will be more questions than answers that's okay we commit to listening we commit to learning and we commit to being open and transparent at every stage of this process the possibilities are what excite me through redefining our schools we hope to change how we operate in a way that creates enriching teaching and learning options please join us as we prepare for a new era of Education in Broward County now we'd like to hear from you at this time I'm going to reinvite our chief strategy in Innovation officer Miss Zoe Saunders back on the stage to provide instructions on the next part of the program and I thank you all for being [Applause] here thank you superintendent Lata for sharing the vision for redefining our schools the rest of the program is designed to promote discussion the district is committed to listening and learning from the community as we begin developing the plan for redefining our schools in a moment we will break up into smaller groups and assign each group into a classroom or a virtual teams meeting District staff will facilitate a conversation with each group around redefining our schools this format is designed to promote two-way conversation spark new ideas and Foster meaningful engagement the role of the facilitator is to capture your ideas and suggestions specifically we are seeking input on the criteria and goals for redefining our schools if you are joining us online you can participate virtually through a teams link soon you should see a teams link on your screen please minimize your live stream screen and click on the link to go to the virtual breakout room where your facilitator will explain the next steps for those in the audience we will assign you to a group based on The Wristband that you received at registration each wristband is associated with a specific classroom when I call the color that matches the wristband you received please come forward at this time I will ask the JC Cadets to come to the front of the auditorium the cadets will escort you to your classroom once your group has been called for those who serve on a district advisory committee please note that two members of the same ad advisory cannot participate in the same breakout room discussion doing so would be a breach of Sunshine Law if you were assigned to the same group as a fellow Advisory Board member please tell your facilitator so we can change the group assignments as I call the color associated with The Wristband you received please come forward the jrtc cadet will escort you to your assigned room as a reminder virtual attendees will see a QR code and Link on the screen if you are on a mobile device please minimize your screen to see a button that will take you to the team's meeting again thank you for 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