Broward School Board moves to eventually getting metal detectors at all schools
FORT LAUDERDALE - The Broward School Board Wednesday moved forward to eventually getting metal detectors in every district school.
The board voted at an early meeting to put metal detectors in ten high schools this fall.
It will start with a pilot program during the summer session at Flanagan and Taravella high schools.
"The plan is to do 10 this year and then to use the funding, that is possibly from the vape litigation that we received, for the other, do the math 21, and then we'll start going to the middle schools. We know that high schools are the first place we need to start. So in a year and a half, it's my expectation that we will have every 31 schools, high schools, or (grade) 6-12 schools covered with metal detectors. At least three in each unit," said Superintendent Dr. Peter Licata.
The board then moved on to restructuring at a workshop. That lasted nearly four hours. No decisions were made, but Licata said, "There are up to 30 to 40 schools that could be affected. We have too many elementary schools."
With 50,000 fewer students and rising maintenance costs, school officials say they must 'right-size' the district. They say there are simply too many open seats and not enough students to fill them, leading to wasted resources.
The changes under consideration include combining schools, repurposing schools, and leasing or selling land, perhaps for affordable housing. Also, closing schools and changing school boundaries.
Licata has said they need to fix the issue to save money and prioritize the students who are in class. He said the student decline started five to six years ago with parents with school-aged children moving out of Broward and younger people moving in.
"This is a conversation we should have had five years ago," Licata said.
Dozens of schools in Broward are operating at 70 percent of capacity or less.
Licata said he would have a list of affected schools on April 16th.
Members of the public can submit their concerns or speak during the workshop. The final vote is expected in June.
