Coral Springs leaders propose music academy and other ideas to keep Forest Glen Middle School open

Coral Springs, Florida – Coral Springs residents and city leaders are pushing for alternatives to the proposed closure and consolidation of two local schools, including a plan that would turn Forest Glen Middle School into a specialized music and arts academy.

The ideas were presented Monday evening, Sept. 14, during a community meeting at Coral Springs High School. The gathering was the third of seven meetings being held by Broward County Public Schools as the district considers changes to schools with declining enrollment.

Dozens of parents, students and community members attended the meeting. Several people spoke directly to district officials, with parents, students and city commissioners given two minutes each at a microphone inside the high school gym.

The district’s current proposal would close Coral Springs Elementary School and move its 296 students to either Eagle Ridge Elementary or Parkside Elementary, depending on where their families live.

Forest Glen Middle School is also part of the proposed changes. The school currently has 731 students, despite having a building designed to accommodate 1,627. Under the district’s recommendation, Forest Glen students would instead attend nearby elementary schools that would be expanded to include sixth grade.

At the same time, Coral Springs High School would expand its role and serve students in grades seven through 12.

The proposal has prompted local officials to ask the district to consider other possibilities before making a final decision.

Broward County School Board member Lori Alhadeff, who represents Coral Springs, suggested that Forest Glen could be transformed into a premier school focused on music and the arts. She also called for the district to delay any major changes at the school for three years, giving the proposed academy time to attract students and establish itself.

“It has to give it a chance to bring students back and keep students there,” Alhadeff said.

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Alhadeff will not ultimately vote on the proposal. Her successor, Nicole Morst, is scheduled to take the seat in November and would cast the vote on the school plan in December.

Alhadeff also said she wished she had pushed for a similar three-year delay a year earlier. According to her, the earlier discussions about the possibility of closing Forest Glen caused some parents to move their children to other schools, contributing to the enrollment decline that the district is now considering.

Coral Springs City Commissioner Joe McHugh also supported giving Forest Glen additional time. McHugh, who is a father of a Broward County student and previously worked as a Coral Springs police officer, raised concerns about the effect of the proposed changes on special needs programs and traffic.

If Coral Springs High School takes on students from two additional grades, McHugh said the increase could create serious problems during the morning arrival period.

“There is no way possible to add two more grades to this school in vehicle-controlled traffic in the morning,” McHugh said. “It cannot happen.”

Another city commissioner, Joshua Simmons, asked school district officials to work with the city to find ways to use available classroom space rather than closing schools.

Simmons also questioned whether Coral Springs High School is ready for an increase in enrollment. He said the high school needs repairs, including work on its air conditioning system, before it takes on students from additional grades.

“We are incredibly invested in keeping schools open, and we are asking, asking, asking, please, begging to work with us to make that a reality,” Simmons said.

While local officials and residents argued for alternatives, Valerie Wanza, the district’s chief strategy and innovation officer, told those attending that no final decision has been reached.

Wanza also explained the financial and enrollment pressures behind the district’s broader consolidation plan. Broward County Public Schools has lost more than 48,000 students over the past decade, along with more than $430 million in funding. The decline has left the district with more than 61,000 empty seats across its schools.

Those numbers are a major part of the district’s argument for examining schools with low enrollment and finding ways to reduce unused capacity.

During the meeting, one parent asked what happens to the money saved when a school closes. Wanza said those savings return to the district’s operating budget.

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Another parent asked how many schools would have to close before the district stops returning to the same issue.

Wanza said enrollment is expected to continue declining for another three to five years. She could not say when the process of reviewing and potentially consolidating schools would come to an end.

For Forest Glen supporters, the proposed music and arts academy is one possible way to address the enrollment problem without closing the school. The three-year delay proposed by Alhadeff would give the district time to see whether a specialized program could bring new students to the campus and retain families who might otherwise choose another school.

The debate also goes beyond Forest Glen. Coral Springs Elementary is facing a separate consolidation proposal, while Coral Springs High School could become significantly larger if the district moves ahead with its current plan.

The school board reviewed the latest recommendations on Aug. 25. Officials have two more workshops scheduled, on Sept. 22 and Oct. 6, before the school board is expected to make a final decision on Dec. 16.

Until then, parents, students and city officials have another opportunity to make their case.

For Coral Springs leaders, the message at Monday’s meeting was that declining enrollment does not necessarily mean schools have to close. They are asking Broward County Public Schools to consider new programs, use existing classroom space differently and address infrastructure and traffic concerns before moving forward with the proposed consolidation.

The district, meanwhile, is continuing to weigh those suggestions against years of declining enrollment, lost funding and thousands of unused seats across Broward County.