Broward Estates school to become early learning center; Lauderhill residents press school board for alternatives

Broward County School Board representatives told the Lauderhill City Commission on April 14 that Broward Estates Elementary School will be repurposed as an early learning center with community programming and that the campus is scheduled to open in that role on Aug. 11. The district said the change is intended to improve kindergarten readiness in the surrounding area and to direct resources where per‑student funding yields greater programmatic benefit.

The school board’s District 5 representative, Dr. Jeff Holness, said Broward Estates had 222 students on the most recent roll, a capacity of about 695 and that the district’s data show roughly 35 percent of area pre‑K children are not kindergarten ready. “We believe an early learning center will help to improve those percentages,” Holness said during the presentation, adding that the board approved the superintendent’s recommendation on Jan. 22. District staff said the plan includes adult‑education programming and a partnership process to define community services at the campus.

The presentation followed more than an hour of public comment from Lauderhill residents who urged the commission to press the school board to keep Broward Estates open as a K–5 school or to offer a hybrid approach rather than a full repurposing. Speakers said the community had not requested school closure and questioned whether previously allocated…