Silver Lakes Elementary is an amazing schools for us and our kids. I have twins in first grade and 1 has autism, we have been thrown around schools and some have horrible programs and some dont even have the program he needs to meet his needs. SLE has an amazing rating, it has the best autism program and great teachers that actually care for our kids progress. It is unfair that these kids seem to be thought of as last when making these decisions. My son has made progress here, also kids in the spectrum like him do not do well with changes to their environments or routines, changing schools and routines would be detrimental to him. SLE is also located in a neighborhood area away from main roads and traffic. This is great for the kids safety and also doesn’t cause traffic in main roads, it has an amazing location and parents and kids love this. Please think of the children first before closing such a great school as is SLE. We moved and purchased a home 1 mile away from the school solely for this school. Because after much research and talking to other parents I found this to be the best choice for our children. We literally bought our first home with our kids in mind, specially my son who has autism. Everything I do is for them and I’m sure I’m not the only parent that thinks this way. Please reconsider closing this school. We are a military family as well and are able to finally settle in one place. After being in different schools I can assure you the BEST FOR OUR CHILDREN is right here SLE. No other school in the area is remotely good as them when it comes to special needs programs. Be human and think of the kids that most people don’t think about when making these decisions.

Silver Lakes Elementary is a phenomenal school that delivers excellence services to students with disabilities everyday. Based on my review of the slide deck the impact to students with disabilities is listed last. It is my sincere hope and expectation that is a flaw of the slide deck and not of the significance to the consideration of this population. Closing Silver Lakes Elementary would be detrimental to students with disabilities, the community, and their families. It will create unanticipated hardships for our families. The District has identified this school as one to offer a special program, but then seeks to close it for students and families that are utilizing it. Our families are happy with the ESE educators, related service providers, and staff. The staff knows every student's name, greets them with a smile every morning, that matters! The staff does care. Our families are already dealing with a lot, but now to uproot the students who have developed relationships with the school, teachers, and community it creates even more challenges and hardships for us. Please consider students with disabilities first. Our students are usually overlooked, which I am urging that not to be the case in this monumental decision. I am respectfully asking the Board to consider first the needs of students with disabilities , and to consider if anything is needed to be changed it is allowing for more inclusion (even those with higher support needs) through the redesign of programs (including the programs the District is seeking in developing to attract students back to the District - students with disabilities need access to these programs too not just general education students) that will enhance their future outcomes as all peer-reviewed research supports.

Slide 16: "Collaborate with municipal and community partners to enhance performing arts programs across the county with expressed interest."

NO, get highly-qualified music and performing arts faculty back in these schools. HIRE THEM, SBBC! Miramar has had no vocal music for 5+ years. Neither do Flanagan, Coconut Creek, South Broward, Ely, Deerfield, or Hallandale. FHS once had comprehensive music programs—their vocal program was on national news. Now, it’s gone.

The Western zone isn’t up for "redefinition" but lacks a performing arts pipeline. WHS, once known for strong PA programs, now has 3 teachers for 3,700 students. It’s fed by 2 middle school bands, with no vocal or drama teachers. Indian Ridge MS has 1 performing arts teacher for 1800 students. The focus is all on acceleration.

Outside organizations are unnecessary. Put teachers back in schools and use music rooms already built. Students need comprehensive music/arts programs, feeder patterns that support success, and well-staffed faculty. Vocal music & drama are inexpensive. REBUILD feeder patterns...In the age of school choice, these are attractive programs.

Coral Cove Elementary performing arts theme / Everglades HS pipeline are a step in the right direction, but this must expand to all high schools lacking performing arts feeders. These programs simply can’t thrive without pipelines.

Where are Broward's top performing programs? American Heritage, St. Thomas, N.Broward Prep, Pine Crest. This is the only district where private schools consistently outscore public schools in performing arts.

Study a district with successful arts programs that balances acceleration, gains, and school grades: Orange County. OCPS has more music classrooms than Broward despite 60K+ fewer students. Families aren’t fleeing to private schools.

The answer to "redefining"? HIRE MUSIC+PA TEACHERS — Comprehensive programs attract students and families.

(Aside: I’ve graduated 6+ music education majors and supervised interns. All now teach in Florida, but only one returned home to Broward. The rest see no career prospects here.)

Brandon Monse, MME
Coral Springs, FL 33071
Department Chair Fine/Performing Arts, Western High School
Technology Chair, Florida Vocal Association

After reviewing the collected results from the community meetings and the conclusions from the various zones, I hope the board chooses to move forward on the grade reconfiguration and programmatic changes the nearby communities wanted. A school closing in an area can have a potentially disastrous impact on the nearby neighborhoods and the cities that contain them. I would like to, in particular, stress my support for not allowing charter schools to gain from this process at all as I believe their existence has been on the whole detrimental to the school district even if there have been minor benefits. Their existence has largely contributed to issues in the Flanagan area, for instance. Two and a half decades ago, Flanagan was worried over for being overcrowded and the solutions obviously overcorrected. I would remind the board members that population fluctuations will continue in this county and that one or two decades is not that long a time frame. Finally, I feel that while special needs and programatic accommodations for student with learning difficulties are briefly mentioned in the remarks, I believe a greater consideration should be paid to this category. These can be an indispensable need for many children that might have otherwise sought private education and can also be a selling point for new programs in this endeavor. Thanks for your time.

After reviewing the collected results from the community meetings and the conclusions from the various zones, I hope the board chooses to move forward on the grade reconfiguration and programmatic changes the nearby communities wanted. A school closing in an area can have a potentially disastrous impact on the nearby neighborhoods and the cities that contain them. I would like to, in particular, stress my support for not allowing charter schools to gain from this process at all as I believe their existence has been on the whole detrimental to the school district even if there have been minor benefits. Their existence has largely contributed to issues in the Flanagan area, for instance. Two and a half decades ago, Flanagan was worried over for being overcrowded and the solutions obviously overcorrected. I would remind the board members that population fluctuations will continue in this county and that one or two decades is not that long a time frame. Finally, I feel that while special needs and programatic accommodations for student with learning difficulties are briefly mentioned in the remarks, I believe a greater consideration should be paid to this category. These can be an indispensable need for many children that might have otherwise sought private education and can also be a selling point for new programs in this endeavor. Thanks for your time.