I oppose the proposed closure of Dolphin Bay Elementary and the transfer of its students to a K–8 model at Glades.

I understand that BCPS must address enrollment, capacity, and financial challenges. However, closing Dolphin Bay while making a significant investment to modify another campus deserves greater scrutiny.

Dolphin Bay is an A-rated school with strong academic performance, ranking among the top 21% of elementary schools in Florida. It also has established programs and specialized support for students with exceptional education needs (ESE). Before closing a successful school with these capabilities, the Board should carefully evaluate whether its students and families are actually being provided with a better educational environment.

I am also concerned about the proposed K–8 model. Placing elementary-age children on the same campus as middle-school students creates a very different developmental and safety environment from the traditional Pre-K–5 model. Younger students have different supervision, behavioral, and developmental needs than 13- and 14-year-old students, and this deserves particular consideration for younger and ESE students. BCPS should provide parents with specific information about how these concerns will be addressed before making this transition.

I encourage the Board to consider consolidating Silver Lakes and Dolphin Bay at the existing Dolphin Bay campus while maintaining it as a traditional Pre-K–5 elementary school. This could address capacity concerns while preserving an established, high-performing elementary environment and its existing ESE capabilities, while avoiding the need to convert Glades into a K–8 campus.

Please consider the academic performance, specialized student needs, developmental environment, safety, and long-term interests of these students before closing Dolphin Bay Elementary.

We are requesting that Dolphin Bay Elementary remain open as a traditional Pre-K–5 school and that the district consider combining Dolphin Bay and Silver Lakes at the Dolphin Bay campus. This would preserve a well-established, A-star-rated school option for families while making meaningful use of the existing campus and resources. Our goal is to keep a strong neighborhood elementary school open, maintain continuity for students and families, and build upon the programs, leadership, and sense of community that have made Dolphin Bay a valued school for many years.

Alyssa Wetherington | Oakland Park, FL 33309

I am the parent of a kindergartener at Lloyd Estates Elementary. I recognize the enrollment and capacity challenges before this Board. But Policy 8010 identifies another responsibility that deserves equal attention.

Section VII.B states that the Board’s approved long-range plan shall include “Strategies to increase enrollment at under-enrolled schools.”

Lloyd is under-enrolled. Before permanently eliminating its educational capacity, I respectfully ask: What strategy has been tested to increase enrollment at Lloyd, and what measurable result did it produce?

I am proposing one for consideration.

Marketing alone will not solve under-enrollment. Families need a clear reason to choose a school, practical access to it, and help navigating an increasingly complex education marketplace.

Lloyd Estates Future Learners would organize existing strengths around a clear academic identity focused on inquiry, literacy, STEM, communication and the Art of Data Storytelling.

Family Pathways would engage families before kindergarten and help them navigate VPK, School Choice, ESE/language supports, transportation, aftercare, summer programming and BCPS academic options. A redesigned website would serve as a measurable enrollment engine connecting interest to tours, applications and enrollment.

Family Pathways could also strengthen district planning by capturing what families are seeking before they apply through School Choice. BCPS could compare expressed interest with applications, enrollment and retention to better identify where demand exists and where specialized programs and services may be needed.

I am not asking BCPS to assume this will work. I am asking BCPS to test whether it works.

Policy 8010 calls for strategies to increase enrollment at under-enrolled schools. Lloyd provides an opportunity to test one.

We have measured the decline. Now let’s measure what portion we can influence.

I am firmly opposed to the closure of Dolphin Bay Elementary school. Dolphin Bay has been a consistently A rated school for years. This was one of the reasons I chose to put my daughter in this school. It makes absolutely no sense to close an A rated school. Instead of closing it, this school should be the model used for other elementary schools that are not as high achieving. Why dismantle something that is working so well?

I propose that Dolphin Bay remain open as a pre-k-5 institution, and that Silver lakes Elementary be consolidated into Dolphin Bay. All of the schools that are up for closure will inevitably try to save their own school, rightfully so. However, you have to look and see what makes more sense. Dolphin Bay is the newest building, it has the capacity to incorporate the students from sliver lakes, it has top notch security, it is a consistently A rated school, has exceptional staff, and strong steady leadership under Principal, Sandra Nelson.
The current proposal to close Dolphin Bay and silver lakes and incorporate them into Glades middle which will be converted to a K-8 facility is ridiculous. How many K-8 schools are there now?? You would have to imagine that there are still parents who want a traditional elementary school, a traditional middle school and a traditional high school. Dolphin Bay parents are such parents. Over 90% of Dolphin Bay parents stated that they will not be sending their children to Glades K-8. One would assume you would be counting on this population to increase enrollment, however, it's not going to happen. When you are coming up with statistical enrollment projections, you can definitely cut Dolphin Bay students out of those counts.
So, is it worth closing an A rated school and spending 8+ million dollars on renovations to try and make Glades fit the K-8 model, only for it to remain under enrolled? It seems like it would make a lot more sense to keep Dolphin Bay (the higher achieving educational institution) as the traditional Pre-k-5 and consolidate Silver lakes into Dolphin Bay.

The ThoughtExchange data are clear: the district continues to underprogram in arts and music and these are being emphasized by stakeholders in each area as vital. For too long, music and art have been treated as extras available mostly at higher-performing & greater-enrolled schools. These subjects count little in school grades, but grades alone are not keeping families in our schools.

The district must staff arts and music classrooms with highly-qualified specialists. SunSentinel reported that there is a "mission to preserve, offer special art and music classes in Broward schools" and that "Art and music will return to many small Broward County schools". But this referred only to elementary schools and as evidenced by the stakeholder surveys, that is not sufficient. It is not sufficient for 30% of our elem. schools to still have no music teacher, nor is it acceptable for 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟵𝟬% of our middle schools to have vocal classrooms built at public expense that are no longer used by a vocal music teacher.

SBBC's arts magnets like Parkway and Dillard have not been resourced to offer the conservatory-level arts education that our neighboring districts offer. Students pursuing arts careers will choose Dreyfoos School of the Arts in Palm Beach, Bak MS, New World SOTA in Dade, or study privately. Broward has no school in their league. Why not?

Students need not attend a specialty magnet school to receive fundamental studies in music and arts. We cannot afford to sidetrack music and art curricula or let them continue on a downward slope. When we refer to these subjects as "specials", especially in elementary, they may feel expendable, but are not. SBBC's data show that stakeholders are looking for these in the schools they choose. Especially in this state, music and arts expertise can lead toward successful careers in Florida's entertainment- and tourism-based economy.

SBBC must determine how to bolster music & arts even in the face of financial & enrollment decline, or else will fall into the trap of reducing programming which only leads to greater decline. SBBC must offer quality, comprehensive music and arts education to every student.

(and stop calling them specials. They are classes with a specialist.)

My name is Nicholas and I oppose the closure of Sheridan Park. Sheridan Park is a pilar in the community with great visibility from Sheridan Street. Schools keep closing down and people are losing their faith in the public system. Don't close a school down that is visible by hundreds of thousands- if not close to a million- cars weekly! What kind of message are we sending about public schools to our communities? We want them to see we are here to stay! Sheridan Park has enough capacity to fit all of Hollywood Park. We can market it a little better by calling it Sheridan Park School of Excellence. We need to think of not just consolidating, but also of rebranding- when people move to our county and our state- they look for schools with all the buzz words in them- Academy, school of excellence, collegiate academy.. etc... those are cognates in many languages. Sheridan Park is also so big and it has a lot of land. Youth Sports is a multi-billion dollar industry now. You can even expand on their outside sports area and build a basic basketball community center and rent it out on the weekends and during the weeks you can run a basketball program. We have so many Broward basketball teams that rent out community centers and schools in Miami. Why should they drive to Miami if we can make it work? This would generate money for the school.
I am a product of BCPS and want my kids to stay in BCPS! Keep fighting for us and come up with better options than closures!
KEEP SHERIDAN PARK OPEN! Thank you for your time.

I strongly oppose closing Sheridan Park Elementary and consolidating it into nearby schools. It is my understanding that to accommodate the budget crisis the school board unfortunately faces, it must close schools that are under enrolled. Yes, Sheridan Park is under enrolled, but it would be at 98% capacity if nearby Hollywood Park Elementary closed and merged with it. For nearly 60 years Sheridan Park has provided a top-notch education to the community and can provide it to students at other schools if they merge with Sheridan Park. The campus at Sheridan Park is warm, modern, and welcoming and has been renovated over the last 20 years. Having one bus route to the neighborhoods that serve Hollywood Park Elementary would make transportation less of a hassle too. If Sheridan Park closed and students were sent to other schools nearby, I feel like it would create many negative issues in the community. Children go to school to learn and make lifelong friends, and if they were broken up, they’d be separated from their friends and have to start over. Also, Sheridan Park has many wonderful teachers and a great ESE program for children with special needs. Closing Sheridan Park may deny students the opportunity to have these teachers. I am not afraid to admit it, but I was a product of the ESE program at Sheridan Park. Young children with learning disabilities that depend on the ESE program at Sheridan Park need structure and an environment they are used to. It would be hard to tell many of them they’d have to start over in a new school they are completely unfamiliar with. I received a great education at Sheridan Park 25 years ago, and it enabled me to become the wonderful adult I am now. Today I am a 35-year-old adult, live independently and have a wonderful job with a prestigious accounting firm. It is my hope that the same wonderful education I received at Sheridan Park can be accessible to every child for years to come.

At west Miramar we want to keep Dolphin Bay Elementary as the option for PreK - 5 traditional Elementary school for the following reasons:
1) Dolphin Bay is the safest school on west Miramar, it posses a detailed 3D BIM/Revit model, that was integrated into the City’s 3D GIS system, in case of an emergency, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and local Miramar first responders use this exact data for tactical emergency responses, mapping entry points and blind spots virtually.

2) Dolphin Bay has maintained an “A” school rating consistently for the past 10 years.

3) Its established administrative team brings the institutional knowledge, leadership experience, and operational expertise needed to guide a successful consolidation.

4) Dolphin Bay offers a newer facility with infrastructure better suited to accommodate the consolidated school community.

5) Its location is more suitable and accessible for serving students, families, and staff across the combined attendance area.

Please think twice before closing an "A" school to send the students to a "C" or "B" school. Protect WHAT IS WORKING!!! we need more enrollment and closing a consistent "A" school WIL NOT HELP!

Combining Hollywood Park with Sheridan Park could offer a stable, long-term solution rather than a short-term response to current enrollment numbers. Because enrollment changes as families move, neighborhoods develop, and new families join our communities, the district should evaluate options based on long-term needs—not only on a single year’s projections. A thoughtful consolidation could help avoid repeatedly closing schools or revisiting the same difficult decision whenever enrollment fluctuates.

The possibility of moving Hollywood Park to Sheridan Park Elementary was discussed at the September 10 meeting. For that reason, I was concerned that during last night’s discussion, this option did not appear to receive the same level of consideration as the other proposals or remain clearly part of the conversation. Before any final decision is made, the district should thoroughly evaluate this option using enrollment projections, facility capacity, transportation, program offerings, staffing, financial impacts, and the effects on students and families.

A Hollywood Park–Sheridan Park consolidation could preserve important programs, retain strong teachers and staff, maintain relationships among students and families, and protect a sense of community. It could also give the district greater flexibility as enrollment and neighborhood needs evolve. Most importantly, evaluating this option carefully would allow the district to make a deliberate, forward-looking decision rather than reacting to temporary enrollment fluctuations.

We are not asking for a temporary fix. We are asking the district to fully consider a sustainable plan that supports students, preserves community continuity, and provides greater stability for our schools and families for years to come.

While I understand the budget crisis and the need to consolidate and close schools to save money, I believe closing schools and moving the students to several different places does not help the community or students involved. I believe it would be in the best interest of all involved in the Hollywood area to move the students of Hollywood Park into Sheridan Park. Keeping all of the students together will give them a sense of community and not feel torn apart. Creating just one bus route to the Hollywood Park neighborhood would help alleviate any transportation concerns and would make the transition easier on the community. Sheridan Park has the capacity to house students pre k -5th grade for both schools and keep students in ESE programs at the same location.

I oppose this position. If you cannot ensure that middle schoolers are safe at their own school then how are we supposed to trust that elementary children will be safe at all?

Please consolidate the children from Dolphin Bay and Silver Shores into Dolphin Bay.

You don’t want to risk litigation if something should happen which would be costlier than consolidating both schools into Dolphin Bay.

Thank you.

I strongly oppose the proposed closure of Dolphin Bay Elementary. When considering the future of a school, we must look beyond enrollment numbers and building capacity and consider what has been built within that school community.

Dolphin Bay is a newer facility, but more importantly, it is a successful school with established leadership, dedicated staff, and a strong culture. Under Principal Sandra Nelson’s long-standing leadership, Dolphin Bay continues to perform at a high level as an A-rated school. That success does not happen by accident. It reflects years of committed leadership, experienced teachers and staff, strong family relationships, and a shared investment in our children.

A school is so much more than the building that houses it. It is the people inside of it. Dolphin Bay’s staff know these children and families and have created an environment where students are known, supported, and able to thrive.

We also have a responsibility to protect the smallest and most vulnerable members of our school community. Closing Dolphin Bay would take away West Miramar families’ only option for a traditional Pre-K–5 public school and move our youngest children into a K–8 environment. There is tremendous value in an environment intentionally designed for the developmental, social, emotional, and educational needs of young children.

When a school is struggling, I understand examining difficult options. But when a school has stable leadership, committed staff, a strong community, and sustained academic success, we should be asking how to preserve and better utilize that asset, not how to dismantle it.

Please preserve Dolphin Bay as a traditional Pre-K–5 school. Once a successful school community like this is dispersed, it cannot simply be recreated somewhere else. Dolphin Bay is more than a facility. It is its students, families, teachers, staff, and leadership. Please protect what is working and preserve this option for West Miramar’s youngest children.

I am firmly opposed to the proposed closure of Dolphin Bay Elementary and the plan to combine Dolphin Bay and Silver Lakes students into a proposed Glades K-8 school.
At the recent Board meeting, Rebecca expressed that she was not aware of the safety concerns parents have raised regarding Glades. During that discussion, the Superintendent referred to incidents at Glades as “silly choices” and referenced schools where he previously served as principal, stating that he wished their incident-report numbers were as low as Glades’ numbers. I found those comments concerning because parents are asking legitimate questions about the environment for our young elementary students. Calling these incidents “silly choices” does not address our concerns.
Unfortunately, just this week, another incident occurred at Glades. On September 30, a pepper-spray incident resulted in 26 students being evaluated by first responders. This is why parents continue to raise questions about safety, especially when this proposal would place elementary-aged children, including ESE and Pre-K students, into a much larger K-8 environment.
Parents have raised these concerns repeatedly at meetings and public comments. Yet the response continues to focus heavily on proposed facility improvements, including the discussion surrounding 24 bathrooms.
We also cannot overlook our Pre-K and ESE students. What is the concrete plan for these children? Suggestions that they can simply be moved elsewhere do not address the fact that Dolphin Bay already has a facility designed to serve these students, along with experienced, trained staff and established supports.
Dolphin Bay is not simply a building. It is a school community where families feel comfortable, children feel known, and parents have confidence in the environment their children enter every morning.
Before committing millions of dollars to modify another school for consolidation, I ask the School Board to consider whether consolidation is necessary in the first place.
Keep Dolphin Bay Elementary open. Listen to the families who use these schools. Prioritize the safety, developmental needs, and educational environment of our youngest students, especially our Pre-K and ESE children.

I oppose the recommendation to close Dolphin Bay and place the students into Glades as a K-5. I am asking the Board to consider an alternative that keeps a traditional PreK–5 elementary school on this side of Miramar: merging Silver Lakes Elementary into Dolphin Bay Elementary and utilizing Dolphin Bay’s available capacity.

This proposal deserves a serious financial, enrollment, and feasibility analysis before moving young elementary students into a K–8 campus.

There is also an important facility-security resource already available. In 2020, BCPS partnered with the City of Miramar on a 3D modeling project, with Dolphin Bay selected as the pilot school. BCPS used 3D laser scanning to capture the school’s interior and exterior and developed a detailed 3D BIM/Revit model that was integrated into the City’s 3D GIS system. In 2021, BCPS leadership, City officials, a Broward Sheriff’s Office representative, Dolphin Bay administration, and others reviewed the completed model. BCPS documentation specifically identified potential benefits of this technology for securing BCPS facilities.
And just this week, 26 students at Glades were evaluated after pepper spray was released inside a classroom; one student was treated at the scene.

I am not suggesting that one incident defines Glades or its staff. But when considering a proposal that would place young PreK–5 students alongside middle-school students, I believe recent safety incidents should be part of the Board’s evaluation.

Please fully evaluate the alternative: Silver Lakes + Dolphin Bay, utilizing Dolphin Bay’s capacity and preserving a traditional neighborhood PreK–5 school in this community.

I strongly oppose the closure of Dolphin Bay Elementary and the proposal to merge its students into a K-8 model at Glades. The safety and well-being of our children must be the highest priority. Glades has experienced multiple incidents over the years, including a recent incident this week, which raises serious concerns about placing young elementary-aged children in the same environment as older students.Parents in West Miramar deserve access to a traditional elementary school setting that is specifically designed to meet the developmental, academic, and social needs of younger children. Elementary schools provide age-appropriate learning environments, leadership opportunities, and a sense of community that can be lost when younger students are combined with middle school populations.Closing Dolphin Bay would remove an important neighborhood school and limit educational options for families. Rather than consolidating students into a K-8 model at Glades, the district should preserve a traditional elementary school in West Miramar and invest in maintaining safe, high-quality learning environments for our youngest students.I urge the School Board to reject the closure of Dolphin Bay Elementary and keep a traditional elementary school available for West Miramar families.

- talking to parents with an option to close your school or choose K though 8 ... Only gives the parents one option to get behind. And that is not to close
- it's clear Mirmar city , west of 75, parents want a traditional pre-k to 5 options, while having a traditional Middle School and Highschool option to follow
- clearly there is misleading on the safety of Glades the way it sits today. That is dishonest and unacceptable. Glades is not a place for our most vulnerable kids pre-k through 5
- Chicago decided to change their model to Pre-k to 4th, middle school is 5th through 8th while 5th graders don't change classes... This is a viable option that would suffice our wants and help with enrollment numbers
- my concern is you have hurt yourself and out community by converting so many to k through 8, you've left out the pre-k kids and traditional Middle School options.
-lastly but most importantly, Dolphin Bay principal and administration have created a family of A grade learning and safety that is being ignored. Dolphin Bay needs to remain open for the ESE program for a traditional elementary for the safety it provides and the teachers it has in place. For top tier learning.

The community has spoken. We specifically want Silver Lakes consolidated at Dolphin Bay Elementary facility as the Pre-K-5 option in West Miramar. We specifically want the schools to be consolidated AT Dolphin Bay Elementary because it is the top A rated school, has the best long-term tenured principal and teachers and administrative staff there for continuity and it is the newer, perfectly kept and maintained school and facility in pristine condition. It also just had a $700,000 improvement done over the summer.

My husband and I thoroughly oppose the closing of Dolphin Bay Elementary. We think it should be either - (1) combined with Silver Lakes Elementary with Dolphin Bay remaining open, (2) converted into a K-8 itself, or (3) have the unused space used as satellite offices for ESE itinerant personnel (e.g. Pre-K, Child Find) in order for the space to be fully utilized while remaining open. Our son was assigned to Dolphin Bay when he aged out of Early Steps because they were the only school nearby with the Pre-K program he needed. When he transitioned to Kindergarten, we chose to remain at Dolphin Bay Elementary because of the exceptional quality of services he received and the top notch staff.

Principal Nelson and her staff have created the kind of school environment a parent dreams of: where their children are not only accepted and nurtured, but can thrive academically, socially and emotionally. If BCPS wants to attract students back to public school, Dolphin Bay (and schools like it) need to stay open. It's an A-rated school with a warm and welcoming environment and a genuine passion for special education that serves as an exemplar of what public education is and can provide; I can think of no other educational facility, private or otherwise, that even comes close. They are a singular boon to BCPS that deserves to remain open and expand, not be consolidated into another school.

We are requesting to keep Dolphin Bay Elementary open and consider combining Dolphin Bay and Silver Lakes at the Dolphin Bay campus, preserving a traditional Pre-K–5 option.

This parent-supported alternative directly addresses underenrollment by bringing two elementary school populations together on one campus. It allows the district to consolidate resources while preserving a successful school that families actively choose. Please transparently compare its costs, capacity, and likely family retention with the proposed Glades K–8 conversion. Families may seek other schools if Dolphin Bay closes, undermining the district’s enrollment goals.

You have an opportunity to address underenrollment while building on what is already working for children. We respectfully ask you to give this alternative serious consideration and work with families toward a solution that strengthens our schools. Please choose to build on Dolphin Bay’s success and keep its doors open.

Dolphin Bay is an A-rated school that provides an important combination of programs and services for our community. It is a school in the west area serving Pre-K through 5th grade, while also offering ESE, gifted, and other specialized programs that many families depend on.

For families of children with special needs, school stability and access to appropriate services are especially important. Closing a school is not simply about moving students to another building — it can mean disrupting established support systems, teachers, friendships, routines, and programs that children rely on.

Our children deserve to have their educational needs considered alongside enrollment numbers and other logistical factors. Please listen to the families, parents, teachers, and staff who know firsthand what this school means to our community.

An A-rated school with diverse educational and special programs should not be treated as simply another building that can be closed. Please reconsider the closure of Dolphin Bay Elementary and work with our community to find solutions that keep this school open.

#KeepDolphinBayOpen #SaveDolphinBay #DolphinBayElementary