Lloyd Estates Elementary sits in the middle of an Oakland Park neighborhood. It’s a world away from the hustle and bustle of Andrews Ave. just blocks to the east, and it is, in its own way, the center of its own universe. But, the school isn’t as bustling as it once was.
But the community appears to be dwindling, and the school is in an existential crisis. The school is on a list of proposed closures. Students would be reassigned to Cypress and Oakland Park elementary schools. Final recommendations will be made to the board in November with a vote of approval scheduled for December.
During its Oct. 21 city commission meeting, staff updated the commission on plans to deal with the effects of a closing. Asst. City Manager Sierra Marrero says they are trying to work with the city staff to find solutions, and hope to avoid this round of cuts to buy time, with a goal of finding a workable solution, be that keeping Lloyd Estates open or activating other, similar uses for the property.
Commissioner Fitz Budhoo has recently been appointed to the Boundary Advisory Committee. Budhoo and the other eight members will meet to discuss ten schools on the list, at Nova Middle School Media Center on Monday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m.
Broward Public Schools Superintendent Howard Hepburn was scheduled to appear, but bowed out due to a schedule conflict.
The school has a capacity of 593 but there are only 356 attending at the moment. It’s part of a broader, decade-long trend of declining enrollment, costing about $430 million in lost funding. The district says it has 61,000 open seats.
