Submitted by Makai Henry
BROWARD COUNTY, FL– On Tuesday, the Broward County School Board approved a memorandum of understanding, finalizing a $2 million donor funded artificial intelligence rollout in Broward County Public Schools (BCPS). The memorandum passed after a contentious public comment period, in which the chair and general counsel repeatedly interrupted a District 6 candidate raising concerns about the contract.
Makai Henry, a 20-year-old BCPS substitute teacher and candidate for the district 6 seat, held by Adam Cervera, used his three minutes of public comment to raise questions about whether or not mass AI adoption was the right vision for the district. During his speech, he cited dismal literacy scores and data from the showing that Broward County students have fallen approximately half a grade level in reading over the past decade. He noted that the district’s own executive summary on the memorandum says 85% teachers would actively use the software by 2027. Henry called the agreement a “Vendor contract being laundered through donation,” arguing that in four years when the contract has run its course Magic School AI will have a strangle hold on the district. Henry argues that, “with no public debate, the school board has unanimously opened the door to mass AI adoption.” The original March contract was approved without competitive bidding under a state procurement waiver for educational services. The district’s executive summary for the May MOU explicitly notes “Community/Stakeholder Engagement: N/A” and “End-User Input: N/A.”
Henry says he came to ask the board a few questions: “whether more screen time was good or bad for children; whether outsourcing cognition to AI in middle and high schools would produce better or worse learners; and whether, given that roughly 40% of Broward students aren’t reading on grade level, more software was the answer or, maybe, just maybe, should we consider more reading?”
Henry was repeatedly interrupted during his remarks by Board Chair Sarah Leonardi, who in March was among the 9-0 board vote that approved the original $1.2 million MagicSchool contract and who has publicly endorsed District 6 candidate Roberto Fernandez III. Following the meeting’s discussion, Leonardi said, referring to Henry’s comments, “I have lots of thoughts about the comments that were made today, and I think we have to have a more substantive conversation when that comes to us in June.”
Following Henry’s remarks, incumbent Board Member Adam Cervera, appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year, asked Superintendent Howard Hepburn three separate questions about the cost of the contract.
“What does this item cost the board?” Cervera asked. “There is no cost,” Hepburn responded.
“Do the Weiners seek anything in return for this donation, Mr. Superintendent to your knowledge?” Cervera asked. “No, the only thing they seek is some outcome information just to make sure we are living up to our agreement to utilize this for the support of our students,” Hepburn said.
“And what is the total cost-benefit the district will realize if this MOU is approved?” Cervera asked. “No cost,” Hepburn said.
The contract is valued at $1.2 million. The Tuesday MOU adds $800,000 in additional spending on teacher stipends, AI instructional liaisons, and parent sessions. The Weiner donation funds both for three years. The cost to the district in year four, when the donation expires and the district’s stated target is 85% teacher reliance on the platform, was not addressed. “The cost is zero today,” Henry responded: “It will not be zero when MagicSchool has an entrenched position several years down the line and has had the ability to market itself as the preferred option of the sixth-largest public school district in the country.”
At-Large Board Member Debbie Hixon, appearing to break the board’s own rules against direct response to public comment, said “It is a little offensive for someone to come and share that ten years ago our students were doing better academically.” The comment followed an exchange in which Hixon asked Hepburn whether reading scores were better than ten years ago. Hepburn referred the question to Chief Academic Officer Dr. Fabian Cone. “It is better,” Cone said, “but also consider there are different metrics than today.” Hepburn cut in, adding that the previous Florida state test, FCAT, “didn’t have the rigor of the current assessment for sure.”
The data Henry referred to is from the New York Times making use of the Stanford Education Data Archive, which calibrates state test scores against the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the federal exam Florida has administered since 2002 to enable consistent comparisons across years despite changes in state testing.
Hixon later said that AI adoption should change how teachers assign work. “Don’t ask them to turn in a research paper anymore,” she said. “Maybe you do the research because you pull the research off of AI and then you have to do something beyond that.” Board Member Lori Alhadeff added that students could “publicly speak in front of the class and present it.”
Henry is one of four challengers to Cervera in the August 18 primary, alongside Broward Soil and Water Conservation District member Jessie Bastos, U.S. Army Reserve veteran and former teacher Roberto Fernandez III, and aftercare entrepreneur Lester Wilks. The top two vote-getters advance to a November runoff if no candidate exceeds 50% of the August vote.
Contact: Campaign Office, Makai Henry, Son of Broward For School Board, sonofbroward@gmail.com
POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT PAID FOR AND APPROVED BY MAKAI HENRY FOR BROWARD COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD, DISTRICT 6
