By Westside Gazette Staff
Broward County Public Schools is making a significant investment in educational equity by expanding enrichment opportunities for elementary students, restoring full-time librarians to every elementary campus, and increasing access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses for high school students.
The initiatives, announced during Tuesday’s Broward County School Board meeting, are designed to ensure that every student regardless of where they live or the size of their school has greater access to programs that support academic success, creativity and college readiness.
For the first time in several years, all 128 elementary schools in Broward County will offer at least three enrichment, or “specials,” courses. Every elementary student will now have access to classes such as music, art, physical education and media, ending disparities that left some schools with fewer opportunities than others.
“I’m pleased to say that mission was accepted and that mission was accomplished,” Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn told the School Board, drawing applause from board members and audience members.
School Board Chair Sarah Leonardi said enrichment courses are essential to keeping students engaged in learning.
“Specials like music, art, PE and media are the classes that really get kids excited about school,” Leonardi said.
To make the expansion possible, the district is investing approximately $800,000 to add enrichment programs at 14 elementary schools that previously offered only two specials classes.
School Board member Allen Zeman, who advocated for the initiative, said the changes address long-standing inequities that often affected smaller schools serving lower-income neighborhoods.
“Our smallest schools were being disadvantaged, and those were also our low-income areas typically,” Zeman said. “Students in those communities often had fewer enrichment opportunities than those attending larger schools. This initiative helps create a more equitable learning environment across the district.”
In another major step, Broward County Public Schools announced that every elementary school will once again have a full-time librarian, giving students greater access to books, research resources and literacy support.
Board member Adam Cervera credited parents and community members for helping bring about the changes.
“This is a fantastic day and a great example of what happens when you listen to your constituents,” Cervera said. “Parents overwhelmingly asked for more specials in their schools.”
District officials acknowledged that declining enrollment contributed to reduced enrichment offerings at some campuses. Superintendent Hepburn noted that Broward Schools currently has approximately 50,000 empty student seats, underscoring the need for continued discussions about school consolidations and the efficient use of taxpayer resources.
“We have about 50,000 empty seats in our district,” Hepburn said. “To be fiscally responsible and use taxpayer dollars wisely, we just can’t have that many open seats in the district.”
The district also announced plans to expand access to Advanced Placement courses by adding approximately 1,000 additional high school classes. The move is expected to reduce overcrowding in high-demand courses while giving more students the opportunity to earn college credit and participate in rigorous academic programs.
“Our high schools will be able to provide a thousand additional classes, ensuring their class sizes are comparable to the needs of the type of instruction our students are going to receive,” Hepburn said.
Funding has already been secured for the initiatives. District leaders are now focused on hiring additional teachers to staff the new classes before students return for the 2026-27 school year on Aug. 10.
