Coral Springs City Commission on March 15, 2023.
By Bryan Boggiano
The Coral Springs city commission condemned the school board’s vote on Wednesday, making than 300 Coral Springs students previously zoned for Marjory Stoneman Douglas attend Coral Glades High School.
In a statement released Friday, the commission was highly disappointed in the school board’s actions before and after the first School Boundary Hearing regarding MSD rezoning.
To discuss the matter further, they scheduled a special city commission meeting on Tue., April 4, at 4:30 p.m.
“Consistent with our previously stated position, the Coral Springs City Commission strongly opposes the Board’s decision to rezone for a single school as opposed to a strategic regional approach that best meets the needs of all students,” according to the statement.
Initially, the school board intended to vote on the H1 MSD rezoning proposal, which would have rezoned incoming freshmen from parts of Coral Springs. Students who lived south of Wiles Road and North of Royal Palm Boulevard, between Coral Springs Drive and University Drive, would instead go to Coral Glades.
But, just before the meeting started, that abruptly changed.
On Wednesday evening, the district sent out emails and a robocall from Chair Lori Alhadeff, stating Interim Superintendent Dr. Earlean Smiley recommended the school boundaries for the 2022/2023 school year remain the same for the upcoming 2023/2024 year.
With that recommendation, incoming students currently zoned for MSD would still attend the school.
“The District will continue to address overcrowding challenges at Stoneman Douglas and review potential solutions that comply with School Board Policy for the 2024/25 school year,” the district said in the email.
The board subsequently updated the agenda, removing the H1 proposal and replacing it with Smiley’s recommendation.
These actions, the city commission said, came as a shock to both residents and the commission.
In the meeting, Alhadeff explained an unspecified person emailed the district, stating they violated Policy 5000 by not passing a boundary change resolution or forming a committee to address boundary changes.
Despite those findings, the district voted to reject Smiley’s recommendation. Later in the meeting, they voted 6-2 on the H1 proposal.
“We are disheartened and disappointed at how the process was conducted, the policies that were violated and openly acknowledged by the Board, as well as how information related to the hearing was communicated,” the statement reads.
The commission also encouraged residents to watch the hearing, email the school board at schoolboard@browardschools.com, and attend the next meeting on MSD rezoning.
The Second Public Hearing will take place on Wed., April 12, at J.P. Taravella High School, located at 10600 Riverside Drive, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
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