The Broward School District’s recent decision to relocate numerous graduation ceremonies from established venues to local high school gymnasiums has sparked considerable opposition among parents, students, and elected officials. The debate is expected to be a primary topic at the upcoming School Board meeting scheduled for Wednesday.
While Board Chairwoman Sarah Leonardi rejected board member Adam Cervera’s request to formally reconsider the decision during Wednesday’s session, she confirmed to the South Florida Sun Sentinel that Superintendent Howard Hepburn will address the issue that morning. This will allow board members to engage in discussions, and the public will have an opportunity to voice their opinions during a designated comment period.
In accordance with district policy, regular School Board meetings provide for five public speakers in the morning and five in the afternoon to discuss non-agenda items. Although morning slots were already taken before the controversy arose, Chair Leonardi indicated she would make accommodations for additional speakers.
“Anyone who has seen me run a meeting as chair would know that I do not limit public comment for people who sign up and show up to speak, so I look forward to hearing that feedback,” she mentioned.
Since the decision was announced on January 14, board members have been inundated with emails and phone calls. The plan involves moving several ceremonies to gymnasiums at Dillard High in Fort Lauderdale, Blanche Ely in Pompano Beach, and Pompano Beach High School. Previously, most graduations took place at venues like the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and the Rick Case Arena at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Davie.
Officials estimate this change could save the district approximately $500,000. Despite this, the largest graduating classes will retain their off-site locations, with Cypress Bay High and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High using Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, and nine others scheduled for NSU.
The district has defended the quality of the gym facilities, noting they feature individual stadium-style seating and are superior to typical high school gyms. However, the capacity at Dillard High, the largest of these gyms, is 2,500 guests, limiting ticket availability compared to NSU’s 3,796 capacity.
Graduates are assured a minimum of four tickets each, but those at NSU could receive at least five tickets, except for Western High in Davie, which is limited to four due to its larger class size, according to district assessments.
For example, Cooper City High, with 551 seniors, will have its ceremony at Dillard High with four tickets per student, whereas Nova High in Davie, with a slightly larger class, might offer six tickets per graduate.
Initially discussed during an October budget workshop, the shift to in-house graduations was anticipated to affect only smaller schools. However, the threshold was later adjusted, resulting in medium to large schools like Cooper City, South Plantation, and Fort Lauderdale being assigned to Dillard High’s gym.
In December, the School Board received the list of affected schools, but members were instructed to withhold it from the public until January.
.@browardschools made big changes to graduation schedules w/ no public input. Board publicly agreed to put classes <500 at high school gyms in Oct., but it got changed to <556, adding 8 big schools. School Board got list Dec. 18 but was told to keep it secret, email shows. 1 of 3 https://t.co/PKVym44p2k pic.twitter.com/dleDc1oHNB
— Scott Travis (@smtravis) January 17, 2026
City officials from affected areas have expressed willingness to assist if financial constraints were the issue for changing the venues. School Board member Allen Zeman noted the significant public response, saying, “It was a big outcry. I got calls from people who want to try and find solutions, not just complain.”
Concerns were also raised by local leaders, including Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Ben Sorensen, Cooper City Mayor James Curran, and Sunrise Deputy Mayor Jacqueline Guzman, who is also a parent of a graduating senior.
Guzman urged the district to revisit their decision, emphasizing the need for equitable treatment of all graduates. “I strongly urge the District to reconsider this decision, engage the public transparently, and implement a fair, district-wide graduation plan that ensures every graduate is celebrated equally — without disparity, without downgrade, and without inequity,” she wrote.
Zeman expressed hope for finding better alternatives, stating, “I do believe that this event is the culmination of 13 years of hard work. And maybe we can’t afford the high-end venues, but maybe we can go to those venues and ask for a discount, because we’re literally so underfunded that we can’t afford them. So, I’m hopeful that we can find a better solution.”
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