Florida
Broward School Board Race Highlights School Choice Shifts and Budget Oversight
In a telling sign of this more-uncertain time for Florida public schools, the District 6 race this year has focused on Broward’s dwindling student enrollment, the painful task of school closures, and whether Broward’s district – still A-rated by the…
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Key points
- Broward County Public Schools eliminated 1,000 jobs to address a $90 million deficit after losing over 10,000 students in a single year.
- Governor Ron DeSantis appointee Adam Cervera faces four challengers in the District 6 school board contest.
- Candidates are focusing on fiscal responsibility, parent engagement, and the growth of state school choice options.
NewsWK — As school choice options expand across Florida, traditional public school districts are managing changing enrollment trends and budget pressures—a dynamic taking center stage in Broward County‘s District 6 school board contest, according to a report first published by The Florida Trib.
Broward County Public Schools lost nearly five percent of its student body in a single year, declining from 198,362 students in 2024 to 188,002 in 2025. Over the past decade, total enrollment in the district has dropped by more than 40,000 students as parents increasingly choose alternative educational options, including private school scholarships and charter schools. To address a $90 million budget deficit resulting from reduced enrollment, the Broward School Board voted in May to eliminate 1,000 positions.
Candidates Focus on Fiscal Oversight and District Reform
The District 6 seat, representing suburban communities including Davie, Weston, and Sunrise, is currently held by Adam Cervera. Cervera was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis following the resignation of former board member Brenda Fam. A Republican who self-funded his campaign with $300,000 in personal loans, Cervera has emphasized fiscal accountability, advocating for higher teacher salaries while examining spending in the district’s $5 billion budget.
“I show up, I listen, I ask the difficult questions, and I put students and parents first,” Cervera stated during a recent online candidate forum, according to reporting by The Florida Trib.
Cervera faces four challengers in the race, each proposing different priorities for district oversight:
- Roberto Fernandez III: A former social studies teacher advocating for greater sensitivity and responsiveness from school board leadership.
- Makai Henry: A 20-year-old substitute teacher who raised concerns regarding private school vouchers and traditional public school funding.
- Jessie Bastos: A corporate sales executive for Samsung who self-funded her campaign with a $40,100 loan, emphasizing the need for improved district marketing and operational efficiency.
- Lester Wilks Jr.: An after-care program administrator focusing on administrative transparency, staff retention, and parent satisfaction.
Wilks emphasized that district leadership must focus more directly on meeting the expectations of local families, telling The Florida Trib that parents “are our customers, but they’re not treating them like our customers.”
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
Based on reporting by Michael Vasquez originally published by The Florida Trib. Read the original story.
