A New High School West of Aventura?

On a torrentially rainy December 3rd, MDCPS (that's Miami-Dade County Public Schools) held a town hall meeting on "21st Century Schools" which discussed local applications of some of the $1.2B in bonds that were approved by voters in the last general election.

Those of us with children in the local elementary school (including the author) and the local middle school (including the author) will welcome the allocation of monies to those existing institutions.

In the case of the elementary school (Highland Oaks Elementary, a.k.a. Virginia A. Boone Highland Oaks Elementary, a.k.a. VABHOE, a.k.a. "the school with so many names I can never find it on a list"), is to receive $4.7M in funding towards planning and design of an addition that will seat 264 students.  Bond funds have already been spent in 2014/15 at VABHOE to improve HVAC, replace windows and perform general maintenance.  That's the good news.

The bad news is that funds were also used in 2014/15 to erect a series of perplexing chain link fences, ostensively to make the school 'safer', though they seem to have caused far more harm than good (trapping students IN during an emergency), they make the school look like a prison, and as an added bonus: are ugly as hell.


But the real bombshell news in the presentation was the announced (conceptual) 500-seat high school, to be constructed on lands west of the existing middle school (Highland Oaks Middle, or "HOM").  Unlike the other listed improvements, the secondary facility is "in planning," meaning there's little guidance on timetable, and those of us with kids in the pipeline are left to wonder whether action will be taken before the clock runs out, and we have to start schlepping our then-adolescents west of I-95 (which would be "west of west of Aventura"):



One of the most welcome revelations from this site plan is that HOM would, at very long last, have a proper DROP OFF AREA along the south edge of the property.  Currently, HOM parents drop off students by simply stopping their car in the middle of the street, in moving traffic, causing a lot of frustration and endangering motorists and pedestrians alike.  The new plan introduces some sanity to the situation, by creating a second opening into the South lot to allow cars to exit (something the author has been advocating for several years (along with a red-light camera at the intersection)).

As far as the high school itself, it would be an iPrep Academy, limited to students in the current Krop High School boundary (which includes Aventura's K-8 charter school, and Waterways K-8, plus of course HOM).  So demand will likely far outstrip supply.




iPrep is a self-directed, technology-driven instructional format that I've followed for many years.  It's often referred to as "the pet project of Superintendent Alberto Carvalho".  It currently exists at only one location in downtown Miami at 1500 Biscayne.  More information about that existing school at https://sites.google.com/site/iprepacademy/



The 1500 Biscayne school boasts a 100% graduation rate, being an "A" school since opening, and having end of course exam results of 90% or above (not really sure what that last one means).



One criticism of the existing iPrep (1500 Biscayne) school cited by students in their reviews on websites like greatschools.org is the lack of extra-curricular activities and sports.  The proposed school addresses this [or would have] by saying "students may participate in sports at their attendance boundary school - Dr. Michael M. Krop HS".

MAY 6, 2016 UPDATE
Though the proposal had the enthusiastic support of Aventura (their city council voted to support the HOM location), the reception was decidedly negative 'west of Aventura.'  The Highland Lake/Skylake HOA voted unanimously (with 2 abstentions) to lobby for the iPrep elsewhere ("not in my backyard"), and formed a committee to oppose it - lawn signs and everything.  

There were some VERY legitimate criticisms of increasing density on Ives dairy road, and when the "traffic study" was conducted without any visible activity, and without community input, I became skeptical of the whole proposal myself.  Reports emerged this week that the iPrep has been steered west of I-95, where it will presumably exist side-by-side with Krop high school, and "not in my backyard."

But all this leaves me to wonder if this was a victory or a loss.  The iPrep @ HOM could have become a 'crown jewel' of the community that would have benefitted school-aged local residents, and had a very positive effect on homeowner property values.  On the other hand, it could have contributed to even worse traffic problems on Ives.

The real victory would have been a new local high school, WITH proper facilities for parking and drop off, but since that was looking increasingly unlikely, it's not all bad news that iPrep is not coming to HOM.