Additional clarifications to questions brought up by Council and Community Members during workshop:
Information Technology: This function is expected to be performed by the students guided by the technology teacher, as done in the EdVisions Schools.
Location: Certain locations, such as Calusa Park and Virginia Key, were not considered in the feasibility analysis as these locations are not within the boundaries of Key Biscayne and the Village does not have control over their usage and were not included in the Village’s list of sites to be evaluated. Furthermore, it is our understanding that these locations have been pursued for many years in the past and discarded as not feasible.
Parking lot at the Village Hall was not considered as it was not presented as a potential site and is a Miami-Dade owned property.
Faculty: Some comments were made about the faculty and staff allocated in the budget. The total number of employees included in budget is 30 for 375 students instead of 15 as stated by a member of the community.
Schools at the Center of the Community: There is certainly a national trend to locate schools at the center of
communities. There is a significant amount of research that demonstrates how these schools produce benefits in student learning, school effectiveness, family engagement and community vitality. We can affirm that the potential benefits obtained by the community of Key Biscayne will significantly outweigh any drawbacks presented by insufficient parking or other potential challenges of implementing the school within the Civic Center area.
As a reference, see report “Schools as Centers of Community: A Citizen's Guide For Planning and Design” sponsored by The National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (funded by the US Department of Education), KnowledgeWorks Foundation, The Council of Educational Facility Planners, Building Educational Success Together (BEST) and the Coalition for Community Schools with the contribution of leading school and community planners, including my partner Randy Fielding.
Playing fields: There seems to be a perception that a school within Key Biscayne needs to provide additional playing fields, such as soccer, football, basketball, etc. However, the focus of the school should be on education while making use of existing resources within the Island. The school is planned for the children residents of Key Biscayne, and these children are already making use of available resources in the afternoon, evenings and weekends. Some sports, such as beach volleyball or tennis could be promoted. Students seeking competitive sports could enroll in the sports programs at Coral Gables Sr. High School.
The school would be a school of choice and would not preempt any student, if so desired, from attending Coral Gables Sr. High School or any other charter or magnet schools in the school district and participate in their sports programs.
The school’s operating budget presents a $671,446 surplus which could be used for sports programs. In addition, parents and private contributions could be used for funding other sports programs (golf, rowing, sailing, etc.) not requiring playing fields and with plenty of opportunities to practice these sports.
Potential opportunities may exist for agreeing with Miami-Dade County to use fields at Crandon Park, tennis center and possibly the Links golf course.
Impact on property values: As stated in our report, there is significant and overwhelming scientific evidence to support the thesis that a quality school has a positive impact on property appreciation and we would expect that Key Biscayne would also benefit from this appreciation. Copies of the following reports were handed out to Council for reference and are attached to this document:
Back to summary of updated report.
