Miami-Dade to share district schools with charter operator
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Five Miami-Dade County public high schools will soon have to share building space with a private charter school operator backed by billionaire Ken Griffin.
Why it matters: The unprecedented agreement is the sharpest signal yet of the state's effort to expand private and charter schools, which public education advocates argue undermines traditional public schools.
The latest: The Miami-Dade School Board last week approved an agreement with Success Academy, New York's largest charter school conglomerate.
- It enables Success Academy to operate within five district high schools beginning in August 2027, part of the state's newly expanded Schools of Hope program.
- The program targets "persistently" low-performing schools, or those that earned three grades lower than a C in the past five years.
Yes, but: None of the five Miami-Dade schools listed in the agreement were on the state's list of persistently low-performing schools.
- The five are Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High (currently B-graded), Homestead Senior High (B), Miami Jackson Senior High (B), North Miami Senior High (B) and Westland Hialeah Senior High (A).
What they're saying: This is "about control," said Mindy Grimes-Festge, secretary of United Teachers of Dade.
- "The state makes a decision, the district absorbs the cost, and the [local school] board has limited oversight," she said.
- Residents opposed to the agreement cited the lack of community input, the lack of state funding and security plans, and an already thin pool of resources that would now have to be shared.
The other side: In a news release, CEO Eva Moskowitz said Success Academy "look[s] forward to serving these communities, partnering with parents and delivering on the promise of an exceptional education for every child."
- Meanwhile, school board vice chair Monica Colucci said charter schools aren't the enemy but "competition" and suggested the district could "perhaps learn from their success."
Follow the money: Success Academy will pay the district $700 per student annually to cover maintenance, utilities, transportation and security expenses.
- But the agreement states the fees "are insufficient" to cover the "proportional costs" the district will face.
Between the lines: The district faces continued budget shortfalls and unprecedented drops in enrollment, already a result of the state's expanded voucher program.
Catch up quick: Last year, lawmakers approved a sweeping education package that broadened Schools of Hope to encourage high-performing charters to open in communities with low-performing public schools.
- The expansion also allowed for certain charters to move into those public schools. In September, Success Academy, with Griffin's backing, announced plans to move into Miami-Dade.
- And in December, Success Academy and at least two other operators sent nearly 700 letters of intent to 22 school districts across Florida seeking to share district facilities.