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M-DCPS DELIVERS ON PROMISE OF 18,000 ADDITIONAL SEATS MIAMI – With the 2005-2006 school year opening on Monday, Miami-Dade County Public Schools has completed 98 percent of the 17,928 student stations that it set out to construct. Sixty-five of the 66 projects providing additional seats will be fully completed by the first day of school, with only Whigham Elementary expecting its construction to be completed by the second week of September. At the September 2004 School Board meeting, Superintendent Rudolph F. “Rudy” Crew pledged to triple the number of seats being added from 5,825 to a minimum of 15,000 by the start of the 2005-2006 school year. These efforts drastically reduce a 22,500-plus district-wide deficit of student stations that has been projected to grow to 46,000 by 2010. Several schools stand out for having the most significant or interesting projects completed for this school year. Among these are the following: This project greatly reduces the overcrowded conditions of the school and permitted the removal of all 14 portable classrooms. It was part of a joint agreement with the City of Coral Gables in 2002, which committed the School Board to complete this project within the 2004-2005 school year. The $7 million construction project was completed within budget and ahead of schedule. Included in the new building are 27 general-purpose classrooms, a culinary arts lab and a new cafeteria. This prototype building model is being utilized for the current classroom additions at Miami Killian and Southwest Miami senior high schools. Three Middle Learning Centers, K-8 Conversions at:
This school was the first school in the District converted to a K-8 Center in 1998, and will now have facilities for the middle school component of the K-8 school. The $8.3 million, three-story facility includes ground-level parking below most of the structure to conserve open green space for recreational purposes and to provide much needed parking on-site. It also provides middle school-level art and music suites, a cafetorium, a multi-purpose room, administration areas, and 25 classrooms, including business, computer, foreign language, and technology labs and a science demonstration room. The severe overcrowding that has existed for years has been reduced and all five portables have been removed.
The completion of this new Middle Learning Center will allow for the conversion of this very successful bilingual school to a K-8 configuration. The new $5.7 million facility provides the full complement of middle school-level spaces including art and music suites, a multi-purpose room, a cafetorium, a science demo classroom, business and technology labs, administration areas, general-purpose classrooms and a physical education covered shelter. An internal parent drop-off, bus drop-off and parking area are also included.
This existing elementary school, which had a modular classroom building built for the 2004-2005 school year to accommodate the sixth grade, will now have the full complement of middle school facilities for the full conversion to a K-8 configuration. The $6 million addition provides art and music suites, a cafetorium, a science demo classroom, business and technology labs, administration areas, general-purpose classrooms and a physical education covered area. To further augment the existing facility, an extensive internal parent drop-off, bus drop-off, and parking area also are included.
Poinciana Park Elementary (76 student stations) This $3.2 million project provides much needed facilities for this 50-year-old school and creates a greatly enhanced appearance. The design of the addition, situated in the front of the existing facility, emphasizes the entrance of the school and becomes the main focus, creating an entry courtyard. The new addition includes an art and music suite, media center, bilingual education classrooms and an elevator with a two-story connector to the existing school. A new bus drop-off for the Exceptional Students Education program is included, as well as safety-to-life improvements and a playfield restoration.
North Miami Beach Senior High School – Modular Classroom Building, (600 student stations) This is the first of the multi-story modular classroom buildings, which will be repeated at more than 20 other planned locations this coming year. This $5 million facility was completed ahead of schedule and provides 24 classrooms with a covered walkway connector. Particular attention has been taken to improve the aesthetics of this structure and to build-in improved materials to reduce the long-term maintenance costs to the District. Wider corridors and the use of porcelain tile on the walls of the circulation spaces enhance the appearance and durability. The artful use of tilt-up exterior concrete panels provides an attractive look while accelerating the construction duration to only six months.
District -Wide Modular Classroom Buildings In an effort to reduce overcrowding of schools, meet the class-size reduction constitutional amendment, and meet the commitment by the School Board and Superintendent to add 15,000 student stations this year, the district-wide modular classroom building program was greatly expanded in October 2004. To this end, 46 modular classroom buildings have been planned, designed and constructed in less than 10 months providing 12,425 student stations. In Region VI alone, where extensive growth in the South Dade area has put tremendous demands on all schools, 17 modulars have been completed, providing 4,510 student stations. # # # 005-LJG/019/JAA Editor’s note: Photos available upon request |
