Charter High School Planning Process

The Village initiated a planning process to determine the feasibility of establishing a municipal charter high school in Key Biscayne. The process is being led by project consultants from Fielding Nair International and EdVisions. For more information about the Charter High School planning process, contact Jud Kurlancheek, AICP, Director of Building, Zoning and Planning, at (305) 365-8908.

The following list includes the activities undertaken and reports generated as of March 2009 (most recent listed first):

• The Village received additional information from Fielding Nair/Edvisions on March 6, 2009 in response to requests made at the February 26, 2009 workshop meeting. Available online are the cover letter to the Village Manager and the report titled "Responses by FNI/EdVisions to the Feb 26th 2009 Workshop Questions by the Key Biscayne Council Regarding the Feasibility of Establishing a Municipal Charter High School in the Village of Key Biscayne, Florida".
  
  
• A Proposed Charter High School Workshop took place at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 26, 2009, in the Village Council Chamber.  This third in a series of workshops was announced by the Village Clerk on January 28, 2009. The focus was on the draft report described below.

• Fielding Nair International and EdVisions consultants released a draft report summarizing the results of  public planning meetings and workshops (see below) on January 9, 2009. A PDF version of the report, titled Feasibility Draft Report for Key Biscayne Charter High School, is available at this online link for preview or to download (Large file size warning: 16.1 MB). Print copies of the report are available for viewing at the Building, Planning and Zoning Department. 

• Public meetings and two series of workshops in October 2008 and November 2008 were held to provide information and collect input for the planning process. The public was strongly urged to participate.

Background
In July 2008 the Village Council approved the submission of an application to the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) to establish a Municipal Charter High School in Key Biscayne. On September 9, 2008, the Village Council deferred the application for the following reasons:

1. provide parents with notice that the Council needed additional information before a decision can be made on opening the school in August 2009.
2. determine the feasibility of establishing a charter high school on the Key.
3. provide for a comprehensive planning process;
4. provide an opportunity for the public to participate in this process.

• The initial Charter High School application (PDF) completed by the Charter High School Application Committee and consultants in July 2008. [Note: This is a large file that may take time to download for viewing or printing.]
• The revised Charter High School Application (PDF) sent to M-DCPS by the Village in August 2008.
  [Note: This is a large file that may take time to download for viewing or printing.]
• The revised Charter High School Application (PDF) sent to FSEC by the Village in August 2008.
  [Note: This is a large file that may take time to download for viewing or printing.]

• For more information about charter schools within the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system, visit the M-DCPS Charter School Operations webpages.
• For more information about charter schools in Florida, visit the State of Florida Department of Education's Florida Schools of Excellence Commission webpages.
• To learn more about Village education consultant Prakesh Nair and his firm, visit the Fielding Nair International website.
• To learn more about Village education consultant Laura Mulhall and her firm, visit the In Rem Solutions website.