HomeMy WebLinkAboutR-78-0335RFC/ rb
5/12/78
RESOLUTION NO, 7 8 3 3 7
A RESOLUTION EXPRESSING STRONG OBJECTION
TO THE CLOSURE OF COCONUT GROVE ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL, SILVER BLUFF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ANI)
DADE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHICH SERVE THE
COCONUT GROVE, SHENANDOAH, SILVER BLUFF AND
DOUGLAS PARK NEIGHBORHOODS, AND URGING THE
DADE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD TO RETAIN THESE
SCHOOLS AS VITAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE SERVICE
OF THE COMMUNITY; FURTHER URGING THE SCHOOL
BOARD TO ALLOCATE FUNDS FOR THE NECESSARY
REPAIRS, REFURBISHING AND PHYSICAL IMPROVE-
MENT OF THESE SCHOOL SITES AND STRUCTURES
SO AS TO MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY
OF EDUCATION PROVIDED CITY RESIDENTS THROUGH
THESE INSTITUTIONS.
WHEREAS, the Dade County School Board has announced
tentative plans to close three neighborhood schools (Coconut
Grove, Dade, and Silver Bluff) in the City of Miami; and
WHEREAS, elimination of these facilities will deny
fully one -sixth of the City's total population that essential
element of viability for a neighborhood, namely, a local public
elementary school; and
WHEREAS, the City of Miami has suffered and is suffer-
ing the loss of middle and upper -income families to suburban
locations even though spending millions of local, state, and
federal dollars to improve the quality of life in its neighbor-
hoods in an effort to reverse this trend, and the loss of these
neighborhood schools would be a fatal and devastating blow to
the very people who need and
and
supportih6c J Aii Ts iiYVE� ystem;
ITEM NO. /"2_- "
WHEREAS, despite the City's having received very
little by way of new school facilities for several decades,
the City has actively sought to enhance the value and efficiency
of its existing schools through the provision of park facilities
and open space adjacent to them (particularly the Dade and Silver
Bluff Elementary Schools);
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMISSION OF
THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA;
CITY COMMISSION
MEETING OF
MAY1 9 1978
IMMII 1'IOa UD.
Section 1. The closure of Coconut Grove Elementary
School, Silver Bluff Elementary School and Dade Elementary
School which serve the Coconut Grove, Shenandoah, Silver
Bluff and Douglas Park Neighborhoods is strongly opposed.
Section 2. The Dade County School Board is urged
to retain these schools as vital institutions in the service
of the community.
Section 3. The School Board is further urged to
allocate funds for the necessary repairs, refurbishing and
physical improvement of these school sites and structures
so as to maintain and improve the quality of education pro-
vided City residents through these insitutitions.
ATTEST:
RALP
GIE, CITY CLERK
PREPARED AND APPROVED BY:
Cd
ROBERT F. CLARK
ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 19
day of May, 1978.
MAURICE A. FERRE.
MAURICE A. FERRE, MAYO R
-e ,(32/7_)'
OR
CIT
-9-
ED AS TO FORM
F. KNOX, JR.
TTORNEY
ORRECTNESS:
3 3 5
MP,N,
4,414
MAuttildt A. rEPIRE
MA'bq
May 9, 1978
Members of the Dade County School Board:
I wish to express my strong opposition to the proposal
before the Dade County School Board to eliminate three
schools; Coconut Grove, Dade, and Silver Bluff Elemen-
tary serving the Coconut Grove, Douglas Park and Silver
Bluff neighborhoods in the City of Miami.
Fundamental to the strength of our City is the preser-
vation of our neighborhoods. Stated simply, no neigh-
borhood can consider itself viable without a local
public school to serve its needs and this proposal
would deny fully 1/6 of our total population that
direct and vital service. Put bluntly - to eliminate
these three schools would render these neighborhoods
unattractive to the families our City so badly needs
to attract and keep.
Miami has, and is suffering the exodus of middle and
upper income families to suburban locations even as we
spend millions of local, state and federal dollars to
improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods in a
difficult effort to reverse this trend. To suffer the
loss of the most important ingredient in this struggle,
namely our neighborhood schools, is a devastating blow
to us.
Although receiving precious little in the way of new
school facilities for several decades, the City has
actively sought to enhance its existing schools through
the provision of park facilities and open space adjacent
to them (as is the case with Dade and Coconut Grove Ele-
mentary Schools). Now it is being said that in addition
7s-335
•
May 9, 1918
Members of the Dade County School Board:
to this historic imbalance in appropriations for the new-
est and most effective school facilities, we must do with-.'
out schools altogether in several important neighborhoods.
This is totally unacceptable and I must urge the Board to
reject this ill-conceived action that will so seriously
affect our City.
Very, truly yours,
' t ,
`Maurice A. Ferre
Mayor