Miami Edison & Central High Schools To Remain Open
MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – The fate of Miami Edison Senior High School and Miami Central High School was decided Friday afternoon and both schools will remain under control of the Miami-Dade County School district.
But, Department of Education Commissioner John Winn said the schools would remain open under specific conditions that include:
- By August 5, 2011 a "well-publicized event" shall be held at each school to showcase available school choice options to parents and students.
- The county will hire and work with an independent, effective management or turnaround entity to assist in improving the performance of the schools.
- Both schools will fully participate in the Florida Department of Education's Race to the Top initiative.
Winn said the schools survived partly because "the time remaining before the opening of schools for the 2011-12 school year presents almost insurmountable challenges that have the potential of destabilizing learning environments and hindering the pace of reform."
The move came just hours after Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who is from Miami, expressed his support for Superintendent Alberto Carvalho's appeal to keep both schools open.
"I think both Edison and Miami Central deserve a chance to continue to carry out this plan that has so far shown almost miraculous improvement," Rubio said in a video statement.
Carvalho lauded the decision Friday saying both schools had improved their graduation rates by 28 percent.
"Why in the world would anyone shut down this success story," Carvalho told CBS4.
Civic, alumni, and community leaders said their voice were heard and principals at both schools were relieved.
"The work that we have started and the work we've seen speak to the commitment," Central High School Principal Rennina Turner said.
Carvalho issued a formal statement saying:
"This is a huge win for our students and for our community. These schools will continue to progress and succeed to the benefit of our children. We are grateful to the community, and federal and state officials who have weighed in on this issue and lent their support to make this happen."
