Miami-Dade School Board honors community leaders, approves two-year calendars and orders safety/security review following Madison shooting

The Miami‑Dade County School Board on Jan. 15 recognized several long‑time community leaders, approved academic calendars for the next two school years and directed staff to review district safety, security and mental‑health protocols in light of a recent school shooting in Madison, Wis.

The board passed three resolutions honoring civic leaders: resolution 25‑003 recognizing G. Holmes Braddock; resolution 25‑001 recognizing Gustavo “Gus” Cabrera; and resolution 25‑002 recognizing Vernon Carey. Each resolution was presented on the dais and adopted by voice vote. Board members who introduced and presented the items praised the honorees’ long records of service to Miami‑Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) and the community.

The superintendent’s informational reports highlighted three recognitions and one district program: 13 MDCPS schools were named Florida Purple Star Schools of Distinction (a program recognizing schools that serve military families); Southwest Miami Senior High was designated an ESPN/National Special Olympics Unified Champion School; the district announced CPR Day Miami for Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025 (in partnership with Jackson Health, the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association and with Cigna underwriting three‑hour certifications at reduced cost); and the Miami‑Dade Military Museum offered support for the Purple Star initiative. Assistant Superintendent Lisette Alves called principals forward to receive the Purple Star recognition at the meeting.

On required business, the board approved D‑69, the proposed elementary, secondary, technical and juvenile justice school calendars for 2025‑26 and 2026‑27. Deputy Superintendent/committee staff described the calendars as the product of a joint task force that included union and school‑site input; the district presented calendars for two years to aid long‑range planning. Board members asked staff to explain constraints that prevented shifting spring break dates and how the calendars address statutory testing windows, 9‑week configurations and religious observances.

The board also approved three board items that direct further study or collaboration rather than immediate policy changes: H‑6, study of district activities to mark the United States semiquincentennial (250th) with school‑level and district‑level events; H‑8, a review of MDCPS safety and security protocols, procedures and mental‑health services as they relate to findings from the Madison, Wis., school shooting; and H‑9, a feasibility review of a partnership between MDCPS and HistoryMiami Museum for curriculum support, exhibits and field trips. The safety/security item explicitly requests departmental briefings on counselor allocations, mental‑health services and whether data tools (including a review of AI capabilities) could help identify concerning behaviors earlier.

Finance and operations notes: the superintendent and district finance staff reported an issuer refinancing that generated about $23 million in present‑value savings for the district (district officials characterized this as a successful refinancing of certificates of participation issued 2005–2012). Board members and the superintendent praised the district’s finance team for pursuing the refinancing; no new budget action was taken at the meeting.

During new business Board Chair Raquel (Madam Chair; name used on the dais) raised ongoing operational concerns about newly installed elevators in the board office building. The superintendent said the elevator manufacturer is on site and the district will continue to press the vendor under warranty; the district noted the elevators have passed the state inspection and are operating within industry standards but that “fine tuning” remains necessary.

Public comment focused on pay and benefits for district employees and classroom resource access for students. United Teachers of Dade first vice president Antonio White and other union representatives urged continued work on teacher and ESP compensation, healthcare costs and legislative advocacy for greater local funding flexibility. In testimony from students and teachers, a student from iPrep Academy said school‑issued devices and network filtering had blocked educational videos and archived local history material the student needed for class work; the student asked the board to review the filtering policy so educators and students can access curricular materials.

The board approved the motions and adjourned the meeting. No formal actions were taken beyond those listed above; multiple informational presentations were noted and staff were directed to return with more detailed plans at standing committee meetings where appropriate.

Quotes

“He is a community treasure and thank you for honoring him today,” said Michael Rosenthal during public comment on the Braddock resolution.

“We are incredibly proud of our inaugural recipients” of the Purple Star designation, Superintendent Deltras said as principals came forward for recognition.

“As a student I use a school‑issued device because I cannot afford one for myself…a lot of the resources that I try to use in research are blocked,” student speaker Isabella Butek said during the public hearing.

Nut graf

The Jan. 15 meeting mixed ceremonial recognitions and operational business: the board formally honored community figures, adopted two years of academic calendars to give families and staff longer planning horizons, commissioned further study of safety and security practices after the Madison shooting, and heard public comment urging stronger employee compensation and better classroom access to digital instructional resources.

Ending

Staff follow‑ups expected from the meeting include: a more detailed plan from safety/mental‑health services on counselor staffing and identification of behavioral warning signs; a report back from finance/treasury with details on the refinancing transaction; corrective action and a vendor timeline from operations on elevator performance; and an update from the office of technology on filtering rules and access for curricular multimedia. The board scheduled follow‑up and committee review where required.