Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Redevelopment I Prep topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
School board authorizes superintendent to negotiate MOU with Omni CRA for I PREP relocation and downtown redevelopment
Summary
Miami-Dade School Board authorized the superintendent to begin negotiations with the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency (Omni CRA) on a memorandum of understanding to pursue a multi‑phase partnership that would relocate and expand I PREP Academy and support redevelopment around the Phyllis Wheatley site.
The Miami‑Dade County School Board voted to authorize the superintendent to negotiate a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency to advance a multi‑phase redevelopment partnership centered on relocating and expanding I PREP Academy and redeveloping the nearby Phyllis Wheatley site.
Board Member Dorothy Bendross Mindingall presented the item and framed it as a multi‑year effort to align district redevelopment with educational priorities. She and several board colleagues urged the district to keep education central while leveraging outside financing and planning tools offered by the CRA. "F3 gives us the structure to turn vision into implementation," Bendross Mindingall said.
Five parents and staff from I PREP and the surrounding community spoke in favor of moving forward: architect and parent Tabitha Jana; alumna/parent Crystal Ivory; parent Anna Mon; teacher and parent Yolanda Mueller; and community partner Leslie Del Monte. Speakers described facility constraints at the current I PREP site (limited ceiling height, elevator and HVAC reliability, small cafeteria and media spaces) and urged the board to pursue a new facility that matches the school’s academic programs and to prioritize teacher workforce housing as part of any redevelopment.
District staff described the negotiation parameters in committee and told the board the MOU would include deliverables and ongoing reporting; staff committed to provide a plan and timeline to the board before entering direct negotiations. Staff present in the discussion included Facilities Director Raul Perez and a district staff member identified as Mr. Steiger, who said a formal plan would be brought to the board before final commitments were made.
Board members who spoke included Steve Gallon III, Danny Espino and Robert Alonso, each urging urgency and continued oversight. Chair Maria Teresa Rojas and other members noted the item reflects years of work and that the district must protect educational uses of public assets while pursuing public‑private partnerships.
The motion to authorize the superintendent to begin negotiations with the Omni CRA passed by voice vote. The board recorded the item as approved and directed that progress and plans return to the board for review as negotiations proceed.
Why it matters: I PREP is a preK–12 magnet with a long record of academic results in a dense urban area where redevelopment pressures and housing needs intersect. The MOU would be the district’s tool to coordinate school relocation and community redevelopment and to try to secure CRA and other public funding for facilities and associated workforce housing.
What’s next: Staff will prepare a formal negotiation plan with timelines and reporting milestones and bring updates to the board as negotiations progress.
