Charter school coming to Liberty Square housing project

“The transformation of Liberty Square goes beyond the brick-and-mortar buildings, but touches upon improving the lives of the people that make up this community,” said Michael Liu, the Miami-Dade Public Housing and Community Development [PHCD] director who announced the charter school plan, in a statement to The Miami Times. “From the start, we envisioned bringing an education component to the children of this neighborhood so that from preschool through late elementary, the residents of Liberty Square and the surrounding community will have access to yet another school and the opportunities that come with it.”

The new school, likely to attract many students, would be less than half a mile from Holmes Elementary School and a three-minute drive from Liberty City Elementary School.

“Underserved communities like Liberty City are where Mater seeks to serve,” said Alexander Cordoves, Mater Academy’s facilities administrator, at the event. “Mater has proposed [creating] a 600 student K-5 [here]. The proposed renderings are currently going through the standard permitting and approval processes and we’re hoping to complete this in two phases.”

Once constructed, the school would usher in its first 300 students and bring in the second half during its second opening phase.

Mater serves an 89% minority population, with schools predominantly located in Hispanic neighborhoods. Holmes, a pre-k through grade 5 school, serves a 99% minority population, 85% of which is Black, according to U.S. News.

“I think we’ll have somewhat of an impact,” said Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall, District 2 Miami-Dade County Public School board member, about the district she taught in and now represents. “But at Holmes Elementary School, which is a historic school in the neighborhood, I believe that the school will maintain its enrollment in a positive way … They have a good rapport and good relationship with parents and the community as a whole.”

Bendross-Mindingall said that Holmes, like many other schools, serves students who have encountered educational barriers – such as access to resources, COVID-induced learning loss and community issues – that fed into a period of low performance. She assures that the school’s staff, including teachers, her office and parents, have worked hard to bring students along.

Read More Via MiamiTimesOnline.com