Facilities and Construction Committee - Regular Meeting

I'd like to call to order the Facilities and Construction Committee meeting. Can I have a motion to approve? Move it. Second. The minutes. All in favor? Aye. Okay. F1 through F80. Mr. Perez.

Thank you, Dr. Gallin and board members. F1 is authorization to execute an amendment to the lease agreement between the school board and Broward County for use by Broward County of board-owned land for the operation of McTier Park.

Okay, I know that each of you has been brief, but are there any questions regarding this? If not, you can continue. Mr. Perez, keep going.

Yes, sir, Dr. Gallin. F2 is authorization to execute a public school concurrency proportionate share mitigation development agreement in connection with a new 146 residential units development located at Southwest 189th Avenue and Southwest 355th Street.

Any questions? Again, each of you has been briefed. Okay, F3. Continue, Mr. Perez.

F3 is authorization to execute a public school concurrency proportionate share mitigation development agreement in connection with a new 54 residential unit development located at Southwest 187th Avenue and 353rd Street. Thank you.

question I'll just say you know these items continue to prove the conversation we've been having on the need for urgency around a solution in South Dade and we constantly are having these agreements because of course there's lots of development and I know that the administration is working to solidify what that comprehensive plan looks like and I wanna make sure that the way we move forward addresses the growth, provides a new innovative option that can actually compete with what students are choosing today. That we don't just fall for the trap of thinking that if we add a building, expand what we've always done, that it's going to compete, especially with the landscape in the South Dade area. And so another agenda, another item that proves the need for us to move faster on this issue, and I look forward to hearing the administration's decisions and plans soon.

Thank you. Thank you so much. F41, excited about this project in District 1, continue.

Yes, sir, Dr. Gallin, and we are too. F41 is award of the general obligation bond-funded partial replacement and renovations at Dr. Frederica S. Wilson Skyway Elementary School.

Thank you. F80?

F80 is the authorization to approve the prequalification of contractors for educational facilities construction. Okay, yes, F80, please.

Yes, thank you very much, sir. I'm going to be abstaining from voting on this agenda item. Again, while there is no financial gain, however, out of an abundance of caution, I will be recusing myself since a relative of mine is part of this group and I have discussed this with Mr. Harvey and will be filling out the form that is required. prior to the August 12th, 2025 meeting.

Okay, thank you. I want a motion on F1 through F41. Move it.

Second.

All in favor? Aye. Okay. Madam Chair is abstaining from F80, so can I have a motion on F80? Move it.

Second.

All in favor? Aye. Aye. H11.

Thank you so much, Dr. Gallin. Seems like it's been the topic of the day, right? Our repurposing and re-envisioning of our district. So as we continue to assess school utilization across the district, I found that it's critical that we look at innovative ways to repurpose underutilized facilities to make the evolving educational needs of our communities become a reality. When possible, we must prioritize, and this board has always shared that we must prioritize the educational uses for our buildings, especially those that directly benefit our students and families in the surrounding neighborhoods. Based on continuous feedback from parents, constituents, and local stakeholders, there's an overwhelming support for a meaningful use of Country Club Middle School facility I don't know if the board of members, but just this past year, we made a decision to close down that school and the students were moved to Lawton Childs, which I was supportive of it because at the end of the day, it was what was right for our students. It was bringing them to a building that was going to be full of new life, bringing in all the resources that they needed. But that in turn left a vacant school board building that is sitting there now. This proposal is not only a natural, but a strategic reuse of the building that reflects what the community wants, educational services that make a difference in our community. South Florida Autism Charter Schools, SFACS, is a proven and trusted partner of this district. In fact, they were once already located in this very site at Country Club, serving the families with distinction and care. We now have a unique opportunity to build upon the existing partnership to expand services for students on the autism spectrum. In the last decade, there has been a steady increase in the number of students diagnosed with autism throughout our community. According to the CDC, one in 36 children are identified with autism. In our own district, thousands of students and families are impacted by autism and are seeking specialized structure support environments that sometimes our district cannot offer. This partnership will help close that gap, offering families local access to highly qualified autism certified centers. This year, under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis and Speaker Danny Perez, the state of Florida itself has made a clear investment in supporting children with autism and their families. The state has committed funding to help SFACS expand and open up to five additional schools throughout South Florida, demonstrating their strong support for their mission and the impact they're making. The proposed use of Country Club aligns perfectly with that vision, and ensures that our district is actively participating in statewide efforts to increase access to specialized education. Reopening this building with SFACS not only meets the pressing needs of the education in our community, but it also revitalizes a campus that would otherwise remain underused. It brings back life to the neighborhood, it's gonna restore jobs, and it's gonna give families a reason to stay and invest in our public school system. This partnership will also allow us to generate new revenue for this district through a managed lease agreement. Currently today, South Florida Autism is one of our managed lease and it's actually a revenue generating partner for us. The income can help support broader district operations and contribute to maintaining our fiscal health while maximizing the value of our assets. This could serve as a model for how we handle a lot of our underutilized schools. by reinvesting in education and forming strategic partnerships that benefit our most vulnerable student populations. Colleagues, this is more than just a facility reuse. It's a chance to breathe new life into a building by meeting a very real and growing need in our community. I don't know if many of you are having the same issues, but as I walk through my schools, it's becoming a more and more needed service for our families. When I walk to grocery stores, when I visit the parks, the parents come up to me and ask me. Our units in our schools are overflowing, and many of these units can't handle some of these specialized needs. So by partnering with SFACS, we're not only supporting the children and families impacted by autism, but we're also strengthening our district's role in the innovative and compassionate leader in education. Together, let's make this a model for how we move forward as a district. with purpose, with partnership, and with always our students at the center of everything that we do. That is my board item. I thank you all for the opportunity to present it, and I'm open for any questions you may have.

Madam Chair.

Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Chair. And first and foremost, I want to thank you, Board Member Alonso, for this extremely important and creative agenda item, which goes, by the way, hand in hand with a board item that I proffered quite some time ago. I recently followed up sending a memorandum to the superintendent. because I needed further responses that did not address some of the areas that we had voted for on the dais, and I am anxiously awaiting the response because exactly what your item states relative to the issue of autism, the need that has totally and completely, I mean just, evolved through the years to numbers that we had never seen before. The need to have this offered in a specific site If the school is under-enrolled, even a better location. But to be able to have all the services provided to these families is extremely important. And especially in my case, it was under one roof. And I fully... I want to, A, number one, support your item, but thank the governor and the Speaker of the House for providing us with the opportunity to be able to add some of these schools here in Miami-Dade County where the need is so great. So I am looking forward to hopefully, A, number one, co-sponsoring your item at the proper time, and B, waiting for a response in reference to an item that I had submitted years ago, followed up recently, and still waiting for hopefully a very positive outcome. Not for me, but for all those families, because you talk about families that have gone up to you, the same has happened to me. As a matter of fact, recently I was at a community meeting in one of the areas I represent recently, And some parents wanted to come to the school board to address how much they supported this kind of item. I said there's no need. But the desire is definitely out there for those families that have to deal with the situation of their children with autism in other areas. So thank you very much for bringing that to light. And I appreciate it. Thank you, Mr. Chair. All right.

Thank you. I, too, want to echo the sentiments of our chair and board member. Alonzo for this item. On a number of fronts. It reflects a proactive approach to the contemplation and utilization of our facilities. We know that there is legislation that continues to be underway that will, in some case, mitigate and or abate and potentially eliminate the local authority for us to make those decisions. This maintains the integrity of what I framed when we started this discussion, educational use. It maintains the integrity by which the taxpayers wrote the check. for us as a board to purchase the property and it maintains that integrity and i'm also pleased to know and see that this is a a school that has a partnership through a management agreement with our district so this is uh something that we uh definitely want to continue to explore and support so uh co-sponsorships all in favor item is amended move it all in favor aye okay um let me see facilities okay um Comprehensive update has been provided. You have your other reports from Office of Education and Economic Access. Any questions with that, you're free to do it. Yes, board member Spino's committee broke my record. No, we're not done. We're not done? No, I have new business. Oh, I skipped new business. Go ahead, new business.

Sadly... The elevator situation is back again in conversation. So I have been apprised that the elevators on the backside over here are starting to show that they may be getting stuck real soon. They're making a very strange noise. They're stopping on and off. And there's concern from some people that have been riding that elevator that something may happen. We just recently got those new elevators, and I don't see Carl here, but Mr. Perez, maybe you can relay the information to him. We have warranty on these elevators, do we not, through the chair?

Through the chair, Dr. Gallin, Ms. Rojas, yes, we do have, we should have warranty because I believe those elevators were turned over less than a year ago. So they're still under warranty. And I will relay that message to my colleague, Mr. Nicolau.

Thank you, I really appreciate that. And through the chair, the other area that I wanted to address is the structural integrity of our schools. There are some schools, some that I represent, actually I was just recently in one, that has some serious concerns and I wanna thank you all because I know that you are following through with the board item which I proffered years ago and accelerated the timeline for going out to the school sites and making sure that the structural integrity was not in any way, shape, or form at risk for those that work in those locations. I would like to see if I could have a report, and I don't know my colleagues want that for their district, but I would like to have for my district now, just because I have some very old schools And I know that some of those schools right now are being looked at for that very specific issue. And so if I could have that, I would definitely appreciate it very much so.

Through the chair. Through the chair. Ms. Rojas, yes, absolutely. We are... Over 50% of our facilities are over 40 years old, and we're currently embarking in an assessment of those facilities that are over 40 years old. They're getting a report being done by a structural team, so that work has started. They're going out and visiting schools individually, walking them through, preparing reports, so that's underway. And yes, I can give you a list of those schools that are in the process of going through that review.

Through the chair, thank you. And I think it's important for my colleagues would probably want to know what their schools also look like because it's imperative. And if you have a school near the beach, and again, that's not my district, but those deteriorate even faster. And the possibility or probability in some areas of the structural integrity being... at risk and an issue is even greater in the areas near the water.

Through the chair, absolutely. Ms. Rojas, geography plays a big role in some of these facilities, and especially the closer you are to the coast, you deal with different factors from nature than if you're further in on the west end of the county. You have salt, you have more wind exposure to buildings, and so absolutely, that is a fact.

Thank you. And just lastly, Mr. Chair, I just want to commend you, Mr. Perez. It really has been a pleasure working with you and with Carl, both of you. Mr. Niccolo, anytime I have called, you're all immediately available to address concerns. And on behalf of those that I represent, those principals, those teachers, those children, those parents, thank you. because they want to make sure that their schools are safe and they're conducive for learning and they're appealing. And you're helping us with enrollment because if there is a school that is in very poor condition, parents are gonna probably go by and say, hmm, let me go to the nice school over here, it's beautiful, it's painted, it's a place where I want my child to be welcome and feel that they are in an environment that's just, again, conducive to learning, period. And so I do wanna thank both of you, because I know I personally, have contacted both of you on many occasions, and especially recently prior to the school opening. And I know I had one school that had an entire wing and possibly a second that was shut down because of the structural integrity issue, and you all have taken care of that. So I do thank you on behalf of all those, again, that I represent. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Board Member Alonzo.

Thank you, Board Chair. And thank you for bringing up those points. It's... I walk around these schools and it's concerning sometimes and I want to kind of go back because now I'm kind of left in question because I'm just going through a 40 year certification on one of my family's properties. Are our schools not held at the same standards that residential buildings are held with a 40 year and then another following 10 year recertification process through the chair?

Through the chair, there is an exemption for schools for the school district. However, the process is actually stricter. We go through ed plan surveys every five years. So we have teams of architects and engineers that visit our schools every visit half of our schools every five years because we're so large in size. So pretty much every one of our facilities gets looked at every 10 years. And so on top of that, this particular year, we are focusing on buildings that are over 40 years. So we're having that looked at as well separately with the structural team.

Okay. I just, you know, as a follow-up on that, I find it concerning that, you know, these are structures that sometimes our kids spend more time there than at home, and yet the properties on the private sector are being heavily monitored and inspected. Our family owns some residential apartment buildings, and I can tell you it's stringent. And I don't know if many of our schools would pass some of those inspections that are occurring now from lighting to paint. to windows, to roofing, those are all things they're looking at through these recertification processes. So I'd love to see how we can begin to implement that and see that as something that's critically important to our schools. Finally, I just wanted to thank you as well, Raul and Carl, for the incredible work that you guys are doing across our district. I'll tell you, you have a lot of my principals, and I'm sure your principal's nervous with a week and a half to come. There's still a lot of construction work out there that has been started during the summer, sidewalks that are still being poured, walls that are still being painted. If you guys can provide, as the chair had mentioned, an update on any of those and any areas that... We should be aware of that there might be some things bubbling up. Sometimes, as Dr. Gannon has said earlier today, it's better to communicate and have those relationships so that we work together rather than being caught by surprise that one of our schools is having a situation and we have to find out through a parent or through a family member or through a teacher that their classroom AC is not working or that they have a major leak. or a major issue, it'd be great to have that communication to each district to know what issues we might be having as we're starting the school year in just a week and a half from now so that we can all work together to mitigate those concerns. Thank you.

Thank you. I want to thank our colleagues, chair, vice chair, board members, Alonzo, and very, very productive meeting. Thanks, staff. And with that, can I have a motion to adjourn? All in favor? Meeting adjourned.

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