To members of the community,
I have received many emails and comments in the last several days. For the emails explaining your side of the story, I thank you for pointing out the reasons why HHH1 should be relocated. Even though I don't agree with most of the points made but I respect your point of view. To the several other emails that were rude and immature, I just erased them. To the one email that said to "watch my back" and "lock my door" please seek professional help. Life is short. The one thing I keep hearing and reading is that HHH1 is an overflow school. That the overflow is from Felix Varela and Miami Sunset. I've heard numbers ranging from 1800 to 2100. They state that the over flow will not allow our children to attend HHH1. Where do you think the over flow children live? Those children are the ones we are fighting for. They already live in our community. That is why we are fighting for HHH1. We want our children back home. We will continue to agree to disagree, but please keep it civil.
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3 comments:
Dear "SayYes",
I'm very saddened that individuals abuse the privalege of open communication. This site, and others like it, play an important role in the exchange in ideas and opinions (sometimes passionate). There are sociopaths who abuse this privalege.
Your comment that the "overflow" children from Varela and Sunset already live in our community is largely incorrect. The school board asserts that there are 1927 high school aged children living within 2 miles of the proposed site of HHH1. However, the large majority live within the boundary of District 6 and are assigned to Southridge. It is only a small minority of homes South of 136th St that live in District 5 and are assigned to Sunset. So the majority of the 1927 of our children will not attend HHH1, unless the school board policy is changed. For the majority of us living in District 6, fighting for HHH1 is unlikely to result in our children attending this "neighborhood" high school.
In my view, this whole exercise should stress the importance of public comment and encourage everyone with a vested interest to share their views, regardless of which side of the aisle they find themselves. Only by engaging all members of the community will we achieve the best possible benefit for all residents. I sincerely lament, however, that Miami-Dade Schools did not attempt to engage our community as much as we both have.
There is a definitive, and admittedly contentious, difference of opinion on this issue. A select few individuals on both sides of the aisle have inappropriately used personal attacks and invective during this dialogue. Let me express my deepest disdain for such tactics—the important issues surrounding HHH1 leave little room for such low-brow commentary. Rather, I applaud ANYONE who stands poised to reasonably defend a viewpoint in light of factual information.
Here then, are the facts as I see them. For over two years, Miami-Dade Schools has engaged in a surreptitious campaign to steamroll a public project without the benefit of due public input. Under the cover of darkness, they have unilaterally seized personal property, violated adopted tenets of smart growth, and squandered millions of dollars in acquisition and design—all while purposely evading customary public notice and engagement. Though these suspect efforts might result in a benefit to some, there is a bigger concern here that transcends the building of any single school.
It is important we have the Facilities Planning staff of Miami-Dade Schools answer for the shady practices they have employed thus far, and require the School Board to demand better of them in the future. As a government agency, they are expected to serve as responsible stewards of public funds—accountable for every dollar spent towards the public good. Public entities cannot be allowed to arbitrarily initiate multi-million dollar projects under the premise of providing “community benefit”, without first consulting the host community and making them equal partners in the effort. Doing so betrays the trust we fund with our hard-earned tax dollars. More importantly, if we do not assert our right of involvement, we give this rogue department carte blanche for the future expansion of all schools, condemnation of more personal property, and the redistricting of school boundaries—all in a vacuum of public comment and concern. While we may not see them in the same light, Miami-Dade Schools must answer to the same standards that should accompany other public services, such as solid waste management, transportation and corrections.
You have made clear your desire to see a school built. Due to our concerns, we have equally made it clear that we would like to see the school moved to a location better suited for that purpose. It should be recognized that our desires are not mutually exclusive, but rather, share much common ground. Together we can demand the construction of a suitable facility for all of our children, while preserving the integrity of both our community and a government agency that purports to act on our behalf.
Sincerely,
Larry Perez
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