The Education Compact with Miami-Dade County Public Schools (“M-DCPS”), established on January 16, 2008 (“Education Compact”), includes the outcome to increase academic support and achievement. The Education Compact reflects the desire of the Miami Beach community to support excellence in the City's public schools to improve educational opportunities for youth.
In order to increase academic support and achievement, the Education Compact seeks to identify and pursues the implementation of best practices strategies to increase the graduation rate at MBSHS. Dual enrollment is a program that allows eligible high school and middle school students currently attending accredited Miami-Dade County public schools, private high schools, or home schools, to enroll in a college course while attending high school or middle school. The credits that students earn in the dual enrollment program must be applicable toward a high school diploma and postsecondary educational title, such as the college associate, a baccalaureate degree, or a technical certificate. Students in 8th, 9th, and 10th grades that are enrolled in M-DCPS are eligible to participate in dual enrollment programs and must meet specific criteria.
Due to state funding changes for dual enrollment courses in July 2013, M-DCPS is responsible for reimbursing colleges for instructor and administrative fees; therefore, limiting the number of courses offered due to available funding and credentialing limitations of instructional school staff. Miami Dade College (“MDC”) currently offers a dual enrollment courses in approximately 34 out of 53 high schools and three (3) middle schools across Miami -Dade County.
The City of Miami Beach has supported dual enrollment at Miami Beach Senior High School since Spring 2015 for 11th and 12th graders through Florida International University and prior to the City providing this enhancement, dual enrollment was not offered by the high school or offered sporadically. Dual enrollment courses save students and parents money, as dual enrollment students are exempt from paying application, registration, tuition, laboratory, and special fees if the classes taken are being used toward high school graduation. At the July 6, 2016 Finance and Citywide Projects Committee (“FCWPC”) meeting, the committee recommended accepting the enhancement request of $13,000 to expand dual enrollment options at Nautilus Middle School and Miami Beach Senior High School, through a partnership between the City, Miami Dade College, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools. At the July 13, 2016 City Commission meeting, a discussion relating to the expansion of dual enrollment options at Nautilus Middle School and Miami Beach Senior High School, was referred to the Neighborhoods/Community Affairs Committee (“NCAC”). The NCAC unanimously recommended the enhancement in the City’s 2016-2017 fiscal budget and the FCWPC unanimously recommended expanding the dual enrollment program.
On August 26, 2016, the Mayor and City Commission adopted Resolution Number No. 2016-29537, accepting the recommendations of the FCWPC and the NCAC, and authorizing the City to execute an agreement with Miami Dade College and M-DCPS, to provide dual enrollment courses taught at Miami Beach Senior High School (the “High School”), for 9th and 10th grade students attending the High School, and at Nautilus Middle School (the “Middle School”), for 8th grade students attending the Middle School and Fienberg Fisher K-8 Center during the 2016-2017 school year. The City, M-DCPS, and Miami Dade College executed an agreement to provide these dual enrollment courses, providing for a total City contribution of $13,000 in fiscal year 2016-2017. On December 10, 2018, the City and M-DCPS executed another Agreement to provide these dual enrollment courses, providing for a total City contribution of $28,000 in fiscal year 2018-2019.
On September 11, 2019, the Mayor and City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2019-30958, approving an agreement between the City of Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County School Board to provide dual enrollment courses for the 2019-2020 School Year, through MDC, for college credit for eighth grade students attending Miami Beach Nautilus Middle School, Miami Beach Fienberg Fisher K-8 center, and for 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade students attending Miami Beach Senior High School, in an amount not to exceed $28,000 (“City's Contribution”); and approving the funding of the City's Contribution for the 2019-2020 School Year from the City's 2018-2019 FY budget; and approving the City's Contribution to the program for each subsequent school year, subject to funding approval during the City's budgetary process and provided that the City's contribution amount does not exceed $28,000. On November 8, 2019, the City and M-DCPS executed an agreement setting forth the guidelines for the City to support the dual enrollment courses at the High School and the Middle School. The City and M-DCPS executed Amendment No. 1 to the Agreement, extending the program for the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters.
Miami-Dade College has not been able to accommodate the recent increased demand for dual enrollment classes.
The Administration recommends authorizing the City Manager to negotiate and execute Amendment No. 2 to the Agreement, including Florida International University (FIU) as an additional provider in the program so that the City, through its partnership with M-DCPS, may maximize the amount of dual enrollment courses that may be offered at the High School and the Middle School, based upon the approved City Contribution.