A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE COMMITTEE FOR QUALITY EDUCATION AT ITS OCTOBER 25, 2022 MEETING, REGARDING THE ALLOCATION OF STEM FUNDING IN THE AMOUNT OF $275,000 FOR THE BENEFIT OF MIAMI BEACH PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND APPROVING THE ALLOCATION FOR EACH SCHOOL AS SET FORTH MORE FULLY IN THIS RESOLUTION.

At the September 28, 2022 Commission meeting, a motion was made by Commissioner David Richardson to dually refer a request for Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) funding in the amount of $275,000 to the September 30, 2022 Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee meeting and the October 25, 2022 Committee for Quality Education Committee meeting.   

The Committee for Quality Education met on October 11, 2022 and October 18, 2022 to discuss the current STEM needs at the following public schools located within the City of Miami Beach:  Miami Beach Senior High School, Miami Beach Nautilus Middle School, Miami Beach Fienberg-Fisher K-8, Miami Beach South Pointe Elementary, North Beach Elementary and Biscayne Beach Elementary.    Each Committee for Quality Education (QEC) Parent Teacher Association (PTA) member provided a detailed list of the STEM needs at their particular school that had been developed with assistance and support from school site staff and administration.   As Biscayne Beach Elementary does not currently have a QEC member, Ms. Karen Villalba-Belusic, Principal, shared via an email dated October 12, 2022 to Dr. Leslie Rosenfeld, Chief Learning Officer, that Biscayne Beach Elementary does "not need anything for STEM.  We have an abundance of materials."   

At the October 25, 2022 Committee for Quality Education meeting the following motion was made in support of the allocation of the STEM funds of $275,000 from the City of Miami Beach:

Members Present: Julie Basner, Josh Levy, Mary Keinath, Beverly Heller, Beth Edwards, Laurie Kaye Davis, James Orlowsky, Rina Bass, Evie Fernandez, Tiere Hessert, Courtney Reeve

Members Absent: Yvette Tache

Motion

Made by Beth Edwards

Second by Mary Keinath

The Committee for Quality Education requests the Mayor and Commission allocate the $275,000 STEM funding for Miami Beach public schools as follows (estimated) and ensure this equipment/consumable donation to Miami Beach public schools be sustained by Miami Dade County Public Schools:

•            Miami Beach Sr. High School                  $104,000

•            Miami Beach Nautilus Middle School      $27,000

•            Miami Beach Fienberg Fisher K-8           $110,000

•            North Beach Elementary                          $15,000

•            Miami Beach South Pointe Elementary    $19,000

•            Biscayne Beach Elementary                     $0

The Committee for Quality Education urges the Mayor and Commission to support the above request.

Motion Passage: 10-0

Absent for Vote: Josh Levy

The below list of STEM supplies/equipment was provided by each QEC PTA representative for their respective school during the October 2022 meetings and included in the motion made at the October 25, 2022 meeting.