Miami-Dade Won’t Close Controversial Charter — For Now

Sarah Gonzalez / StateImpact Florida

The Academy of Arts and Minds in Coconut Grove used to be a shopping mall. But no one was buying space, so the owner of the property founded a charter school and now rents his property to his school. The campus still looks like a shopping mall. There are wrap-around balconies on every floor and the classroom have floor-to-ceiling windows very much like a store front.

Miami-Dade school district officials say a Coconut Grove charter school is “heading in the right direction” and they will not close the school this month, according to the Miami Herald.

The school — which is A-rated — has drawn criticism for a handful of practices:

• For years, Arts & Minds has charged fees ranging from $15 for classes like math, reading and physical education to $60 for classes like dance, graphic design and photography. School district officials say some of those fees are illegal, and want to examine the records.

• This year, Arts & Minds fell behind in evaluating and crafting education plans for special-needs students.

• Some classes had neither teachers nor textbooks for the first five weeks of school, parents said.

Parents have also questioned the role of the school’s founder, Manuel Alonso-Poch, who serves as the school’s landlord, manager and food-service provider. His cousin, Ruth “Chuny” Montaner, is the chairwoman of the governing board.

Alonso-Poch has defended his hiring to manage the school and lease property Alonso-Poch owns, arguing he has put millions of his own money into the school.

The district had also threatened to withhold money from the school, which is publicly funded but privately run.