Just because North Miami has been grabbing all the Corruption in Government news lately, don’t think you’re off the hook, NMB! There’s plenty more dirt around these here parts to dig up.
What I at first thought was a minor news tip that I received a few days ago has since turned into a much bigger story that I ever imagined. The real story, in fact, is even bigger than North Miami Beach. Let me explain.
One of my peeps tipped me off that earlier this week a shooting occurred at or near a business located at 16150 NE 17th Avenue in North Miami Beach, and that the cops chased the suspect all the way to Wal-Mart. I thought it really odd that this alleged shooting wasn’t reported in the news so I started digging.
I then found out that the building is owned by one International Dental Supply Co., out of Hialeah, but that the main business at this location is Mavericks High School, which is formally known as Mavericks in Education of Florida, LLC, out of West Palm Beach. According to its website (http://maverickshigh.com/), “Mavericks High School is not a traditional public or private school. Mavericks High School is a charter school that provides students with an essential high school education, job preparedness, prospects for continuing education and a state-recognized high school diploma – all TUITION FREE.”
The website further states, “Mavericks High Schools were established to provide an educational choice to students who have dropped out of school or may be in danger of dropping out. Using 21st century technology and a focus on individualized attention, Mavericks High Schools offer students, who are challenged by the traditional approach to learning, the opportunity to earn a state-recognized high school diploma. This high-tech High provides students, ages 15-21, a strong research-based curriculum and support for pursuing continuing education or a suitable vocation.” Yada, yada, yada. “Mavericks High passionately believes that every student deserves a free, publicly funded education.”
I am a firm believer in public schools. All my kids went to public school, and we all pay for every child to obtain a good education. I also know that there are some excellent charter schools in South Florida that provide an education as good or better than our public schools, and as long as these schools are accountable to the Miami-Dade County Public School system, I have no problem with our tax dollars helping fund them.
Mavericks High School does not appear to be one of them.
My research led me to a reporter by the name of Lisa Rab of the Broward/Palm Beach New Times, who has been writing an outstanding series of articles on Mavericks, which I strongly urge you to read. Starting with her first two in the series about the brother of Vice President Joe Biden’s role as both President of and lobbyist for Mavericks (http://blogs.
On December 1, 2011, Ms. Rab reported, Mavericks High Charter Schools Not Accredited (http://blogs.
The North Miami Beach campus is apparently one the Mavericks schools NOT accredited. Nice.
As if that weren’t bad enough news, Ms. Rab published, Records Show Miami Mavericks High Teachers Paid Peanuts, Less Than $5K a Year (http://blogs.
When she questioned the principal of the Homestead campus about the salaries, the reporter was given the run around. I spoke with Ms. Rab yesterday, and at that time she still hadn’t received an explanation.
No wonder charter schools are big business, eh? They receive our tax dollars on a per capita (student) basis, and pay their employees next to nothing. Maybe I’m in the wrong business.
Ms. Rab’s latest article on the Mavericks High Schools series was published today, and is entitled, Mavericks schools Founded by Former Head of Controversial Ohio Charter Schools (http://blogs.
While each school was run by a local board, White Hat kept 96 percent of the state funds it received, and the company refused for years to reveal how those millions of tax dollars were spent. Meanwhile, many of the schools were on “academic watch” or emergency, according to New Times‘ former sister paper, Cleveland Scene.”
This just keeps getting better and better, huh? Do yourself a favor and please read all of the articles in this series so you can fully appreciate the kind of crap that’s going on with this company. After all, your tax dollars are funding the campuses in Miami-Dade County. I’m just saying.
Ms. Rab also wrote to me that there will be more to come. I can’t wait!
The shooting I mentioned at the beginning of this blog led me to research the property, which eventually led me to all this dirt on Mavericks High. I made a public records request to the Clerk’s office of North Miami Beach about this particular business and received the following response:
Okay, so Mavericks High did apply for a business license in North Miami Beach back in August of 2009 when Myron Rosner was still the mayor, and I will assume this matter came before the council as do all other new businesses when they apply for a license. I’m also told that it’s neither the city’s nor the council’s job to determine whether or not a charter and/or private school applying for a business license in NMB is accredited or not. I will, however, be following this story as it develops and reporting it here.
As I said above, I had no idea where the tip about the shooting would lead me, but as interesting as all this intrigue is, the more immediate story is the potential threat to the city that the existence of this school presents. According to accounts by some of the residents and property owners in the neighborhood of the school, the crowd that hangs out at the campus is a pretty unsavory bunch. A shooting would the first clue that these “students” are not comprised of your typical kids who just want an education.
A bigger concern is that it’s located directly across the street from NMB’s Allen Park, where the Little League and other youth groups play ball.
Jarret Gross, a North Miami Beach resident, who owns a commercial building near Mavericks High School, told me that the students from Mavericks wreak havoc on his property, in which there is a private girls’ school. Apparently, the Mavericks kids like to stroll over there to check out the ladies. Mr. Gross wrote a scathing letter to the council and city manager today complaining about “a group of these disgusting, lowlifes, congregating on our property.” I’m guessing he’s not too happy with the Mavericks High School student population.
Mr. Gross also told me that the shooting took place right near his building, and he was fully aware of this even though the North Miami Beach Police Department never issued a press release. I happened to ask Mr. Gross if he knows why one was never issued, and his response was, “Because they are still trying to recover from how stupid the manager looked firing that officer and going on TV to bloviate about his righteous actions.”
Mr. Gross gave me permission to quote him on that.
Moving right along…
The way I see it, North Miami Beach has several serious problems:
1. First of all, we have in our city a school that is being scrutinized by a very thorough investigative reporter for alleged shady dealings.
2. The clientele at that school is less than savory and prone to shoot first, ask questions later.
3. The police department doesn’t want us to know about it.
If I hadn’t received a simple tip about an unreported shooting in our city, I would never have found out about the unaccredited high school or the problems it’s causing in the neighborhood. One thing leads to another and if you turn up enough rocks, something is bound to slither out from one of them.
A blogger’s work is never done.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
“Mr. Gross also told me that the shooting took place right near his building, and he was fully aware of this even though the the North Miami Beach Police Department never issued a press release. I happened to ask Mr. Gross if he knows why one was never issued, and his response was, ‘Because they are still trying to recover from how stupid the manager looked firing that officer and going on TV to bloviate about his righteous actions.'”
I beg to differ here. I would say they (the NMBPD) are still trying to recover from how stupid the fired officer looked for…being so stupid.
As I said, “Moving right along…”
No further comment necessary.
After reading a number of articles and reviews on this issue, it all sounds like nothing but finger pointing specifically targeted at one charter school chain. So what’s the deal with all the other charter schools or even the public school system, are they all perfected? I doubt that very much.
The public school system has been way to comfortable for many years sitting on a monopoly of education, but now there is competition. Wake up everyone, the same thing that happened to Bell the phone company is now happening to the public school system. Once you open the market to competition you get better and efficient services that changes the whole ball game. If public schools had their shit together then charter schools wouldn’t be gaining popularity or would they even be around in the first place, it’s a big wake up call. They really need to restructure their teaching techniques for all students or they can close up shop. If public schools would operate like a business for profit, maybe then the average teacher will get their ass kicked for not performing and graduating a higher percentage of students.
Bottom Line: It doesn’t matter through what educational system students use to get their diploma as long as each student is educated at a level they can grasp for a promising future and not end up behind bars cause they mugged your Ass. In addition, for all you critics out there, would you really care to be writing these articles if you didn’t get paid to, but since you all have to make a living I suggest more research and be at least somewhat Bias to become a great writer.
I understand that Village Voice Media Inc. Owns New Times and Backpage that offers an advertising section for prostitution, every day there are huge numbers of teenagers POSTING provocative photos and prostitution advertisement listings across the U.S on Backpage. I don’t get it, Lisa Rab will write about charter schools being corrupt that are creating an alternative education for under privileged students to stay off the streets but yet it seems to be OK to work for a company that publishes sexual services. I say they should remove that section before they get a remake situation of what happened on Craigslist.
Well, I guess at the end of the day Village Voice Media Inc. Is all about the money just like charter schools.
First of all, I was not attacking charter schools in general. You obviously aren’t a regular reader, or you’d know that I’m an Evil Capitalist Free Market Republican. I’m all for competition and private business. If the public schools can’t do the job, I have no problem with charter schools giving them a run for their money.
I was, however, addressing this particular charter school located in North Miami Beach with respect to how it is affecting our community. When I started researching this school because of a shooting that took place near there, I didn’t even know it was part of a bigger chain of charter schools, and that there were serious concerns about the company. One thing just led to another. I had never even heard of this school before last week, but now I’m hearing that this school in NMB is just really, really horrible. Yesterday my daughter came for a visit and overheard me talking about Mavericks. She graduated NMB Senior high in 2010 and is now in college. The first thing she said to me was, “The kids that go to that school are really bad kids.” This was without prompting, so apparently the Mavericks High School’s reputation is pretty well known. The most disturbing thing to me is that it is directly across the street from a park that all the neighborhood kids use.
For the record, I had no idea that the New Times was owned by Village Voice. I also had absolutely no clue that there is a classified “advertising section for prostitution,” either. Then again, I’d have no reason to know that since I’m not in the market for a hooker. I also wouldn’t know if Lisa Rab is aware of this, but I’ll make it a point to ask her. Thanks for the heads up, though.
I must also respond to your comment, “In addition, for all you critics out there, would you really care to be writing these articles if you didn’t get paid to, but since you all have to make a living I suggest more research and be at least somewhat Bias to become a great writer.” Again, if you were a regular reader of this column, you would know that (a) I am not a reporter, (b) I do NOT get paid to write this column, and (c) it’s all about my opinion and I can be as biased as I wanna be. I’m a taxpaying voter and this is my opinion (hence the name Voters Opinion). If you want Fair and Balanced, watch Fox News. With me, you get Unfair and sometimes Unbalanced. Feel free to donate to the cause if you’re inclined. There should be a Tip Jar somewhere on the home page.