Somerset School Coral Gables Must Follow Local Zoning

July 21, 2010 Leave a comment

Judge Bailey rejected the arguments of Somerset School Coral Gables that state law allows them to open a school, but with limits that do not conform to local zoning requirements that in this circumstance is a limit of 110 students.  This is a win for the city of Coral Gables’ master plan and zoning.

`The court finds no express preemption by the Legislature in this particular case. The choice of language does not say charter schools are exempt from local zoning and land use designations that other citizens and corporate citizens have to comply with,” Bailey said.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/20/1739559/judge-limits-gables-charter-school.html#ixzz0uK6miHxd

We hope that in the future the City Commissioners will be more confident of its own legislation, master plan and the rights of its citizens

Filed under Community, Coral Gables

Needed a CENTER FOR COMMUNITY DIALOGUE

July 20, 2010 Leave a comment

Coral Gables needs a Center for Community Dialogue so that citizens, organizations, Commissioners, businesses, students, faculty and others can debate and analyze the future of business, civil society and the greater community.

Filed under Community, Coral Gables

Economists Call for More Government Spending and Tax Reductions

July 20, 2010 Leave a comment

A group of prestigious economists have called for further increases in government spending and a reduction in taxes.

With all of the talk about debt reduction and deficits, a group of important economists have called for more spending and cut taxes.  This will raise deficits in the short-term, but it will help reduce unemployment and stabilize the economy.  There is increasing talk about a double dip recession; and this policy will help the local economy where there is still significant unemployment and housing foreclosures.

Filed under Florida

Somerset Academy Coral Gables

July 19, 2010 Leave a comment

Decision:  Commission decided to go to court tomorrow to challenge the Somerset Academy’s charter school.

The Somerset Academy has been quite adept at mobilizing future parents of students to support their request to, in effect, start operating outside the rules of Coral Gables and under threat of a suit against the City to enforce their expansion into a quiet, local neighborhood.

Somerset Academy continues working with the City of Coral Gables to obtain the necessary approvals to open Somerset Academy at UBC this fall.  With your continued support, we are very confident that the school will open in the fall with enough spaces to fill the needs of our families, while maintaining the fabric of the community and neighborhood surrounding the school.

The City of Coral Gables Commission will meet this Monday, July 19th, at 4:00 pm to consider Somerset Academy’s request to open the Somerset Gables Charter School at UBC. The City Commissioners will meet privately from 4:00-5:00pm.

A public meeting will follow immediately at 5pm in the Commission chambers at Coral Gables City Hall. THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR SOMERSET GABLES IN PERSON. The school will present evidence to support its request for sufficient capacity to satisfy the overwhelming parental demand.  The public will have an opportunity to speak to the Commission, time will be limited.

Somerset Academy thanks you for your continued support of Somerset @ Gables.

Notes from the Discussion: None of the Commissioners want to go to the judge and lose.  At the start of the discussion of this matter, Mayor Slesnick favors an agreement with the school but for around 180 students and Commissioner Anderson favors an agreement with around  200 students.  Commission Cabrera favors more and better schools, he criticizes the lack of information that he has gotten from the City’s staff, he cannot agree to a large number of students, 525, that the Somerset Academy is proposing.  Commissioners seem to want a total number of students in the agreement of about 200.  Somerset Academy takes time to discuss among themselves.

Filed under Coral Gables

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