About Doctors Charter School

Vision | Mission | Values | Governance | Faculty & Staff | Accreditation | History | School name and logo | What is a charter school? | Facility

Doctors Charter School of Miami Shores is a college preparatory school that offers a broad education focusing on academic as well as personal growth of each student. The school is a middle/senior high school offering instruction for grades 6-12. Students are Dade-County Public School students. The mission of the school is with parental and community support, to nurture and to assist each student to reach his/her academic goals and to develop a sense of community responsibility and social awareness.

The name of the school is to honor the financial contribution that the North Dade Medical Foundation has made for the construction of the school building and for the educational program. The school’s identity is academic excellence and its logo symbolizes learning and study. The words that appear in our logo are Perceptum which means “to learn” and Affero which means “to contribute”. They represent the essence of the school where learning is its main focus and where our graduates will be academically well prepared and responsible citizens. The symbol of the Caduceus signifies our ties with the medical community that is sponsoring this school.

Vision

Doctors Charter School of Miami Shores is a college preparatory school that offers a broad education focusing on the academic as well as the personal growth of each student. The school strives to develop graduates who are academically well prepared and socially responsible.

Mission

Values

The School embraces ethnic and religious diversity, representative of the multicultural community in which it makes its home. The School’s commitment is to serve the community. Therefore the values of the school include the attainment of high academic standards and the cultivation of civic involvement, personal integrity, tolerance and open-mindedness, compassion and a willingness to give back to the community. The school values excellence at all levels: students, faculty, staff and administration

Governance

The school is governed by a Board of Directors. The Village of Miami Shores empowered the School Board Authority to be responsible for the operation and management of the Charter School. The board members are appointed by The Village Council, Barry University, the North Dade Medical Foundation, and by the PTSA.

School name and logo

The name of the school is to honor the financial contribution that the North Dade Medical Foundation has made for the construction of the school building and for the educational program. The school’s identity is academic excellence and its logo symbolizes learning and study.

The words that appear in our logo are Perceptum which means “to learn” and Affero which means “to contribute”. They represent the essence of the school where learning is its main focus and where our graduates will be academically well prepared and responsible citizens. The symbol of the Caduceus signifies our ties with the medical community that is sponsoring this school.

Accreditation

Doctors Charter School of Miami Shores is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

History

As soon as the Florida Legislature passed the municipal charter rule, which enabled cities that sponsored Charter Schools to give enrollment preference to their residents, Miami Shores got busy. Cooperation was necessary between and among Barry University; North Dade Medical Foundation; the Miami Shores residents, who passed a needed bond issue; Miami Shores Village elected officials over a span of three years; as well as Miami Dade County Public Schools, which already had a charter with the Miami Shores/Barry University Connected Learning Center for grades 6-8, to make the new middle/high School a reality. Miraculously, Doctors Charter School of Miami Shores was built on land owned by Barry University, with funds from the bond and the Foundation, with a conversion of the Charter from MS/BU, and was completed just in time for opening August 8, 2005. The building was dedicated January 19, 2006, and a plaque dedicated to the physicians who contributed to North Shore Hospital over the years is displayed at the front entrance. Thus, a long awaited dream of Miami Shores residents to have a municipal school became a reality.

Charter School 101: A Primer for Parents

What is a charter school?

A charter school is a publicly funded school that has been granted a charter exempting it from selected state or local rules or regulations. A charter school is governed by a group or organization under a contract or charter with the state.

What are the important provisions of the DCS charter?

The DCS charter was granted to the village of Miami Shores, which appoints a School Board to oversee DCS operations. The charter allows DCS to self govern, with Board approval, and therefore to maintain control over faculty hiring, budgeting, and many other administrative decisions. Decisions taken in these areas, such as offering the highest teacher salaries the budget will allow, set the course for DCS to become a successful college prep Middle School and High School.

How is DCS funded?

DCS draws funds from two separate streams. One part of the funding comes from a bond issue approved by Village residents and a large two year grant given by the North Dade Medical Foundation for FY 2006 and 2007. DCS raises the remainder of its operating expenses from the state through its FTE funding (a set amount for each student in the classroom per day) and through the collection of student fees for such things as materials and trips.

If DCS is a publicly funded school, why do you keep asking me for money?

By its charter, DCS is freed from some of the rules and regulations that limit traditional public schools and can better control its instructional program and choose its faculty, which may be one reason you wanted to send your child here. But the operating budget for DCS is not limitless. The budget is extremely tight and there is no "wiggle room" for extras to enhance the forward looking instructional mission of the school. To provide resources not accounted for in the budget, such as a more expansive collection for the student media center, the school can only ask its parents and the larger community for help. Of course, DCS will strive to meet its goals for student achievement and will continue to make the best case it can for an adequate budget in its annual budget request. In the interim, fundraising requests for critical enhancements will come your way, and those who are able to contribute are asked to do so.

How can I make sure the money I give to DCS goes for the purpose I intended?

If DCS asks you for money for the library or to buy a presentation board or to enhance a trip fund, the funds you contribute are dedicated for that purpose only. The collection of funds is transparent. You can ask for a record of the expenditures for any fundraising project to which you are asked to contribute, whether you plan to make a contribution or not.

How else can I help the school?

Volunteer your time when it is possible. Respond to school calls for volunteers or contact the school office and ask how you can help. the value of parent volunteer efforts in making things happen and growing the school community is as important as any monetary contribution.

Facility

The school is located on 5 acres at Barry University Campus at 11301 NW 5th Avene. The construction of this building has been made possible by the generosity of the North Dade Medical Foundation and by the financial support of the citizens of Miami Shores. The building is 50,000 square feet and has 25 state-of-the-art classrooms, 4 science labs, art room, music room, media center and a cafeteria/auditorium.

Last updated 8/23/2007