Thousands of Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay students walked through school doors Thursday morning at Coral Reef Senior High, Cutler Bay Senior High and area elementary campuses for the first day of the 2026-27 school year.
Not every family felt safe doing so.
Superintendent Jose Dotres used the eve of opening day to deliver a direct plea to immigrant families shaken by the end of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals.
"Parents should not keep their children at home," Dotres said Wednesday, Aug. 12, at a district back-to-school event, as reported by WPLG Local 10. "Please bring them to school."
The concern is not abstract. Work permits expired for Haitian nationals employed by Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and district officials said human services staff are reviewing every affected employee's status. Dotres said the district is monitoring the TPS impact on enrollment and staffing closely.
Candice Mondesir, executive director of the Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce of Florida, said July 25 that "parents are scared to send kids to school in August," according to the Sun Sentinel. Florida has roughly 93,000 Haitian TPS holders in its workforce.
Enrollment decline hits budgets
The immigration fears compound a broader enrollment crisis. The district projects a loss of about 8,000 students this school year, dropping traditional public school enrollment to roughly 217,100, according to Miami Times reporting. That follows a loss of 13,000 students in 2025-26.
Because Florida funds districts largely on a per-student basis, each departure takes state dollars with it. The district is proposing $63 million in additional cuts for 2026-27, on top of $89 million slashed mid-year last school year and $100 million cut the year before that. Nine schools districtwide are being closed or repurposed.
None of the nine closures are in Palmetto Bay or Cutler Bay, but local schools feel the budget pressure. Incoming superintendent Rafael Villalobos, who replaces Dotres in February, acknowledged in an Aug. 2 interview with Local 10 that "multiple factors" are driving the steady enrollment decrease.
Meal deadline families need to know
One immediate change hitting Coral Reef Senior High, Cutler Bay Senior High and Southwood Middle: school meals are no longer universally free. Both high schools and several area elementaries are non-CEP schools, meaning families must apply for meal benefits.
Students will eat free through mid-September while applications are processed. Beginning Sept. 28, students without an approved application will be charged full price: $4.20 for lunch, $2.50 for breakfast at middle and high schools, according to the South Dade News Leader.
Applications opened Aug. 10 at mdcpsnutrition.net. One application covers an entire household. Families receiving SNAP, TANF, Medicaid or foster care assistance are automatically eligible without applying.
