Parents in Miami's Historic Overtown neighborhood aren't standing down, even after the school district's brand-new superintendent hit pause on shuttering campuses. Paul L. Dunbar K-8 Academy, a school with roots stretching back to 1899, was placed on a reassessed list earlier this year. Families say a temporary freeze isn't the same as a guarantee, and they're continuing to organize to keep the campus open.
Rafael Villalobos officially took the helm of Miami-Dade County Public Schools on September 2 and used his first day in office to announce an immediate pause on closing or repurposing more than two dozen schools, according to CBS News Miami. The move came just weeks after the Miami-Dade County School Board unanimously appointed the 54-year-old district veteran, who began his career as a local teacher back in 1994, succeeding Jose Dotres on an 8-0 vote. Villalobos pledged to conduct a thorough review and gather community feedback before taking any further action on the fate of Dunbar K-8 and the other campuses on the reassessed list.
A District Bleeding Students
The pressure behind the closure debate traces back to a brutal enrollment picture. Miami-Dade County Public Schools lost approximately 13,000 students during the 2025–2026 academic year, a decline attributed primarily to lower birth rates and a significant decrease in newcomers enrolling, per the same CBS Miami report. The number far exceeded earlier single-year projections, leaving the district with a growing surplus of school seats it can no longer easily justify funding.
That demographic squeeze already forced the school board's hand once this year. On June 17, the board voted to close or consolidate nine underenrolled public schools, eliminating 168 positions and saving an estimated $17.3 million, according to K-12 Dive. The closures were adopted via the board's consent agenda. Hoodline had flagged four schools facing cuts in the lead-up to that vote.
Overtown's Fears Take Root
Among the nine schools closed in June was Phillis Wheatley Elementary in Overtown — a decision that sparked immediate fear among parents that neighboring Paul L. Dunbar K-8 Academy would be targeted next. Located at 505 NW 20th St., Dunbar is the school parents fear could be targeted next. Residents view the successive closures as a threat not just to school seats, but to neighborhood stability and cultural heritage in one of Miami's most historically significant Black communities.
District officials have been direct about the limits of the current pause: it does not guarantee any campus will remain open. The reassessed list, including Dunbar K-8, remains part of the ongoing closure debate.
What Happens to a Closed Campus
Underlying the community's anxiety is a state law that shapes what happens to any building the district does give up. Under Florida Statute 1002.333, amended in 2025, charter school operators designated under the state's Schools of Hope program hold statutory rights to lease or co-locate in district facilities that become underutilized or closed. Charter networks like KIPP and Success Academy have increasingly expanded into district sites — Hoodline previously reported on KIPP's move into a shuttered Liberty City school under the same statute. For Overtown families, that regulatory reality raises the stakes of any closure decision well beyond a simple budget line.
The district's finances remain tight on multiple fronts. The Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners voted to place a one-mill school property tax renewal on the November 3 ballot to prevent severe funding reductions for teacher salaries and campus police. Villalobos arrives at the district office with district experience he has said will inform how he weighs the district-wide gaps now in front of him.
For now, Dunbar K-8 remains open, and the reassessed list remains frozen. But with enrollment counts due next month and the district still absorbing a historic drop in students, Overtown parents say they aren't taking their foot off the gas until they hear a permanent answer.
