Crossbridge Nixes Charter School; Magic of Learning to Close

Educational options for parents of young children on Key Biscayne could tighten soon with one institution dropping plans for a charter school and another announcing a closure.  

Crossbridge Church leaders told members in a May 3 letter that a proposed elementary charter school was no longer going forward.

And after 13 years on the Key, the Magic of Learning preschool is due to close after wrapping up scheduled classes and camps this summer. According to a letter to parents from Director Annabella Vielma, declining enrollments and increasing rent led to the decision.

At Crossbridge, members of the congregation had voted in October 2018 to allow the board to negotiate a lease with nonprofit Mater Academy Inc., which runs almost 30 secular schools in South Florida. Plans had called for up to 300 students in a kindergarten-grade 5 operation, with the existing Christian preschool being left intact.

But the letter stated that “while the church and Mater worked hard, in the end, the parties could not agree on detailed terms of a proposed lease.”

“We had hoped this would be for the benefit of the community, but in the end it didn’t work out,” said Senior Pastor Felipe Assis. He said the church is hopeful it can find a way to use the land for the benefit of the community.

“When God closes one door, he opens another,” Assis said.

The twin developments could lead to some tough choices for parents.

A lottery determines which kids get into about 19 slots at the Key Biscayne K-8 Center’s government-funded Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten, or VPK, program. The Magic of Learning was the only other tax-subsidized VPK provider on the island — meaning parents could face a shortage of lower-cost spots.