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Mast Academy Could Expand in $18 Million Deal

Proposed plan would add more than 1,000 seats to the magnet school, officials said

Thursday, Jun 14, 2012 | Updated 9:57 AM EDT

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MAST Academy may soon expand by more than 1,000 seats.

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Daniela Pelaez Graduates From High School

Without your demonstration of kindness and sense of community, I would have been deported, Daniela Pelaez said in her school's commencement speech at Florida International University. Meantime, Superintendent of Schools Alberto Carvalho again supported Pelaez at the graduation.

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One of the most prestigious schools in Miami-Dade County may soon undergo some serious changes after the school board approved a preliminary plan Wednesday to expand Mast Academy in Virginia Key.

The measure, though, has sparked outrage among students and parents at the school who say expanding the Maritime and Science Technology Academy campus could be detrimental, according to the Miami Herald.

Among the changes proposed under the plan, the school would add more than 1,000 seats with a preference for Key Biscayne students, increase recruitment of minority students, add a middle school and expand the county-wide lottery by 25 percent, the newspaper said.

Some Key Biscayne residents favored the plan and said the island, which does not have a school, needed to improve its education.

The proposal is part of an $18 million deal with the Village of Key Biscayne, the Herald said.

The district will still need to finalize the proposal during a July meeting.

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