![\"Rafael](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MIA_clovillalobosswearinginAGS026.JPG\" "\\"Rafael")
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Rafael Villalobos, center, stands with school board members during his swearing ceremony as Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, inside Jackie Gleason Theater at Filmore Miami Beach in Miami Beach, Fla.<\/p>\n
Alie Skowronski<\/p>\n
askowronski@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
Columbus High School has withdrawn its proposal to buy a nearby public elementary school, according to a statement from Miami-Dade County Public Schools shared Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The private Catholic school had made an unsolicited proposal to purchase or enter into a long-term lease<\/a> for the property where Banyan Elementary is located. The elementary school sits across SW 87th Avenue from Columbus\u2019 main campus.<\/p>\n Columbus High had planned to demolish the existing school and build new facilities on the site, including an \u201caquatic center.\u201d A committee of the Miami-Dade school board recommended that the district reject the school\u2019s unsolicited offer at a meeting last week and the full board was poised to officially reject the bid at its Wednesday meeting.<\/p>\n That official rejection is no longer needed, according to the district\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause the proposal has been withdrawn, the Board will no longer need to consider or vote on the rejection of the item, and it has been removed from tomorrow\u2019s agenda. Thank you to everyone in the community who stayed engaged, submitted input, and advocated for our local schools throughout this process,\u201d the district\u2019s statement reads.<\/p>\n Banyan Elementary had about 350 students last school year<\/a>. Its most recent state-calculated utilization percentage \u2014 a measure of number of students divided by capacity \u2014 was 56% last school year, but school staff at a committee meeting last week said it was 62%.<\/p>\n The offer came at a time when Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and many other public school districts in Florida, have closed or consolidated schools and are contemplating even more closures<\/a>. At the same time, private schools like Columbus High have seen enrollment increases, thanks in part to the implementation of a universal state-funded voucher to help with more than $8,000 in private school tuition.<\/p>\n Private schools and developers have expressed strong interest in some of the valuable South Florida land<\/a> that might free up as a result of the public school system\u2019s contraction.<\/p>\n Spokespeople for the school district did not share the full proposal, including the total dollar amount offered, from Columbus High, which is run by the Marist Brothers.<\/p>\n Board Chair Mari Tere Rojas, whose district includes the area where the schools are located, said the private school\u2019s proposal was not workable at last week\u2019s committee meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cI appreciate so much that this came out with this outcome. This is one of the schools that I represent \u2014 a wonderful school, a great community, tremendous parental involvement \u2014 and what was recommended was absolutely not feasible, in my humble opinion,\u201d Rojas said.<\/p>\n Banyan Elementary was not on the recent list of schools being monitored for possible closure<\/a>, which was released by the district in August but shortly thereafter put on pause by new Superintendent Rafael Villalobos.<\/p>\n