"I should be in classrooms doing observations. I should be creating a learning environment to meet the needs of the kids, " said Principal Jeanne Friedman, who has been pushing for repairs. For years, school district life-safety inspectors have cited hazards at the school, ranging from blocked exits and missing fire extinguishers to combustible wall coverings and drapes. A Herald analysis shows 364 life-safety citations at the school have still not been fixed, including almost 200 that involve fire-safety issues.

The campus has also suffered from unusual wear-and-tear.

Blocks from the ocean, salt in the air and in the water underground rotted some plumbing and electrical systems. The campus serves double-duty as both a high school and large adult education center.

Today, hairline cracks impair every roof on campus. When it rains, the custodial staff, recently forced to cut four of 19 workers, arrives before daybreak to mop up classrooms. Founded 76 years ago, Miami Beach High has a proud reputation of producing graduates who have become judges, artists, athletes and politicians. Alumni include actor Andy Garcia and former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin.

In recent years, the school has nurtured an award-winning Rock Ensemble and successful business program.

"I have some amazing teachers. The education here is equal to anybody else's, " senior Andrea Terris said.

But parents and community leaders question how a school district with billions of dollars to spend on construction, renovation and maintenance could allow the campus to spiral into a dangerous state of disrepair.

"The district has systematically ignored the conditions of its facilities. . . . There are 20 years of [repair requests] here that are unanswered, " said Paul Novack, a member of a state oversight board studying school construction and a 1976 graduate.

"These buildings would not pass inspection if they were warehouses with no human beings in them."

School district officials say the problem is not neglect - it's money. Dozens of Miami-Dade County public schools have similar problems.

"Every single school that you walk into needs major repairs and renovations. The needs are so great across the entire district, " said Peter de la Horra, executive director of construction.

Miami Beach High parents, however, say the repair delays were not just irresponsible, but dangerous.

In 2000, Novack and three other parents filed suit against the school board, charging the district ignored fire-safety violations at Miami Beach High and at 200 schools across the county.

Through 2003, the School Board has earmarked more than $70 million to fix the violations, including dozens at Miami Beach Senior. But problems persist.

For years, old fire alarms at Miami Beach High were missing levers to pull in an emergency. Instead of installing new ones, the school district covered the boxes and painted them to match the walls.

"It was a cheap way of hiding the problems, " said Luis Garcia Jr., a Miami Beach city commissioner and former fire department chief.

A $980 million bond referendum for school construction in 1988 was supposed to bring upgrades to Miami Beach Senior. The school was slated not only for renovations but the construction of a new wing for science and fine arts. There were plans to replace the clocks. Repair the gym bleachers. Improve the lighting. Fix the fire alarm system.