Board showdown set over Crew's job. School Board member Renier Diaz de la Portilla has joined Marta Perez and Ana Rivas Logan calling for the ouster of the Superintendent, baby-faced Crew."Board members Wilbert ''Tee'' Holloway, Evelyn Greer and Martin Karp said they would oppose the action."
I don't like two of the people named above so I know how I would lean. I think that Crew is caustic which doesn't help but I still tend to think some board members are looking for a scapegoat. I believe anger should be directed at the State. I do know how I will vote in the school board election, but I am cloudy on the firing of Crew, having never watched a meeting.
I went to Crew's website and found the DISTRICT BUDGET UPDATE and after that I am including why the three have a beef with Crew:
07/03/08 - Miami-Dade County Public Schools Moves Forward with Budget for 2008-2009
Miami-Dade County Public Schools is facing one of the most challenging budgetary cycles in recent history. The District, like many others in Florida, has been hit hard by a reduction in funding and struggling state and national economies as well as the passage of Florida Amendment One. In response, Superintendent of Schools Rudy Crew and School Board Members have met in workshops and School Board meetings since December 2007 to find ways to manage the onslaught of these budget cuts.
The District has worked for months to identify budget reductions and corresponding savings to compensate for a more than $200 million shortfall. The decision by Florida lawmakers to reduce the District's base funding has forced the School Board to make very difficult decisions, in an effort to balance the budget, as required by Florida Statute. This effort has continued through the Spring and is now culminating in reductions totaling $212 million. In as much as the Superintendent and the School Board have tried to mitigate the impact to employees, it has been necessary to reduce the work force by eliminating more than 500 positions. Additionally, more than a thousand teaching positions and 500 non-instructional positions have been affected by the current downsizing. Exceptional Student Education, Psychological Services, Secondary School Reform and services to gifted students, among other programs, have also experienced significant cutbacks.
Although difficult, the process of downsizing the District's budget has been strategic and reflects the following philosophical construct:
1. Produce a balanced budget to the State or risk takeover. A first draft of the
balanced budget will be presented to the School Board on July 15, and the
budget must be finalized by September 10.
2. Avoid layoffs to the maximum extent possible.
3. Remain true to contracts for all employee groups and implement the provisions
of the contracts, allowing a delay in raises.
4. Maintain programs, including the arts, for children, parents and the community to the maximum extent possible.
Toward this end, the District is committed to providing information to the community to present a clear understanding of the process and the progress being made. Future budget cuts to education by the Florida Legislature are a very real possibility, and it is critical that the community stay informed during this time of economic challenge and change.
Weekly updates will be provided to offer clarity as the District moves forward in this process.
Below is a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding the District's budget and current negotiations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are salaries being negotiated?
At a special School Board Meeting of June 25, 2008, the School Board determined that funding from the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) is inadequate to support District operations for the 2008-09 fiscal year. The Superintendent notified the leaders of bargaining units that according to contracts, salary schedules could and would be renegotiated, as allowed for.
Is the District considering cost-saving measures presented by the unions? Yes. UTD has presented a number of cost-saving recommendations, and the District has promised to examine each one for the amount of cost-savings that could be achieved.
When did negotiations begin?
Negotiations with UTD began on Sunday, June 29, 2008. Negotiations with DCSMEC will begin on July 9, 2008. Discussions are being held with other bargaining units to determine when their negotiations will be held.
How long will negotiations last?
The District is available to meet with the unions frequently, including weekends. At this time, no estimate has been made as to how long negotiations will last.
According to the Herald, this is why some school board members are unhappy (Renier in photo):
• The recent admission by district budget officials that the school system closed out the 2007-2008 fiscal year $66.5 million over budget.• For the second year in the row, the district needed to dip into its rainy-day fund to close the books. The reserves now contain $27 million -- far less than what investors recommended for school systems.
• A state audit released in February documented $28 million of unjustified overtime payments.
• Crew declined to release a critical report on the first year of the School Improvement Zone, his signature intensive-care program for failing schools. The partial review of the $100 million initiative was finished in December, but not made public until late June.
• The district has withheld the raises promised to teachers and other employees as part of an effort to balance the district's 2008-2009 budget. Crew has said the measure was necessary, given the cuts in funding from the state.
17 comments:
I think they are idiots (Renier, Perez and Logan). This appears to be a racial thing. I think Crew has done a good job.
I think it is unfortunate that whenever black people are involved these days, the racial card is played. That is a copout and stops many a discussion that should take place.
Anyone who has been to board meetings and stayed abreast of the problems in education would have to admit, at the very least, that Crew has done some controversial things.
No matter whether you look at the good or bad Crew has done (plenty of both)the controversy is stymied the board and is non-productive. I think the honeymoon is definitely over, and maybe the marriage as well.
I don't think they are idiots(Renier, Perez and Logan). This does not appear to be a racial thing. I think Crew has done a bad job.
If Crew, the board and all other high level people dropped their income in half to help the schools get over this legislature gift to our school children then I would feel better about all of them,
mensa, I'm sure that you would have been the first one to step up and offer half your salary up to help out the place where you work if they were having hard times financially.
Now yes, I would like fries with that.
m
The real reason, I believe, is that the Board wishes to appoint a Cuban instead. According to some Board members, Crew was not sensitive to the "Vamos a Cuba" book debate and did not support the legal challenge leading to its removal from the school libraries. Some people feel that we should re-write history in order to placate their distaste of anything that doesn't go hand-in-hand with their personal views. Just wait and see another Marco Rubio hired to replace Mr. Crew. "The first Cuban Speaker of the House" are Rubio's only and most impressive credentials for some members of our local community.
m---make them biggie fries and a large coke.
last anon post---"Some people feel that we should re-write history in order to placate their distaste of anything that doesn't go hand-in-hand with their personal views." We see this alot in this blog.
It's not a race issue.It's an irresponsible issue. Crew has made some good decisions. When I first heard him speak years ago in Miami as he introduced himself, I was thrilled. Then I saw the money being wasted. Perhaps you can find those facts and put it in your blog. Your readers will feel differently.
He has more than doubled the number of people making 6 figures in the downtown offices. How can you say no money to cops and teachers and yes to paper pushers who were his friends from NY?
He gives out bonuses to people who have never set foot in a classroom but will layoff cafeteria workers?
There is no balance.
Let's discuss Greer. She constantly berates teachers for being teachers! How anyone can vote for her is beyond my thinking.
In district #3 Martin Karp needs to leave, his emails are cold and lack any sincere care for the students.
Shawn Beightol, the teacher who was sent to the busdepot for using the email to let other teachers know about the nonsense going on, is running for district 3 school board position.
Obviously, there is hope if we can put him there.
Nathasha
How many of you that comment on here have children that attend public schools? I'll have a dialogue with those of you who do. As for Crew, has he made some mistakes, yes. Has he done some great things for our schools, yes. He doesn't conjure up numbers. He works with what he is given. Why don't we look to Tallahassee and question the numbers they brought home to us? Why doesn't Renier look at his brother, at Rubio, at the rest of their "R" brothers and ask them what happened to our education fund? The blame is not all on Crew. This is all political mind games and for those of you who don't see it then please look deeper into the issues. I have two kids in the public school system. I feel the ups and the downs. My kids are the ones suffering from all the political BS.
I am a teacher. I know what is going on. I know too much of what is going on and if parents knew what I knew they would be very upset. Sure upstate hasnt done much to help the situation but if you are given x amount of money and you take that money and use on nonessentials then you can't expect the people who work in the system to not be upset.
Giving out SUVs to downtown people should not be a priority over your children. Your children shouldn't be asked to suffer so another can drive an SUV.
Nathasha
My kids are in public schools. I have a number of family members that are teachers too. My wife is a teacher.
People have short memories about things. The school system was a wreak when Rudy was brought in. The former Superintendent had a degree from a correspondence school and ran the place into the ground. The maintenance budget had been used to fix major defects in new school construction instead of going after the carpet-bagger builders who ripped us taxpayers off for tens of millions of dollars. Nobody seems to remember that. Everyone acts like everything was peachy until a couple years ago.
Now, Crew is losing his luster for me because of the issues that have been touched upon here. The #2 with the UTD had asked at one of the various budget hearings why we were keeping so many schools open for summer school instead of concentrating resources. We have whole schools open with only 4 teachers in each building. That means we waste energy, time, and labor to open and air condition these campuses. There's too many administrators and teachers out of classrooms.
I get queasy at the thought of agreeing with those three, but I seem to be getting closer every day.
Up for consideration at the next School Board Budget Meeting to be held on Wednesday, July 29 will be the ELIMINATION of K- 8 Centers’ TRUST Specialists.
Not only would this endanger the most vulnerable younger children; it also appears to be an effort to "test the waters". I believe that if there is silence, then middle and high school TRUST Specialists will be on the next agenda. We are asking for your voice in our effort to persuade the Superintendent and Board Members not to eliminate any of the TRUST Specialists in our schools.
As community agencies and programs that also provide for our students, you too will be affected by the elimination of even a single TRUST Specialist. Not only will this undo years of our effective services and progress, it will jeopardize the well being of all of the children still in need. When it comes to efforts in areas such as anti-bullying measures, drug prevention, sexual minority issues, teen parenting, mental health issues, reduction of violence, and just about ANY CONCERN that children and adolescents face, TRUST is the front line.
Please contact Dr. Crew at (305) 995-1430 or (3 05) 995-1206, fax (305) 995-1488. Also contact the School Board Members by going to and clicking on School Board on the left hand side and then Meet the Board. This will permit you to email them individually. The Board Members can be also be reached by phone at (305) 995-1134 or by fax at (305) 995-1572.
We cannot allow the MDCPS to break its promise "to give the world" to children by eliminating those who provide the safety, caring and understanding to the most vulnerable – the TRUST Specialists.
Thank you for supporting the TRUST Program.
Sincerely,
Odalys Acosta, MSW
TRUST Specialist
Hialeah- Miami Lakes Senior High
You want to see rudy Crew getting a manicure on our dime. Go to the Biltmore Spa. He will be there with a young lady and his laptop. But its ok, Bill would do the same with Monica while in the White House.
There is a mighty angry person on this blog...and for once it is not me.
Who cares about Rudy Crew's manicure. Really. Anyone?
I struggle with the 50 something days off Crew had. Was it 58 days? There are only about 20 working days in a month. That would be 3 months he took off. Why?
Also, what is all this I hear about people going to Spain to recruit teachers? Was that for the Cambridge school thing?
I wish we could get some teacher's weighing in on this. I hear all kinds of crazy things are going on in the school system. Are there no checks and balances here?
there are few checks and balances because you have the Superintendent dictating what happens instead of the board doing it and the Sup carrying it out. We have an inverted and convoluted chain of command here. Crew basically does whatever the hell he wants, and since he has 5 rubberstampers that vote favorably for Crew, this is what is happening. Barrera, Stinson, Holloway, Greer, and Karp are rew's pit bulls. They see to it that Crew has his way.
There is no room for ego (Crew) in the world of education. Children need us now...to care for them...to teach them. Our teachers are willing to do this because they hold a special gift. Yet the public allows our educators to be torn to shreds and still be expected to hold up the fort. Although I do not believe in total reform, it is time to clean house, and Crew should be escorted far from the gates of Florida. Enough is enough!
Post a Comment