I am so proud of Tranette. This initiative was born out of our collaborative work between FIU and the local public schools. --Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Miami Herald
Posted on Tue, Apr. 21, 2009
Miami Edison High student honored for race-relations work
BY KATHLEEN McGRORY
kmcgrory@MiamiHerald.com
When Tranette Myrthil was arrested after a racially charged melee involving hundreds of students and dozens of police officers at Miami Edison last spring, she was left dispirited.
''At first, I was thinking negatively about everything,'' Myrthil recalled. ``My mom wanted to take me out of Edison. I had to beg to stay for my senior year.''
But in the months that followed, Myrthil decided to do something positive: She designed a curriculum to help teachers-in-training understand the needs of urban students.
On Wednesday, Myrthil will be named this year's recipient of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations. She'll receive a $1,000 cash prize Wednesday -- and next month will fly to the New Jersey campus for a student symposium on race.
''I'm really proud,'' said Myrthil, 18, who is headed to the University of North Florida this fall. ``I'm glad something good came out of that whole situation.''
The Princeton Prize is awarded by the Princeton University Club of South Florida. It honors high school students who have worked to further racial harmony in their communities.
Myrthil was selected for her efforts to build bridges between students and teachers, said Princeton Prize committee member Jonathan Colan.
''The more understanding there is between those two groups, the better schools can be in improving the school community,'' said Colan, an assistant U.S. attorney in Miami.
Nikisha Valdez, an American history teacher at Edison and Myrthil's mentor, applauded Myrthil's efforts.
''She's going to have a great career in advocacy, or maybe even education reform,'' Valdez said.
The melee at Edison made headlines last spring -- and underscored tensions between police and the Little Haiti community.
The clash was born from a student protest. Students said they had gathered in response to allegations that an assistant principal had manhandled a student.
Tensions escalated when some of the students threw food and water at the school police officers. Police say the students then threw chairs and fire extinguishers, prompting the officers at Edison to call for help.
At one point, as many as 60 police cars encircled the campus.
An all-out brawl ensued inside.
In the end, 10 police officers were treated for minor injuries. Six students were hurt. And more than two dozen teens were arrested -- among them Myrthil.
She says she wasn't involved in the scuffle, but happened to be in the outdoor lunch area at the time.
The charges against her and all of her peers were later dropped; prosecutors had determined the arrest reports wouldn't hold up in court.
At the time, Myrthil was enrolled in Valdez's American history class. She and her classmates were working on a project to better the lines of communication between students and teachers.
Valdez encouraged Myrthil to seize the opportunity and make positive changes in the community.
''She helped me to realize that I could do more positive things than just sitting around here and being negative,'' Myrthil said.
After the melee, Myrthil and her classmates spoke directly to teachers-in-training at Florida International University. The teens made suggestions about how to engage students -- and how to make them feel part of the school community.
''After the presentation, some of the teachers said they didn't know students from a school like Edison could be intelligent,'' Myrthil said. ``We changed their mind-set. We broke down the stereotype they had of us.''
Colan, who sits on the Princeton Prize committee, said the group was happy to see this year's winner come from Edison.
''It shows that people are dedicated -- even in the face of what had been a bad situation last year,'' he said.
Myrthil has not slowed in her efforts to help the Edison community.
This year, Myrthil and her peers on the Mayor's Youth Council have been working to eradicate hopelessness among students.
As part of the project, Myrthil has helped bring Edison students to college fairs and teen leadership conferences, she said.
Myrthil isn't sure what her future will hold, but she hopes to one day start a foundation to aid homeless children.
''Whatever I end up doing, I just want to make sure I help people,'' she said.
Showing posts with label miami. Show all posts
Showing posts with label miami. Show all posts
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Monday, September 8, 2008
Miami Schools Chief to Leave Amid Discord (from NY Times)
It is so interesting how the tone of this article in the NY Times differs from those out of south Florida. Dr. Crew's challenges in Miami go far beyond the school board. I have been following the story in Miami for a while now and I have yet to hear that Dr. Crew's departure in New York was somehow connected to a dispute with then Mayor Giuliani (see below). To my knowledge, this has yet to be mentioned in South Florida. I believe that Dr. Crew, as the nation's Superintendent of the Year, is being pushed out and the process seems to have started a long time ago. -Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez
------------------------------------------------------------------------
New York Times
September 9, 2008
Miami Schools Chief to Leave Amid Discord
By DAMIEN CAVE and YOLANNE ALMANZAR
MIAMI — The Miami-Dade County School Board and Rudy Crew, the bold superintendent who came here four years ago promising to overhaul education as he did in New York City, have agreed to part ways.
The board voted Monday to begin negotiations on a severance package, capping more than a year filled with racial recriminations and rising tensions over the school budget.
“Right now we have irreconcilable differences,” the board’s chairman, Agustin J. Barrera, said at a special meeting to discuss Dr. Crew. “There are board members that, no matter what the superintendent does, will never support him.”
Dr. Crew, who did not attend Monday’s meeting, declined to comment. In an interview published Sunday in The Miami Herald, he said, “I feel like I did the best I could.”
The departure brings to a close Dr. Crew’s second stint as a big-city superintendent. He spent four years leading the New York City schools, leaving in 1999 with a mixed record after a dispute with Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani over Mr. Giuliani’s desire to use tax money to send children to private school.
Dr. Crew went on to become director of district reform initiatives at the Stupski Foundation, a private philanthropic organization, and arrived in Miami in 2004. Promising to raise achievement in the nation’s fourth-largest school district, with 353,000 students, he seized control of the worst schools from local administrators and raised salaries for teachers who agreed to work in them.
He had some success. More Miami students now take Advanced Placement courses, a measure of college preparedness, and scores on state achievement tests have increased slightly but steadily in math, reading and writing since 2004.
The district initially seemed pleased. In 2006, Dr. Crew’s contract was extended through 2010, when his salary was to peak at $360,000 plus as much as $80,000 in a bonus. But over the last year, with Miami-Dade schools struggling under the strain of state budget cuts and declining enrollment, he has increasingly come under fire.
A growing mood of racial distrust has also poisoned the debate. In 2006, two members of Dr. Crew’s staff accused Ralph Arza, a white Cuban-American who was then a member of the Florida House, of using racial epithets to describe the superintendent, who is black. The episode ultimately led to Mr. Arza’s resignation from the Legislature.
Dr. Crew, meanwhile, has been accused of discrimination by several former employees, including a white woman who says she was demoted for the sake of diversity. (Dr. Crew has denied any bias.)
The volatile situation peaked at a school board meeting last week when a Hispanic member of the board severely criticized the superintendent’s proposal to balance the district’s $5.5 billion budget by reducing spending on bilingual education, prompting Dr. Crew to respond, “Do not talk to me like a dog!”
Monday’s meeting was quieter with Dr. Crew absent. But several of the board’s nine members maintained that he deserved much of the blame for what is now a $66 million budget shortfall for the 2008-9 school year. One member, Renier Diaz de la Portilla, said Dr. Crew should be fired or resign, without severance.
“I think we have an obligation to seek every possible remedy that does not involve giving Rudy Crew more money,” Mr. Diaz de la Portilla said. “We haven’t explored any other options other than giving Rudy Crew a golden parachute, and I think that’s wrong. That’s not what I was elected to do.”
A settlement seems likely, though. Murray A. Greenberg, outside counsel for the board, pointed out that Dr. Crew’s contract allowed for his firing without severance only if the district could prove “gross insubordination,” a difficult task.
Wilbert Holloway, one of the few members who support Dr. Crew, said the board and the superintendent just wanted to move on.
“I think that today’s effort is a material way of stopping and saying, ‘The time has come that we part,’ ” Dr. Holloway said. “Let’s try to stop the attacks and the charges against this individual and move forward.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------
New York Times
September 9, 2008
Miami Schools Chief to Leave Amid Discord
By DAMIEN CAVE and YOLANNE ALMANZAR
MIAMI — The Miami-Dade County School Board and Rudy Crew, the bold superintendent who came here four years ago promising to overhaul education as he did in New York City, have agreed to part ways.
The board voted Monday to begin negotiations on a severance package, capping more than a year filled with racial recriminations and rising tensions over the school budget.
“Right now we have irreconcilable differences,” the board’s chairman, Agustin J. Barrera, said at a special meeting to discuss Dr. Crew. “There are board members that, no matter what the superintendent does, will never support him.”
Dr. Crew, who did not attend Monday’s meeting, declined to comment. In an interview published Sunday in The Miami Herald, he said, “I feel like I did the best I could.”
The departure brings to a close Dr. Crew’s second stint as a big-city superintendent. He spent four years leading the New York City schools, leaving in 1999 with a mixed record after a dispute with Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani over Mr. Giuliani’s desire to use tax money to send children to private school.
Dr. Crew went on to become director of district reform initiatives at the Stupski Foundation, a private philanthropic organization, and arrived in Miami in 2004. Promising to raise achievement in the nation’s fourth-largest school district, with 353,000 students, he seized control of the worst schools from local administrators and raised salaries for teachers who agreed to work in them.
He had some success. More Miami students now take Advanced Placement courses, a measure of college preparedness, and scores on state achievement tests have increased slightly but steadily in math, reading and writing since 2004.
The district initially seemed pleased. In 2006, Dr. Crew’s contract was extended through 2010, when his salary was to peak at $360,000 plus as much as $80,000 in a bonus. But over the last year, with Miami-Dade schools struggling under the strain of state budget cuts and declining enrollment, he has increasingly come under fire.
A growing mood of racial distrust has also poisoned the debate. In 2006, two members of Dr. Crew’s staff accused Ralph Arza, a white Cuban-American who was then a member of the Florida House, of using racial epithets to describe the superintendent, who is black. The episode ultimately led to Mr. Arza’s resignation from the Legislature.
Dr. Crew, meanwhile, has been accused of discrimination by several former employees, including a white woman who says she was demoted for the sake of diversity. (Dr. Crew has denied any bias.)
The volatile situation peaked at a school board meeting last week when a Hispanic member of the board severely criticized the superintendent’s proposal to balance the district’s $5.5 billion budget by reducing spending on bilingual education, prompting Dr. Crew to respond, “Do not talk to me like a dog!”
Monday’s meeting was quieter with Dr. Crew absent. But several of the board’s nine members maintained that he deserved much of the blame for what is now a $66 million budget shortfall for the 2008-9 school year. One member, Renier Diaz de la Portilla, said Dr. Crew should be fired or resign, without severance.
“I think we have an obligation to seek every possible remedy that does not involve giving Rudy Crew more money,” Mr. Diaz de la Portilla said. “We haven’t explored any other options other than giving Rudy Crew a golden parachute, and I think that’s wrong. That’s not what I was elected to do.”
A settlement seems likely, though. Murray A. Greenberg, outside counsel for the board, pointed out that Dr. Crew’s contract allowed for his firing without severance only if the district could prove “gross insubordination,” a difficult task.
Wilbert Holloway, one of the few members who support Dr. Crew, said the board and the superintendent just wanted to move on.
“I think that today’s effort is a material way of stopping and saying, ‘The time has come that we part,’ ” Dr. Holloway said. “Let’s try to stop the attacks and the charges against this individual and move forward.”
Friday, September 5, 2008
The final act in Crew drama is playing out (from Miami Herald)
With this on-going issue, I still wonder, To what extent has Dr. Crew been given the support and opportunity to excel in this city? Once again, we are talking about one of the most recognized superintendents in the country. I also wonder how the budget issue has become so politicized that any positive strides in the district can easily go unrecognized. --Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Miami Herald
Posted on Fri, Sep. 05, 2008
The final act in Crew drama is playing out
MYRIAM MARQUEZ
The writing's on the blackboard. Rudy Crew's a goner.
The Dollar Principal's surprise election to the Miami-Dade School Board has become a symbol of voters' frustration with the superintendent's tin ear, thin skin and oversized ego. And it's a shame, really, because Crew has good ideas on education reform.
But he has been a not-so-good steward of the public's money.
Retired middle-school principal Larry Feldman's populist campaign, backed by more than $90,000 from the teachers' union, signals a mind change on a board that has consistently voted 5-4 to protect the superintendent. Feldman replaces a Crew backer.
On Thursday, the board agreed to hire Murray Greenberg, a retired attorney for Miami-Dade County government, to figure out grounds for dismissal in the superintendent's contract.
CHANGE OF HEART
Until recently, I argued it would be unfair to fire Crew because he has not been derelict in his duty. Then he decided that a meeting called to look into the almost $300 million hole in this year's budget wasn't worth attending.
Crew is ready to go -- with or without legal action. He's had four years of work in the nation's fourth-largest school district, about a year more than the average for big-city superintendents.
The problem has been Crew's refusal to be up front with board members when they have pressed for answers on the budget. He can't blame the governor or the Legislature for Miami-Dade schools' financial mess. Tallahassee, facing dwindling tax revenue in a tanking economy, cut about $74 million from the district's budget.
Where did the rest of the losses come from? The head spins.
In February, a state audit uncovered that the district paid $27.8 million in overtime during the last fiscal year and didn't bother to properly document the spending.
In April, we learned that district officials didn't bother to budget for a $36 million jump in healthcare benefits for teachers and other employees. Teachers balked at having their meager raises eaten up by insurance costs. So Crew gave in, but then he went after their salary increases pegged for this year.
It's been a drama ever since. And for good reason.
In June, the board learned, for the first time, that the district was ending the fiscal year $66 million in the red -- due, in part, to a $22 million gaffe in which the district missed out on state money by misclassifying special-needs students. Last week, Crew floated the outrageous idea of ending bilingual programs to cover losses if needed -- this in a district that's a national model in a city that bills itself a Gateway to the Americas.
And he hit the board with another surprise: The rainy-day fund, raided two years in a row, would be depleted by $22 million more. This leaves only $4.6 million, when a district this size should have at least $150 million on hand.
Budget officials say they have a plan to raise the fund to about
$32 million, but how can they be trusted to do so after so many screw-ups?
MISSING AGAIN
On Thursday, Crew again was missing in action. He snubbed the board's Innovation, Efficiency and Government Relations Committee, which was looking into how to plug that $300 million hole. And it's expected the district will face more than $200 million in losses next year.
Crew isn't responsible for a lousy economy, for rising food and gasoline costs that affect the budget or for dipping tax revenues. But he should be held accountable for lax oversight and misspending.
He has signaled he's ready to go. And on Monday, that could happen. Godspeed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Miami Herald
Posted on Fri, Sep. 05, 2008
The final act in Crew drama is playing out
MYRIAM MARQUEZ
The writing's on the blackboard. Rudy Crew's a goner.
The Dollar Principal's surprise election to the Miami-Dade School Board has become a symbol of voters' frustration with the superintendent's tin ear, thin skin and oversized ego. And it's a shame, really, because Crew has good ideas on education reform.
But he has been a not-so-good steward of the public's money.
Retired middle-school principal Larry Feldman's populist campaign, backed by more than $90,000 from the teachers' union, signals a mind change on a board that has consistently voted 5-4 to protect the superintendent. Feldman replaces a Crew backer.
On Thursday, the board agreed to hire Murray Greenberg, a retired attorney for Miami-Dade County government, to figure out grounds for dismissal in the superintendent's contract.
CHANGE OF HEART
Until recently, I argued it would be unfair to fire Crew because he has not been derelict in his duty. Then he decided that a meeting called to look into the almost $300 million hole in this year's budget wasn't worth attending.
Crew is ready to go -- with or without legal action. He's had four years of work in the nation's fourth-largest school district, about a year more than the average for big-city superintendents.
The problem has been Crew's refusal to be up front with board members when they have pressed for answers on the budget. He can't blame the governor or the Legislature for Miami-Dade schools' financial mess. Tallahassee, facing dwindling tax revenue in a tanking economy, cut about $74 million from the district's budget.
Where did the rest of the losses come from? The head spins.
In February, a state audit uncovered that the district paid $27.8 million in overtime during the last fiscal year and didn't bother to properly document the spending.
In April, we learned that district officials didn't bother to budget for a $36 million jump in healthcare benefits for teachers and other employees. Teachers balked at having their meager raises eaten up by insurance costs. So Crew gave in, but then he went after their salary increases pegged for this year.
It's been a drama ever since. And for good reason.
In June, the board learned, for the first time, that the district was ending the fiscal year $66 million in the red -- due, in part, to a $22 million gaffe in which the district missed out on state money by misclassifying special-needs students. Last week, Crew floated the outrageous idea of ending bilingual programs to cover losses if needed -- this in a district that's a national model in a city that bills itself a Gateway to the Americas.
And he hit the board with another surprise: The rainy-day fund, raided two years in a row, would be depleted by $22 million more. This leaves only $4.6 million, when a district this size should have at least $150 million on hand.
Budget officials say they have a plan to raise the fund to about
$32 million, but how can they be trusted to do so after so many screw-ups?
MISSING AGAIN
On Thursday, Crew again was missing in action. He snubbed the board's Innovation, Efficiency and Government Relations Committee, which was looking into how to plug that $300 million hole. And it's expected the district will face more than $200 million in losses next year.
Crew isn't responsible for a lousy economy, for rising food and gasoline costs that affect the budget or for dipping tax revenues. But he should be held accountable for lax oversight and misspending.
He has signaled he's ready to go. And on Monday, that could happen. Godspeed.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Losing Miami-Dade schools' TRUST program would set gay students adrift (from El Nuevo Herald)
Demonstrates the impact that budget cuts have on the lives of marginalized students. --Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DANIEL SHOER ROTH VIEW FROM EL NUEVO HERALD
Losing Miami-Dade schools' TRUST program would set gay students adrift
Posted on Thu, Sep. 04, 2008
the_miami_herald:http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/671211.html
By DANIEL SHOER ROTH
It no longer bothers him when they call him ''homo'' at school. Roberto Ramirez now holds his head proudly, running a hand across his long curly hair, smiles and replies curtly, ``Thanks a lot, I know who I am.''
Charismatic and delicate, Ramirez has a more pressing concern: a love not reciprocated.
''I am old-fashioned, a vintage lover; I like to be invited out and not to be pressured about sex,'' said the 18-year-old senior at Miami Southridge High. ``Unfortunately, that is not easy in the gay community.''
Ramirez confesses he has a platonic crush. The boy gives him hints of interest, but then disappears for months or admits he has a boyfriend.
Drowning in sorrow, Ramirez resorts to his school therapist, Susan Doucha. In the past two years she has helped him to ``feel good within my own skin.''
''When I leave her office I feel euphoric,'' said Ramirez.
The relationship between Ramirez and his therapist runs the risk of coming to an end next week, when the Miami-Dade County School Board will consider eliminating Project TRUST. Its 111 counselors provide intervention and daily assistance to victims of abuse and neglect. For many students who are sexual minorities, this is the only support they can get.
It's become clear that the emotional health of our students is not a priority even though gays have the highest suicide rate among teenagers. First went the psychologists, who had months of work cut back in Miami-Dade schools, and now the therapists.
For Ramirez, the road to acceptance has been rocky, ever since showing up in elementary school with Hello Kitty supplies. In fourth grade, he gave a chain to a friend, but the boy's mother threatened to sue the school and Ramirez's mother. For years, he felt there was something wrong with him. In middle school, he isolated himself completely. In high school, he came out of the closet.
Since there are several gay and lesbian kids attending Southridge, Doucha divided them into groups named after rainbow colors. In the sessions they talk about self-esteem, love, drugs and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
Ramirez prefers to share his intimate stories individually. ``I look for her whenever I have difficulties understanding my relationships.''
He has also had problems finding a job close to his home in West Kendall, where he lives with parents who accept him. He is lucky because 50 percent of gay teens are rejected by their parents when they find out their orientation.
To stave off depression, he locks himself in the garage, turns up the stereo and dances to Britney Spears. He also collects perfumes (20), body sprays (42) and lotions (12).
Lately, Ramirez has become interested in psychology, his favorite subject, which he hopes to study after graduating. ''I find the mind so fascinating and I love to listen to people,'' he says.
The same way the school therapist has listened, helping him to value himself regardless of the acceptance or love of others. It has been difficult, because he is determined to find happiness with a partner who will value him for more than this looks, someone he can buy gifts for.
''I want to be a psychologist and a supermodel so I can be on the cover of Vogue and Vanity Fair,'' dreams Ramirez. ``When I retire, I want to own a bed and breakfast, hopefully with someone by my side.''
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DANIEL SHOER ROTH VIEW FROM EL NUEVO HERALD
Losing Miami-Dade schools' TRUST program would set gay students adrift
Posted on Thu, Sep. 04, 2008
the_miami_herald:http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/671211.html
By DANIEL SHOER ROTH
It no longer bothers him when they call him ''homo'' at school. Roberto Ramirez now holds his head proudly, running a hand across his long curly hair, smiles and replies curtly, ``Thanks a lot, I know who I am.''
Charismatic and delicate, Ramirez has a more pressing concern: a love not reciprocated.
''I am old-fashioned, a vintage lover; I like to be invited out and not to be pressured about sex,'' said the 18-year-old senior at Miami Southridge High. ``Unfortunately, that is not easy in the gay community.''
Ramirez confesses he has a platonic crush. The boy gives him hints of interest, but then disappears for months or admits he has a boyfriend.
Drowning in sorrow, Ramirez resorts to his school therapist, Susan Doucha. In the past two years she has helped him to ``feel good within my own skin.''
''When I leave her office I feel euphoric,'' said Ramirez.
The relationship between Ramirez and his therapist runs the risk of coming to an end next week, when the Miami-Dade County School Board will consider eliminating Project TRUST. Its 111 counselors provide intervention and daily assistance to victims of abuse and neglect. For many students who are sexual minorities, this is the only support they can get.
It's become clear that the emotional health of our students is not a priority even though gays have the highest suicide rate among teenagers. First went the psychologists, who had months of work cut back in Miami-Dade schools, and now the therapists.
For Ramirez, the road to acceptance has been rocky, ever since showing up in elementary school with Hello Kitty supplies. In fourth grade, he gave a chain to a friend, but the boy's mother threatened to sue the school and Ramirez's mother. For years, he felt there was something wrong with him. In middle school, he isolated himself completely. In high school, he came out of the closet.
Since there are several gay and lesbian kids attending Southridge, Doucha divided them into groups named after rainbow colors. In the sessions they talk about self-esteem, love, drugs and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
Ramirez prefers to share his intimate stories individually. ``I look for her whenever I have difficulties understanding my relationships.''
He has also had problems finding a job close to his home in West Kendall, where he lives with parents who accept him. He is lucky because 50 percent of gay teens are rejected by their parents when they find out their orientation.
To stave off depression, he locks himself in the garage, turns up the stereo and dances to Britney Spears. He also collects perfumes (20), body sprays (42) and lotions (12).
Lately, Ramirez has become interested in psychology, his favorite subject, which he hopes to study after graduating. ''I find the mind so fascinating and I love to listen to people,'' he says.
The same way the school therapist has listened, helping him to value himself regardless of the acceptance or love of others. It has been difficult, because he is determined to find happiness with a partner who will value him for more than this looks, someone he can buy gifts for.
''I want to be a psychologist and a supermodel so I can be on the cover of Vogue and Vanity Fair,'' dreams Ramirez. ``When I retire, I want to own a bed and breakfast, hopefully with someone by my side.''
Monday, July 28, 2008
Board showdown set over Crew's job (Miami Herald)
Is this a distraction from the real issues facing the local public schools? What if similar attention was placed on diminishing dropout and improving graduation rates across the district, particularly in the most marginalized schools and communities? -Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.miamiherald.com
Posted on Fri, Jul. 25, 2008
Board showdown set over Crew's job
BY KATHLEEN McGRORY
Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Rudy Crew may be facing the fight of his career as tensions between him and School Board members appeared to escalate this week.
One board member announced plans Friday to legally challenge whether Crew has lived up to the terms of his contract -- creating a road map to potentially fire Crew from his $315,000-a-year job.
Board member Renier Diaz de la Portilla -- whose unhappiness with Crew is well known -- said he was preparing to present the board's attorney with a list of grievances over the embattled schools chief's performance and ask if they constitute legal grounds for termination.
Board Vice Chairwoman Perla Tabares Hantman, anticipating legal fireworks, filed a motion that the district should hire a ''special counsel'' to advise the board on any action on Crew's contract.
The independent actions of the two board members appear to set the stage for a showdown at a Wednesday budget workshop that all parties are set to attend and, more importantly, for a possible vote to fire Crew as early as the next board meeting on Aug. 4.
Crew's contract runs through 2010, but the board can fire him at any time. Without legal grounds, however, the district will have to pay Crew more than $700,000.
Diaz de la Portilla, an attorney, says the board would be justified to dismiss the superintendent. State law lists possible grounds as misconduct, incompetency, gross insubordination and willful neglect of duties.
Diaz de la Portilla pointed to Crew's ''mismanagement'' of the district's $6 billion budget, his need to dip into the district's rainy-day fund to balance the budget and the 2006 coverup of a sex scandal at Northwestern Senior High.
''It was only a matter of time before this happened,'' Diaz de la Portilla said. ``He's not above scrutiny.''
Diaz de la Portilla will ask his colleagues to vote on the matter at the August meeting.
How the board members will vote is still up in the air, but The Miami Herald on Friday polled eight of the nine.
• Three -- Diaz de la Portilla, Ana Rivas Logan and Marta Pérez -- said they would support terminating Crew's contract at the meeting.
• Three -- Wilbert ''Tee'' Holloway, Evelyn Greer and Martin Karp -- said they would not vote to terminate.
• Two -- Hantman and Chairman Agustín Barrera -- declined to say how they would vote. Solomon Stinson could not be reached for comment.
Logan, for her part, has been vocal for more than a year about firing Crew.
''I don't see how I can work with an employee if I have no faith in what that person says,'' Logan said.
Holloway called Diaz de la Portilla's proposal ''totally inappropriate and unfair'' and accused him of election-time grandstanding.
Diaz de la Portilla has said his proposal has nothing to do with his bid for reelection. He is running against former television journalist Angel Zayón, who wants to oust the superintendent.
Hantman expressed concerns, too, with Diaz de la Portilla's proposal.
''I think this is an action that should be done in a more conscientious manner,'' Hantman said.
While Diaz de la Portilla may not have the votes yet to fire Crew, many board members agreed the situation has come to a boil. Some said they believe the superintendent's days are numbered.
''He doesn't seem interested,'' said Pérez, who has battled Crew publicly. ``I don't think he's engaged in this community.''
Crew declined requests to be interviewed for this article. But district spokeswoman Tammy Reed said that Crew planned ``to continue being the superintendent.''
''Right now, he's focused on his agenda, which is about the children,'' Reed said.
The past six months have been especially trying for the embattled schools chief.
With state revenue streams dwindling, legislators in Tallahassee have dramatically reduced funding to schools. Food and fuel prices have risen.
All the while, the district's budget crisis remains unresolved -- with the district still struggling to balance this year's budget; they already had to dip into reserves for last year's.
The chasm between teachers and administrators has continued to grow. And Crew can no longer count on a solid School Board majority.
To Crew's credit, scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and school grades from the state have risen steadily under his leadership.
The district is also a finalist for the prestigious Broad Prize for Urban Education.
Still, Crew has been unable to manage his relationship with the board.
Last year things got so bad, Pérez sued Crew for failing to include several of her proposals on an agenda. Although Pérez lost the suit, Crew had to turn over several public records he had failed to deliver.
Crew himself has expressed frustrations with the board.
At one point, he said he was already contemplating his next move.
It may come soon.
Experts say the average life span of a superintendent in a large, urban school district is about three years. Crew recently finished up the fourth year of his contract.
''Running a large school district is incredibly difficult,'' said Bill Montford, who runs the Florida Association of District School Superintendents. ``There are extraordinary pressures, not only on the state level, but on the national level.''
Board member Greer, who usually supports Crew, said Miami-Dade is no exception.
''This is certainly an incredibly difficult political environment for anyone -- board members, superintendents and staff -- to function effectively,'' she said.
In addition to the talks about Crew's contract, board members in August will consider another intriguing option: holding a countywide referendum and moving to an elected superintendency.
Logan is bringing the idea, which was first proposed by board candidate Zayón.
If approved, the measure would allow county residents to decide if the next superintendent should be appointed, like Crew, or elected by county residents.
Regardless, elections could bring a new majority.
Besides Zayón, candidates Shawn Beightol and Larry Feldman have said they believe Crew should go.
Still, Barrera, who is pleased with Crew's performance, said he believed the efforts to oust him had little to do with the superintendent's recent performance.
''There's a group of people that have wanted the superintendent out for a long time, and they've seen the first true crack by which to attack him,'' Barrera said. ``This is about politics, not the superintendent.''
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.miamiherald.com
Posted on Fri, Jul. 25, 2008
Board showdown set over Crew's job
BY KATHLEEN McGRORY
Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Rudy Crew may be facing the fight of his career as tensions between him and School Board members appeared to escalate this week.
One board member announced plans Friday to legally challenge whether Crew has lived up to the terms of his contract -- creating a road map to potentially fire Crew from his $315,000-a-year job.
Board member Renier Diaz de la Portilla -- whose unhappiness with Crew is well known -- said he was preparing to present the board's attorney with a list of grievances over the embattled schools chief's performance and ask if they constitute legal grounds for termination.
Board Vice Chairwoman Perla Tabares Hantman, anticipating legal fireworks, filed a motion that the district should hire a ''special counsel'' to advise the board on any action on Crew's contract.
The independent actions of the two board members appear to set the stage for a showdown at a Wednesday budget workshop that all parties are set to attend and, more importantly, for a possible vote to fire Crew as early as the next board meeting on Aug. 4.
Crew's contract runs through 2010, but the board can fire him at any time. Without legal grounds, however, the district will have to pay Crew more than $700,000.
Diaz de la Portilla, an attorney, says the board would be justified to dismiss the superintendent. State law lists possible grounds as misconduct, incompetency, gross insubordination and willful neglect of duties.
Diaz de la Portilla pointed to Crew's ''mismanagement'' of the district's $6 billion budget, his need to dip into the district's rainy-day fund to balance the budget and the 2006 coverup of a sex scandal at Northwestern Senior High.
''It was only a matter of time before this happened,'' Diaz de la Portilla said. ``He's not above scrutiny.''
Diaz de la Portilla will ask his colleagues to vote on the matter at the August meeting.
How the board members will vote is still up in the air, but The Miami Herald on Friday polled eight of the nine.
• Three -- Diaz de la Portilla, Ana Rivas Logan and Marta Pérez -- said they would support terminating Crew's contract at the meeting.
• Three -- Wilbert ''Tee'' Holloway, Evelyn Greer and Martin Karp -- said they would not vote to terminate.
• Two -- Hantman and Chairman Agustín Barrera -- declined to say how they would vote. Solomon Stinson could not be reached for comment.
Logan, for her part, has been vocal for more than a year about firing Crew.
''I don't see how I can work with an employee if I have no faith in what that person says,'' Logan said.
Holloway called Diaz de la Portilla's proposal ''totally inappropriate and unfair'' and accused him of election-time grandstanding.
Diaz de la Portilla has said his proposal has nothing to do with his bid for reelection. He is running against former television journalist Angel Zayón, who wants to oust the superintendent.
Hantman expressed concerns, too, with Diaz de la Portilla's proposal.
''I think this is an action that should be done in a more conscientious manner,'' Hantman said.
While Diaz de la Portilla may not have the votes yet to fire Crew, many board members agreed the situation has come to a boil. Some said they believe the superintendent's days are numbered.
''He doesn't seem interested,'' said Pérez, who has battled Crew publicly. ``I don't think he's engaged in this community.''
Crew declined requests to be interviewed for this article. But district spokeswoman Tammy Reed said that Crew planned ``to continue being the superintendent.''
''Right now, he's focused on his agenda, which is about the children,'' Reed said.
The past six months have been especially trying for the embattled schools chief.
With state revenue streams dwindling, legislators in Tallahassee have dramatically reduced funding to schools. Food and fuel prices have risen.
All the while, the district's budget crisis remains unresolved -- with the district still struggling to balance this year's budget; they already had to dip into reserves for last year's.
The chasm between teachers and administrators has continued to grow. And Crew can no longer count on a solid School Board majority.
To Crew's credit, scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and school grades from the state have risen steadily under his leadership.
The district is also a finalist for the prestigious Broad Prize for Urban Education.
Still, Crew has been unable to manage his relationship with the board.
Last year things got so bad, Pérez sued Crew for failing to include several of her proposals on an agenda. Although Pérez lost the suit, Crew had to turn over several public records he had failed to deliver.
Crew himself has expressed frustrations with the board.
At one point, he said he was already contemplating his next move.
It may come soon.
Experts say the average life span of a superintendent in a large, urban school district is about three years. Crew recently finished up the fourth year of his contract.
''Running a large school district is incredibly difficult,'' said Bill Montford, who runs the Florida Association of District School Superintendents. ``There are extraordinary pressures, not only on the state level, but on the national level.''
Board member Greer, who usually supports Crew, said Miami-Dade is no exception.
''This is certainly an incredibly difficult political environment for anyone -- board members, superintendents and staff -- to function effectively,'' she said.
In addition to the talks about Crew's contract, board members in August will consider another intriguing option: holding a countywide referendum and moving to an elected superintendency.
Logan is bringing the idea, which was first proposed by board candidate Zayón.
If approved, the measure would allow county residents to decide if the next superintendent should be appointed, like Crew, or elected by county residents.
Regardless, elections could bring a new majority.
Besides Zayón, candidates Shawn Beightol and Larry Feldman have said they believe Crew should go.
Still, Barrera, who is pleased with Crew's performance, said he believed the efforts to oust him had little to do with the superintendent's recent performance.
''There's a group of people that have wanted the superintendent out for a long time, and they've seen the first true crack by which to attack him,'' Barrera said. ``This is about politics, not the superintendent.''
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sleepy Dade School Board voting at 3 a.m. (from Miami Hearld)
EDUCATION
Sleepy Dade School Board voting at 3 a.m.
All-night meetings are becoming the norm for the School Board as it tackles budget shortfalls, but experts say 3 a.m. is no time to be voting.
BY KATHLEEN McGRORY
kmcgrory@MiamiHerald.com
Miami-Dade School Board member Ana Rivas Logan rubbed her eyes and yawned. Vice Chairwoman Perla Tabares Hantman stood up to stretch her legs. Others on the dais were bleary-eyed.
It was nearing midnight and only about a dozen die-hard spectators remained seated in the once-crowded School Board Administrative Building auditorium. One man was snoring.
Last Tuesday's meeting finally ended around 12:30 a.m. -- more than 14 hours after the board first convened at a 10 a.m. pre-meeting workshop.
As far as the last few assemblages went, it was a relatively early finish:
The previous month's meeting had lasted until 3:30 a.m. The one before that until just after 3 a.m.
''I couldn't even read my own notes,'' board member Marta Pérez said, two days after the July meeting. ``My eyes were shutting.''
With scores of budget issues to hash out, the past few gatherings of the Miami-Dade School Board have become all-night affairs.
In Broward County, where School Board meetings start at 10 a.m. instead of 1 p.m., sessions have also run long, lasting until 7:30 p.m. on several occasions in recent months.
While the meetings may be critical for a school system, doctors say the marathon meetings are not ideal venues for decision making.
''If you're not rested, you are not going to be able to make the same kind of careful and thoughtful decisions that you would make if you were fully awake,'' said Roberto Sassi, professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Miami School of Medicine.
''You are much more likely to make mistakes,'' he added.
One board member agrees: ''By the time it gets to the end of the night, the important questions are not being asked,'' said board member Ana Rivas Logan. ``The debate is not as on-cue as it should be because everyone is tired.''
In years past, it was not uncommon for Miami-Dade School Board meetings to run until 10 p.m., spokesman John Schuster said.
But back-to-back 3 a.m. finishes?
''These past few meetings have definitely been some of the latest,'' Schuster said.
The district's budget woes are partly to blame in Miami-Dade.
For months, the board has struggled to balance its $5.5 billion budget, which is due to the state Department of Education by September.
Meetings have been made up of intense -- and often lengthy -- debates over what to cut and what to save. And as Superintendent Rudy Crew has turned to layoffs, hundreds of employees have appeared to speak before the board, pleading for their jobs.
Adding to the tension, the board has been sharply divided between those who support Crew and those who don't. And with four members seeking reelection in August, small disagreements have evolved into high-stakes battles.
''There's a clear dividing line right now and that's the superintendent,'' said Brian Peterson, a Florida International University professor who edits a daily newsletter called the Miami Education Review.
''Board members can't agree to be sensible,'' Peterson said.
The extra long meetings haven't been unique to Miami-Dade.
Throughout Florida, school boards have been burning the midnight oil to balance their budgets, said Wayne Blanton, executive director of the Florida School Boards Association.
NOT SURPRISED
While Blanton hadn't heard of any meetings lasting quite as long as those in Miami-Dade County, he wasn't surprised.
''It's only natural that the meetings are going to be longer in Dade because the budget is so large,'' Blanton said. ``It's going to take a lot of delving into the budget to make the proper cuts.''
Linda Embrey, a spokeswoman for the National School Boards Association, said budget discussions have been sending school board meetings into extra innings nationwide. ''These very late meetings are definitely not the norm,'' she said.
Experts, however, say making big budget decisions after 14 hours of meeting is far from ideal.
For one, the time of night presents a problem, said Sassi, the University of Miami psychiatrist.
''Most of the School Board members are not night-shift workers,'' Sassi said. ``So 3 a.m. is a time at which most of them would be sleeping. Their bodies are not prepared to make big decisions then.''
Some people are more resilient than others, Sassi said. And some can stay alert by drinking coffee or taking afternoon naps.
''But the truth is, people are more likely to be impulsive and less likely to be thorough after they've been awake that long,'' he said.
It's a bad idea from a public administration standpoint, too, said Michael Milakovich, a professor of political science at UM.
''People can't be that sharp after being locked in a room for 12 hours,'' he said.
The long meetings have caused some unrest on the board. For the past three months, board members haven't had a chance to propose their own items until the early hours of the morning.
SUGGESTION DIES
Last month, board member Pérez suggested that actions proposed by board members be brought to the floor earlier. The item failed in a close vote.
''It's very frustrating,'' Pérez said. ``You prepare to present those items, but by that time, you know your colleagues are exhausted. The public is exhausted, too. And ultimately, what happens is those items get swept under the rug.''
An earlier start is not necessarily a solution. In Broward, that's a source of controversy as some board members say some members of the public can't attend the hearings.
In Miami-Dade, many wishing to speak sign up but by the time their name is called, they're home asleep.
With the budget crisis unresolved, observers don't expect the lengthy meetings in Miami-Dade to end anytime soon.
Said Sassi: ``If they could plan and spread out the meetings, that would make more sense.''
If that isn't possible, those trapped must consider power naps, fresh air and coffee, but he warns: ``There's only so much the brain can do for us.''
Miami Herald staff writer Nirvi Shah contributed to this report.
Sleepy Dade School Board voting at 3 a.m.
All-night meetings are becoming the norm for the School Board as it tackles budget shortfalls, but experts say 3 a.m. is no time to be voting.
BY KATHLEEN McGRORY
kmcgrory@MiamiHerald.com
Miami-Dade School Board member Ana Rivas Logan rubbed her eyes and yawned. Vice Chairwoman Perla Tabares Hantman stood up to stretch her legs. Others on the dais were bleary-eyed.
It was nearing midnight and only about a dozen die-hard spectators remained seated in the once-crowded School Board Administrative Building auditorium. One man was snoring.
Last Tuesday's meeting finally ended around 12:30 a.m. -- more than 14 hours after the board first convened at a 10 a.m. pre-meeting workshop.
As far as the last few assemblages went, it was a relatively early finish:
The previous month's meeting had lasted until 3:30 a.m. The one before that until just after 3 a.m.
''I couldn't even read my own notes,'' board member Marta Pérez said, two days after the July meeting. ``My eyes were shutting.''
With scores of budget issues to hash out, the past few gatherings of the Miami-Dade School Board have become all-night affairs.
In Broward County, where School Board meetings start at 10 a.m. instead of 1 p.m., sessions have also run long, lasting until 7:30 p.m. on several occasions in recent months.
While the meetings may be critical for a school system, doctors say the marathon meetings are not ideal venues for decision making.
''If you're not rested, you are not going to be able to make the same kind of careful and thoughtful decisions that you would make if you were fully awake,'' said Roberto Sassi, professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Miami School of Medicine.
''You are much more likely to make mistakes,'' he added.
One board member agrees: ''By the time it gets to the end of the night, the important questions are not being asked,'' said board member Ana Rivas Logan. ``The debate is not as on-cue as it should be because everyone is tired.''
In years past, it was not uncommon for Miami-Dade School Board meetings to run until 10 p.m., spokesman John Schuster said.
But back-to-back 3 a.m. finishes?
''These past few meetings have definitely been some of the latest,'' Schuster said.
The district's budget woes are partly to blame in Miami-Dade.
For months, the board has struggled to balance its $5.5 billion budget, which is due to the state Department of Education by September.
Meetings have been made up of intense -- and often lengthy -- debates over what to cut and what to save. And as Superintendent Rudy Crew has turned to layoffs, hundreds of employees have appeared to speak before the board, pleading for their jobs.
Adding to the tension, the board has been sharply divided between those who support Crew and those who don't. And with four members seeking reelection in August, small disagreements have evolved into high-stakes battles.
''There's a clear dividing line right now and that's the superintendent,'' said Brian Peterson, a Florida International University professor who edits a daily newsletter called the Miami Education Review.
''Board members can't agree to be sensible,'' Peterson said.
The extra long meetings haven't been unique to Miami-Dade.
Throughout Florida, school boards have been burning the midnight oil to balance their budgets, said Wayne Blanton, executive director of the Florida School Boards Association.
NOT SURPRISED
While Blanton hadn't heard of any meetings lasting quite as long as those in Miami-Dade County, he wasn't surprised.
''It's only natural that the meetings are going to be longer in Dade because the budget is so large,'' Blanton said. ``It's going to take a lot of delving into the budget to make the proper cuts.''
Linda Embrey, a spokeswoman for the National School Boards Association, said budget discussions have been sending school board meetings into extra innings nationwide. ''These very late meetings are definitely not the norm,'' she said.
Experts, however, say making big budget decisions after 14 hours of meeting is far from ideal.
For one, the time of night presents a problem, said Sassi, the University of Miami psychiatrist.
''Most of the School Board members are not night-shift workers,'' Sassi said. ``So 3 a.m. is a time at which most of them would be sleeping. Their bodies are not prepared to make big decisions then.''
Some people are more resilient than others, Sassi said. And some can stay alert by drinking coffee or taking afternoon naps.
''But the truth is, people are more likely to be impulsive and less likely to be thorough after they've been awake that long,'' he said.
It's a bad idea from a public administration standpoint, too, said Michael Milakovich, a professor of political science at UM.
''People can't be that sharp after being locked in a room for 12 hours,'' he said.
The long meetings have caused some unrest on the board. For the past three months, board members haven't had a chance to propose their own items until the early hours of the morning.
SUGGESTION DIES
Last month, board member Pérez suggested that actions proposed by board members be brought to the floor earlier. The item failed in a close vote.
''It's very frustrating,'' Pérez said. ``You prepare to present those items, but by that time, you know your colleagues are exhausted. The public is exhausted, too. And ultimately, what happens is those items get swept under the rug.''
An earlier start is not necessarily a solution. In Broward, that's a source of controversy as some board members say some members of the public can't attend the hearings.
In Miami-Dade, many wishing to speak sign up but by the time their name is called, they're home asleep.
With the budget crisis unresolved, observers don't expect the lengthy meetings in Miami-Dade to end anytime soon.
Said Sassi: ``If they could plan and spread out the meetings, that would make more sense.''
If that isn't possible, those trapped must consider power naps, fresh air and coffee, but he warns: ``There's only so much the brain can do for us.''
Miami Herald staff writer Nirvi Shah contributed to this report.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)