SCHOOL BOARD APPOINTS FIRST INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR A FLORIDA SCHOOL DISTRICT


May 14, 2003


The Miami-Dade School Board appointed Herbert Cousins, Jr. to the position of Inspector General today. He is the first person to serve as Inspector General for a Florida school district.

"I know that I speak for all my colleagues on the Board when I say that we look forward to working with the inspector general," said Dr. Michael M. Krop, Miami-Dade School Board Chair. "Our goals are the same: to serve our community and to ultimately provide our students with the best education opportunities available."

The School Board entered into an agreement last year with the Florida Department of Education's Office of Inspector General to establish an office within Miami-Dade County Public Schools. This is the first time such an office has been opened in a Florida school district.

Cousins has more than 20 years of investigative experience with the FBI including service as a special agent in charge and as the section chief of the Criminal Investigative Division in Washington, D.C. He also has experience as an educator, having served as assistant principal, Spanish teacher and foreign language department head for Omaha Public Schools in Nebraska.

"We are pleased to have someone with Herb Cousins' level of expertise working with the Department of Education," said Education Commissioner Jim Horne. "His presence at the school district will enhance accountability and assist us in ensuring that schools are working efficiently."

For more information, contact Chief Communications Officer Mayco Villafaña at 305-995-4638.

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03-MV/184/JJS

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