M-DCPS SUPERINTENDENT MERRETT R. STIERHEIM ANNOUNCES REORGANIZATION OF SCHOOL DISTRICT

Reorganization is aimed at providing administrative efficiency, streamlining district services and increasing student and parent advocacy


March 11, 2003


Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Merrett R. Stierheim today announced a reorganization of personnel and district infrastructure aimed at streamlining services, reducing personnel costs and providing more customer service to the school district's students and parents.

"The reorganization that I am recommending is designed to promote greater decentralization, to reach out and provide greater community involvement at the grass roots level, particularly in the area of student and parent advocacy," Stierheim said.

The reorganization will affect more than 90 district administrators and will generate approximately a half million dollars in savings. It will also refocus and sharpen the administrative goal of the district's region offices by converting them into Area Community Centers for Educational Support Services or ACCESS centers. The mission of each ACCESS center will be to provide the ABC's of the Miami-Dade School district, as established in the strategic board-approved plan - Achievement, Access and Advocacy; Business; and Curriculum.

"We want all our constituents to not only feel welcome but to be encouraged to participate and become involved," Stierheim said. "The ACCESS centers will have the same numerical identification [1-6] that regions currently have, but their mission will be far different, providing customer service and advocacy to parents and students."

The reorganization is also directed at providing greater responsibility and reform to the district's infrastructure that supports the educational mission, addressing accountability and compliance, personnel, finance and business operations. The changes continue the school board's mandate of fiscal and educational reform begun last year. The personnel and infrastructure changes are reflected in the attached memorandum.

Key among the changes is the recommendation to appoint Mercedes Toural as Chief Educational Officer and Deputy Superintendent of Schools. Chosen through a national search by a panel of business leaders and educators, Toural has been with the Miami-Dade school district for more than 30 years and is the first Hispanic woman to hold the rank of Chief Educational Officer.

"Having worked closely with Mercedes for the past sixteen months, I have complete confidence that she is the right person for this critically important position," Stierheim said.

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03-MV/105/JJS

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