FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thurs., Oct. 21, 2004

CONTACT: John Schuster Miami-Dade County Public Schools 305-995-1126

SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES SUPERINTENDENT'S REORGANIZATION PLAN

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT ZONE, CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, OTHER PRIORITIES TO BENEFIT

MIAMI - The Miami-Dade County School Board approved a reorganization plan by Superintendent Rudolph F. "Rudy" Crew Wednesday that advances the school district's strategic priorities of eliminating low-performing schools, increasing academic achievement for all students and making business operations more cost-effective.

By eliminating 707 non-instructional positions, the school district will be able to redeploy $35.6 million to other needs, including offering better compensation to teachers and other employees. Of the positions being eliminated, 205 are currently filled and 502 are open. Employees whose positions will be cut will be offered new positions in the school system based on their qualifications.

"We are doing what we need to do to drive an agenda and win on behalf of children," said Dr. Crew. "We have taken a surgical look at this budget that was respectful of people's heads, hearts and holidays."

Dr. Crew told School Board members that the district's unclear financial outlook made the reorganization necessary. The district faces potential losses in funding from the state's District Cost Differential and from the hurricane season's impact on state coffers, as well as the need to boost pay for teachers and to raise its bond rating.

Among the initiatives benefiting from the reorganization is the superintendent's School Improvement Zone, which will receive support from 92 employees transferred from central curriculum support, math and science, and social workers and psychologists. These employees will improve schools' ability to assess, diagnose, and intervene with students to maximize academic achievement.

In addition to eliminating unneeded positions, 500 employees are being reassigned to make the school district more efficient and effective. Included are employees being reorganized under the district's Maintenance, Planning and Construction departments, which will be incorporated into the Office of School Facilities. The new office will produce a plan to meet all facilities needs and will improve the delivery of service by dramatically increasing the number of student stations and reducing the current backlog of deferred maintenance. The work will be carried out by regionally based maintenance teams to increase efficiency and accountability.

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04-LJG/062/JJS

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