In light of the ongoing budget crisis, town hall meetings were held last March at several schools across the county – one of which was held here.

Darla March, PTSA officer arranged for speakers, including recently appointed Superintendent of Miami-Dade Schools Alberto Carvalho, to come rally parents, along with teachers and administrators, into campaigning for funds from the state. The PTSA passed around petitions, and a news crew from several local channels came to cover the event.

The week before a rally had been held in Tallahassee, attended by thousands of parents, teachers, students, counselors, and administrators from across the state. The point of which was to pressure Tallahassee into accepting a stimulus package from the federal government. According to Carvalho, up to 300 million dollars would be allocated to Miami-Dade County alone if the state were to accept it. One of the contingencies of accepting the package, however, includes maintaining 2006 funding levels even after the stimulus package money is spent. In short, the federal government wants a promise that education will not continue to be cut from, and some legislators were loath to make such a promise.

Carvalho urged his audience to "fight together, not each other," which may have been reference to last year’s criticisms of the school board’s mismanagement of funds, which ultimately led to former Superintendent Rudy Crew’s dismissal.

Either way, the focus of the meeting was kept on the state’s obligation to education.

"Education is a state right, but it is also a state responsibility," said March.

According to Dr. Lawrence Feldman, school board member for district 9, the state has accepted the package, but the district’s problems are far from solved.

"Miami-Dade County Public Schools will not receive its fair share since we send about 13% of our tax revenues collected to the state and receive only 5% back," said Feldman.

The money is intended especially for Title I and ESE, so the school will not see much of this money.

United Teachers of Dade (UTD) steward Daniel Blackmon feels the district was using the state as a scapegoat, and budget woes are being felt by the teaching staff more than ever. Last June, when a fiscal emergency was called, teachers were denied their pay increases. This February, the School Board approved the Superintendent’s proposal to furlough two or three days from 10 and 12 month employees. A new statute permits the Superintendent to require furloughs and the like, even if the unions had not previously agreed on them, in the case of a financial emergency – which we so clearly are in.

Teachers are not the only ones to feel the squeeze – spending controls were placed in all departments at the district, two to five day unpaid furloughs were imposed on administrators, assistant principals and up, the school board has given up ten percent of its office funds, and the Superintendent now remains the only administrator making more than 200 thousand dollars a year – after having agreed to forego 30 thousand off his regular salary.