Jun 25, 2008 8:06 am US/Eastern
School Board Meets To Finalize 2008-2009 Budget
More Than Two Thousand Jobs On The Chopping Block
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Miami Dade's school board hopes to finalize next year's budget during a meeting Wednesday afternoon.
Earlier this month, board members voted to cut almost 300 central office employees, 75 physical education teachers, and 28 assistant principals. The also voted to downsize the district's marketing department and shift school psychologists and exceptional-student education specialists from a 12 month year to a 10-month year. More than 950 teaching positions were eliminated earlier this year along with 710 administrative and school-site positions. In all more than 2-thousand jobs were eliminated to make for a $250-million budget deficit in the upcoming year.
Some teachers said the entire layoff process has been about politics and not about the children.
"Everybody is playing these political games and nobody is really thinking about what's going to happen to our education system and to our students," 4th grade teacher Mari Coruguedo said.
In accordance with Florida law, the board must have a balanced budget by mid-September but district officials have been pushing for earlier deadlines.
''The fact is, we must present a balanced budget by the end of June, and that will require cuts,' board member Evelyn Greer to the Miami Herald.
In an effort to generate revenue to avoid further cuts, the board also voted to move forward with a plan to allow advertising on school property.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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