Jul 12, 2008 9:25 pm US/Eastern
Dade School Police Protest At Board Member's Home
Miami-Dade School Police Protest Over District Cutbacks
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Miami Dade School Police Work In Conjunction With Law Enforcement Agencies In The County
CBS
Dozens of Miami-Dade school police officers took a protest march directly to one of the people who will decide if they will keep their jobs or lose them Tuesday to budget cutting. The protesters called it a matter of survival.
The officers took their protest to the neighborhood of board member, Evelyn Greer, for several hours on Saturday, because they say she's one of the biggest supporters of a plan to cut back, as some believe, eliminate the school police force.
"It will affect be greatly. I'm the breadwinner of the family," said officer Tony Greer, one of the protesters who said his job will be among those cut Tuesday if the board approves.
"If it comes down Tuesday, and the vote goes against us, it's effective immediately, so I'm out of a job," he said.
The school board has already cut almost 290 central office employees, 75 physical education teachers, 28 assistant principals, along with downsizing its marketing department, school psychologists and exceptional-student education specialists shifted from a 12-month to a 10-month program, among wage reductions and other service losses.
Facing more than a $250-million budget deficit in the upcoming year, such cuts are trying to save the district more than $44-million and bring the number of job reductions to more than 2,000. More than 950 teaching positions were eliminated earlier this year along with 710 administrative and school-site positions.
Greer and other board members have expressed support of a plan, backed by Superintendent Rudy Crew, to restructure the force. The jobs lost Tuesday would be part of that restructuring.
Greer did not respond to efforts by CBS4 to get a comment about the protest. She did not attend.
In accordance with Florida law, the board must have a balanced budget by mid-September but district officials have been pushing for earlier deadlines.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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