Feb 14, 2008 6:13 pm US/Eastern
Dade Schools Chief Warns Of Possible Layoffs
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Miami Dade School's Superintendent Rudy Crew
CBS
Sounding the warning bell after receiving dismal news out of Tallahassee, Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Rudy Crew said thousands of employees may lose their jobs as the result of a tightened budget.
During a school board meeting on Wednesday,
CBS4 news partners at the
Miami Herald reported Crew reversed his earlier position of maintaining the district's workforce and said they were now at the point where layoffs could be possible.
Not everyone agreed, however, with Crew's assessment. Board member Marta Perez said there were a lot of places where cuts could be made before anyone was laid off.
During the meeting, Associate Superintendent Alberto Carvalho reported that lawmakers in Tallahassee were considering cutting the state's education budget anywhere from $125 million and $500 million because of a decrease in revenue.
Depending on the size of the cut, it could translate into a decrease of $15 million to $60 million for the Miami Dade district. A reduction of $15 million, according to the school district's business operations manager, could mean more than a thousand employees would have to be laid off.
Miami Dade School Spokesman John Schuster told CBS4, "Fifteen-million dollars at this time of the year is equivalent to an annualized expense of about $60-million. So that's quite a hit we're expecting."
Earlier this year, the Miami-Dade school district was forced to cut more than $30 million from its annual budget as the result of a revenue shortfall from the state.
Coral Gables High School teacher, Dr. David Kirsner blames Tallahassee and the governor. He said, "To have one person lose a job, let alone the number that they mentioned last night, which was over one thousand people, is just simply unacceptable."
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