Aug 5, 2008 1:36 pm US/Eastern
Superintendent Crew Survives Vote To Fire Him
Crew Calls Efforts To Fire Him "Witch Hunt" And "Hi-Tech Lynching"
Board Votes To Hire Outside Counsel To Advise On His Contract
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Superintendent Rudy Crew took to the radio on Tuesday morning, one day after the Miami-Dade school board rejected a proposal to fire him and a no-holds-barred response from Crew blasting the board member responsible for the motion. The vote came after more than 4 hours of comments from the public and statements from board members pointing out significant divisions.
On AM 1490, Crew said after the narrow 5-4 in his favor that, "If they're going to fire me, then let's get on with it…", and "let's not have all the craziness that's going on in this."
The vote came after a statement from Crew in which he called the efforts to fire him a "hi-tech lynching."
Dozens of people lined up Monday night to condemn members of the Miami Dade School Board for considering the firing of Superintendent Rudy Crew, while a small number of speakers agreed with errors to oust him, as Crew's future hung in the balance. After hours of public comment, the board weighed in on what comes next.
Miami-Dade School Board members met to discuss firing Crew two years before his contract expires, and listened to the public for two hours, hearing people who felt they have mixed politics with the education of their children. Only a small number of people agreed with board members calling for Crew to be fired.
Haitian community leader Jacques Despinosse summed up the feeling of many. ''Shame on you!'' she called out, after naming members of the board calling for Crew's firing.
''State legislators have cut $280 million from the school budget, yet you ask him to balance the budget,'' said Bishop Victor Curry, who claimed Crew was being asked to take responsibility for problems he was not brought in to fix.
US Rep. Kendrick Meek spoke briefly, calling Crew one of the nation's top superintendents, and claiming while he appreciated the right of people to debate he supported the action Crew had taken.
''This man has brought us to the level where we are now,'' Rep. Meek said. ``It's almost like going to the Super Bowl and winning the Super Bowl and saying three months later, we need to change the coach.''
When board members took over the microphone, the division among the board was clear. Renier Diaz de la Portilla, considered Crew's biggest opponent on the board, demanded the school board's attorney justify claims that Crew had not been subordinate.
After listening to a point by point defense of a memo issued over the weekend, claiming there were no legal grounds to fire Crew without paying his remaining contract, Diaz de la Portilla said he respect the legal opinion but disagreed with it, prompting gasps from the audience. Diaz de la Portilla said it was time for the board to define itself by fighting the claim the district could not fire Crew without paying a $700 thousand contract fee.
"This ship is sinking, and the person who is driving this ship is the Superintendent", said Diaz de la Portilla.
After Diaz de la Portilla turned down a request from a board member to table the motion, Chairman Augustin Barrera called for a vote, and Crew asked to speak before it was taken.
Reading from a prepared statement, the embattled superintendent blasted what he called "a ridiculous witch hunt" aimed at destroying among other things his personal and professional reputation.
Citing Diaz de la Portilla by name, he said the issues of the board should "rise above the intoxicating, base pursuit of power." Diaz de la Portilla is among board members facing the voters later this month.
``This is yet another sad chapter of street politics in Miami. It is beneath this board and it sets a bad example four our children," he said.
Saying he wanted to set the record straight, Crew addressed some specific complaints board members had made against him, but said the issues of his performance and board complaints would not be decided at a late night meeting.
Crew said the appropriate place would be in court, hinting that the vote Monday would not end the acrimony between some board members and Crew.
Crew's job wasn't the only thing saved during the meeting. School board members also spared more than 700 jobs that had been on the chopping block.
Among those positions spared were 208 teacher and teacher's aide jobs, 435 clerical workers and counselors and 32 maintenance workers and bus drivers.
The defeated measure would have saved the school district an estimated $35 million.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Burned Teen's Family Staying Positive
Click to enlarge
Web Extra: Meet The Two Nosed Calf
I-Team: Tracking The Florida Stimulus Money Trail 
Stumble It!
