Jul 31, 2008 5:30 pm US/Eastern
School Board Member Continues Push To Oust Crew
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
He's won national awards, but Superintendent Rudy Crew continues to come under fire from a vocal group, including some school board members.
School teachers want a raise they were promised, but Crew says the $72 million to fund all of the raises can't be found because of the current budget shortfall striking the county. School board member Renier Diaz Del La Portilla thinks things have come to an impasse and something needs to happen.
"It is nothing personal against Crew, but it's time for a change," Portilla said.
Portilla is up for re-election and is leading the push to fire the superintendent. Rudy Crew won has won the national superintendent of the year, and even cut the number of "F" rated schools in half and raising the "A" rated schools. Portilla said the credit for that is not to be given to Crew.
"Are you saying your judgment is better than those accomplishments and accolades? The credit goes to the teachers in the area, not to Dr. Rudy Crew who has refused to give them their pay raise," Portilla said.
Crew has been blamed for the large budget shortfall currently striking the Miami-Dade school district. He is dealing with shrinking state revenues in the current economic downfall. The superintendent is slashing what some have labeled as a bloated administrative staff and that Portilla is using him as re-election fodder.
If Crew is ousted at next week's school board showdown, the only question left is what will happen if things get worse and not better under the next superintendent's watch? Del La Portilla said "I will let voters decide whether to rehire me."
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