en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:21:44 GMT 15 By Carley Schleien
The Miami-Dade County School Board bought-out Superintendent Rudy Crew’s contract on Sept. 10, ending Crew’s four-year tenure as superintendent of the nation’s fourth largest district. The board negotiated with H.T. Smith, Crew’s lawyer, to pay the superintendent $297,000, in addition to health, disability and insurance benefits for two years, raising the total to $368,000. “Dr. Crew came to Miami because he was recruited to fix Miami’s troubled and failing school system. He was recruited because he had a record of visionary and innovative leadership in American education,” Smith said. “Dr. Crew did not come to the Miami-Dade Public School System to stay. He came to make a difference. And what a positive, measurable difference he made on behalf of the school children of our community.” In place of Crew, the board appointed Alberto Carvalho, a former physics teacher who has been with the Miami-Dade Public School system for 18 years. Carvalho was given another offer by Pinellas County but accepted the position as superintendent of Miami-Dade on Sept 12. A 5-3 vote from the board confirmed Carvalho’s acceptance of the job, and the board negotiated Carvalho’s salary at $275,000. “I will commit to you that I will try to mend fences and fix relationships. That will be a priority,” Carvalho said to a crowd of 300 people while accepting his position. “Whatever it takes to lift a child, we will do.” Carvalho’s term has already been filled with controversy due to an e-mail scandal involving an alleged intimate relationship with a former Miami Herald reporter. Carvalho, who is married, initially denied any romantic relationship with former Herald reporter Tania deLuzuriaga and said the e-mails were “manipulated” or doctored to make his messages sound romantic. He added that he did not recall receiving any inappropriate e-mails from deLuzuriaga. Carvalho proceeded to demand an investigation to determine how his e-mails were penetrated and if they were doctored. However, Carvalho later stated that the messages may be genuine, though he may not have read them. He added that he used to frequently delete e-mails and described his relationship with deLuzuriaga as “jovial.” He said that deLuzuriaga had relied on him as a news source. Crew did not attend the board meeting, as he was celebrating his 58 birthday, according to his attorney. Crew’s final months as superintendent had been filled with controversy and debate with the divided school board. In addition, board-member Renier Diaz de la Portilla led a campaign to fire Crew in June, but was outvoted in a 5-4 vote in Aug. The board decided to buy-out Crew, the National Superintendent of the Year, at the Sept. 10 board meeting, after the board hired Attorney Murray A. Greenberg to help negotiate the buy-out. “Considering all factors, the settlement was fair to all parties,” Greenberg said. Crew had publicly announced that he was ready to leave the district, prompting the board to sever ties with Crew. Crew joined the school board in 2004, becoming the highest-paid superintendent of the country at a salary of $325,000. During his term, Crew helped decrease school overcrowding, and students’ scores on the reading, writing and mathematics sections of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test increased. However, Crew’s capability to oversee the district was questioned as the board has repeatedly attempted to balance the $5.5 billion budget, while dismissing more than 2,000 employees. Although the majority of the employees were shifted to open positions, it is possible that future dismissals will mean lay-offs. Many students were upset over the budget cuts, as they caused the library to close before and after school and prices for school lunches to rise. In addition, many teachers asked students to bring in school supplies to help compensate for the lost funds. “I think that the budget cuts are cutting down on essential rights for students,” sophomore Clara Kim said. “I was really shocked when I heard about the library closing down on mornings and after school, and I really feel like the school is spending their money on unimportant things.” The board-members who voted for the agreement with Crew were Chairman Augustín Barrera, Vice Chairwoman Perla Tabares, Wilbert “Tee” Holloway, Martin Karp, and Solomon Stinson. Evelyn Greer did not attend the meeting, as she lost her seat to Dr. Larry Feldman, retired principal of Devon Aire K-8 Center who will be sworn in on Nov. 18. The School Board and Crew had come to a point where neither body was able to perform efficiently, and the buy-out was the best solution to a troubled question Feldman said. ]]> Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:09:00 GMT