Dade Supt. Carvalho's Budget Saves Teaching Positions

MIAMI (CBS4) –  Miami-Dade School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho's spending proposal for the upcoming year does something that his counterpart in Broward has been unable to do – balance the budget without laying off teachers.

Wednesday evening Carvalho will unveil his $3.9 billion proposal to the School Board which reportedly includes $12 million in cuts at central and regional administrative office, $6 million less for alternative programs for troubled teens and $8 million in cuts to school staff, including fewer assistant principals, counselors, media specialists and custodians. The district also will spend its $29 million job protection fund.

According to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald, most of the district's 21,000 teachers will have the option to return to the classroom in the fall. The only exceptions will be some temporary teachers who did not perform to standards.

By setting aside money from previous years, Dade's budget gap this year was about $108 million.

Broward, in contrast, had a $144 million budget shortfall and was forced to lay off 1,400 teachers at the end of the school year.  The district has said they hope to re-hire some of them before the start of the new school year.

But despite saving teachers from the budget ax, United Teachers of Dade Karen Aronowitz said she is unhappy with the budget.  "It is bad," said Aronowitz. "The teachers and the people who work in the system have been sustaining the system. We're at a breaking point now. You can not talk about folks who year after year don't get any increase in salary."

Aronowitz also said the district plans to cut guidance counselors and media specialists otherwise known as school librarians.

Kimberly Strozier-Miller has already been informed that her role as guidance counselor is cut from Miami Northwestern Senior High.

"It's painful because I've spent 17 years as a guidance counselor perfecting my craft."

Strozier-Miller said guidance counselors are the ones who spot child abuse or bullying signs. She said they are the ones at school who guide students down the right path to college.

"I don't think we will understand the traumatic events that could take place if we lose guidance counselors," she said.

But Superintendent Carvalho maintains guidance counselors are not on the chopping block. He said some are being moved around as part of normal "re-shuffling."

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