Make all teachers teach, UTD says

BY KATHLEEN McGRORY
Thursday, May 22, 2008

Teachers union President Karen Aronowitz has a new idea about how to help balance the Miami-Dade school system´s budget: Eliminate 1,000 positions now held by teachers who are not in the classroom.

Those teachers, who perform various non-instructional duties, would be moved back into classrooms, saving the district $50 million, Aronowitz said.

Aronowitz is also suggesting 150 principals and vice principals be moved into teaching positions to save another $14 million.

The suggestions come as the School Board labors to slash $284 million from the district´s budget. Among the proposals being considered: Postponing salary increases promised to teachers in a three-year contract. Doing so would save $48 million, schools officials have said.

“It´s not our obligation to find this money, but we figured we´d assist the district so that they could keep their promise to teachers,” Aronowitz told The Miami Herald.

School district spokesman John Schuster called the proposal “interesting,” but said it was lacking on two points.

“Schools need leadership,” he said. “To cut AP positions and principal positions in that way would seriously affect the leadership at schools.”

Schuster also criticized the proposal for cutting school-based positions. He compared Aronowitz´s proposal to the district´s proposed reduction in force, which would cut mostly administrative and transportation positions.

Aronowitz said many teachers within the school system do not have full teaching loads.

“It´s a dirty little secret that happens inside the schools,” she said. “Sometimes, teachers will be assigned as team teachers and won´t be in the classroom at all. Some teachers have additional planning granted to them, and then they become quasi-administrators.”

Aronowitz suggests moving those teachers into the classroom instead of hiring new ones to fill vacancies. That would keep Miami-Dade in line with Broward´s student-to-teacher ratio, Aronowitz said.

She also said some school administrators also should return to classrooms.

“We have found, especially in elementary schools, that you may have three or four assistant principals,” she said. “That just doesn´t make sense.”

© 2008 Miami Herald Media Company