By Amanda Epstein And Miriam Kolker
Rudy Crew, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools since 2004, is now only a memory. On Wednesday, September 10, he officially agreed to part ways with the School Board, accepting an offer worth $368,000 not to show up to work for the rest of his contract.
Crew rode into Miami on a wave of enthusiasm. Only a few months ago, he was named the 2008 National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators. Now, few in Miami are lamenting his parting.
The centerpiece of Crew’s plan for reform was the School Improvement Zone. Schools with persistently low FCAT scores were targeted for extra attention. Many of the schools that were categorized as zone schools were put under severe FCAT instruction. Numerous interim tests and the extension of class late into in the afternoon followed.
Although some have risen above this standing, some haven’t shown any improvement others have even fallen. At the same time, public education has been redirected to mere standardized tests, as opposed to the innovation and audacity of creative learning, under Crew’s leadership.
Crew was also praised for reducing school overcrowding. But what was once admiration turned to resentment, as the construction led Miami-Dade County to overspend millions of dollars beyond the already tight budget. Now, classes are packed again – not because of a lack of space, but because of a lack of money to fund an adequate teaching staff.
In the end, it was the battle over the budget that did Crew in. Teacher raises that were promised never materialized. As tax rates fell and the economy shrank, the former superintendent was left unprepared, and his earlier priorities began to look reckless in retrospect. A formidable opposition developed in a political year that grew to a majority in the most recent election.
This now ex- superintendent has brought to the surface an array of mixed emotions. In the end, his departure may have been the only choice. Now, his successor will face the difficult task of uniting the school boar calming the teachers, and helping students achieve – all with no money in the bank.
