Top Broward school officials to fill in as teachers

BROWARD SCHOOLS
Top Broward school officials to fill in as teachers
The Broward County school district has approved a plan to send high-level administrators -- possibly including the superintendent -- to the classrooms to fill in as substitutes.

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BY PATRICIA MAZZEI
pmazzei@MiamiHerald.com
There's something oh-so-satisfying about the big boss occasionally doing the work of the little people.

Turns out, it also feels good on the pocketbook.

The Broward school district is sending administrators back to the classroom as substitute teachers this year, at a savings of $200,000.

Will that include Superintendent Jim Notter?

``Yeah, man!'' said Notter, who could very well lead a kickball game at Fort Lauderdale's Sunland Park Elementary, where he has been assigned to teach.

Notter, who taught special education in New York, is certified to teach vocational education, health and physical education in Florida.

A similar project is in the works in Miami-Dade, where Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has proposed creating an ``Everybody Teaches'' Academy to bring district administrators into classrooms of struggling schools at least six times a year, though not as substitutes.

High-level staff -- including Carvalho, a former high-school science and math teacher -- pitched in last year to teach special Saturday classes for at-risk schools. His program will let administrators teach or co-teach classes, give guest lectures, tutor or mentor students and continue to teach on Saturdays. More than 200 administrators have signed up, Carvalho said.

The schools chief plans to teach at Miami Edison High, where he's also set up an office. ``Just because I'm superintendent today does not mean I abdicate my teacher's heart,'' he said.

The idea of using administrators to substitute teach at Broward schools came from second-grade teacher Kathie Herrera after the county initiated the ``Harness the Power'' program last year for employees to submit money-saving -- or money-raising --ideas.

Herrera's winning plan will require 111 district administrators who are certified to teach to go back to the classroom as substitute teachers twice a month.

``It's very good for the teachers,'' Herrera said. ``It does make them feel like the higher-ups -- the ones promoting the curriculum, deciding on the standards that we should be teaching -- actually get a feel for what goes on in the classroom.''

Herrera was rewarded $5,000 at Tuesday's School Board meeting for her suggestion.

And it couldn't come at a better time.

Last spring, Herrera, a special education teacher, was placed on a surplus list of teachers who would probably lose their jobs. She was lucky: Nearly 400 teachers were laid off, but Herrera stayed at Stephen Foster Elementary in Fort Lauderdale, although she'll be teaching second grade rather than special ed.

``We are going to be paying off some bills,'' said the mother of two sons in college and a daughter at South Plantation High.

Thomas Giglio, who works in the district's maintenance department as a supervisor of logistics and relocation services, received $500 for proposing to use larger vehicles to drop off supplies at schools.

The two proposals were the only ones adopted from 77 submissions reviewed by an 11-member committee.

Most submissions did not go anywhere because the proposed programs already existed --or because Broward would not be able to implement them for legal or bargaining reasons.

Among them: Requiring each student to submit one ream of copy paper (that would be charging students for public education and prohibited by law), and eliminating hard-copy pay stubs (which goes against the district's contracts with some of its labor unions).

There's more money to be saved -- so the review committee is hoping more ideas will be submitted. Legal ones preferred.

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Comments: 15 Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first


Richard18 wrote on 08/19/2009 08:01:20 PM:
Replying to cyn2steve (08/19/2009 03:14:26 PM):
"Will they be paid that the 77.00 dollars a day that the subs are paid? Are will they get their top salary for that day? If they are paid the 77.00 dollars, that would really save some money.":
Either they are overpaid subs or under worked administrators.

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Richard18 wrote on 08/19/2009 07:59:36 PM:
Either they are over paid subs or underworked administrators.

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cyn2steve wrote on 08/19/2009 03:14:26 PM:
Will they be paid that the 77.00 dollars a day that the subs are paid? Are will they get their top salary for that day? If they are paid the 77.00 dollars, that would really save some money.

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paulamikenicole wrote on 08/19/2009 11:22:57 AM:
I don't remember the last time I actually received a hard copy of my paystub. Since direct deposit and on line time keeping, this should be a no brainer. But we are talking about the union here.......

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joachim wrote on 08/19/2009 11:10:52 AM:
They will most likely do more useful work in the classroom. And it saves on the cost of hiring substitutes.But they will be crying like babies, about having to leave their nice offices, and actually do a days work.

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seventhelement wrote on 08/19/2009 10:16:02 AM:
An excellent idea. Sometimes it's good for the Generals to work shoulder-to-shoulder with the Privates. It reminds them how tough it is on the front line.

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can545 wrote on 08/19/2009 10:10:30 AM:
Most administrators cannot teach to save their lives. I feel sorry for the kids.

avernus1 wrote on 08/19/2009 09:51:25 AM:
HAHAHAHAHHA

does anyone realize how out of touch these administrators are from reality? is anyone else terrified of what these slobs are going to teach YOUR kids?

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ConyoMen wrote on 08/19/2009 09:31:19 AM:
Possibly the most brilliant plan ever conceived. Make them work and remember what it's like to be in the classroom.