$6 Billion Crumbling Schools***Exacerbating the crisis: The school board repeatedly failed to rein in the troubled construction program and made key decisions that often went against the recommendation of the district's top staff. ''This is appalling,'' Miami Beach High School Principal Jeanne Friedman fumed as she walked across campus noting roof leaks, a broken air-conditioning system and classrooms that reeked of mildew. ``These kids only get one shot around.''
There was a time when the school system had a chance to forge ahead. In 1988, determined to ease crowding and revitalize schools, Miami-Dade County voters approved the bond referendum. Combining that money with other funding, the district had $1.6 billion, a colossal sum for a struggling urban system.
An analysis of financial reports shows that the School Board has actually received almost $6 billion since then to build, repair and maintain schools. The money has poured in through bond proceeds, state construction dollars, property taxes and other sources. Yet, building has not kept pace.
In 1988, the board promised to build 49 schools and renovate existing campuses. Today, the district boasts that it has opened 64 new schools, but one is a campus entirely of portables, seven were largely paid for before the referendum, and two were simply put into buildings that already existed. That means the district actually built 54 from scratch. It took the better part of 15 years, far longer than expected, and the district had not just $1.6 billion to spend -- but more than 3 ½ times that much.***
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NEA's Political Activities Detailed [Excerpt]-- The National Education Association documents reviewed by The Associated Press provide a rare window into the internal workings of one of the most powerful unions in the country. The union said Thursday it believes it complied with the law. The documents state that the union since 1994 has budgeted or spent money from its general account -- funded by about $200 million a year in teachers' dues -- on activities ranging from recruiting teacher-friendly candidates to helping state affiliates raise political action committee funds. A July 1999 strategic plan states the union budgeted $4.9 million for the 2000 election for such things as ''organizational partnerships with political parties, campaign committees and political organizations. [End Excerpt]
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TEACHERS BACK DNC WITH MONEY, MUSCLE [Excerpt]--In Iowa, New Hampshire, and other key primary states, teachers knocked on doors, staffed telephone banks, and helped get out the vote for Gore. In New York, members of the United Federation of Teachers helped distribute more than one million fliers for Gore in one day. In Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Teachers Association contacted each of its 90,000 members three times by phone and by mail, urging them to vote for Gore over Bradley………….
The teachers and their unions have long been a force in American politics. From 1991 to 1999, for example, contributions to the Democratic Party from the NEA, AFT, and the Service Employees International Union, which includes some education workers, totaled $6.7 million, making teachers by far the party's biggest donor bloc, according to the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity. The largest single contributor to Democrats - the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees - gave $3.7 million in that period……..[End Excerpt]