Miami-Dade Mayor Alvarez gets schooled
By Everett Evansky
(The letter that follows was written by Miami-Dade County public school teacher Everett Evansky. It is a reaction to the reported raises given to his top aides by Mayor Carlos Alvarez. It appeared in the Eye on Miami (http://www.eyeonmiami.blogspot.com) blog. It is well-worth reading.)
Dear Mayor Alvarez:
Thank you for replying to my letter regarding the pay raises you gave your employees. You are correct that technically [Miami Dade County Public Schools] and Miami-Dade County are two separate entities. However, please take a moment to consider how your conduct — as not only an elected official but the leader of our county — appears to many Miami-Dade residents.
I concur with your statement that “there are rare occasions where you find a particular salary is out of whack.” For example, the average teacher salary in the U.S. is currently $47,602. In Florida, on average, teachers earn $43,302. The National Association of Realtors recently calculated the median single family home price in Miami at about $285,000. The closest city is Portland, Oregon, at $280,000. Teachers in Oregon average $50,044.”
You claim to have decided to offer your staffers raises “more than a year ago” and that such decisions “came way before I was forced to propose a budget.” The current recession in which we now find ourselves started well over a year ago. Technically, we’ve been in a recession since December 2007.
Claiming your actions “were personnel decisions, not personal ones” renders your constituency little consolation. As an elected official, as Mayor of a large metropolitan area, as an adult, you are personally responsible for all your deeds. This was not a compulsory act.
Yes, “Our Board of County Commissioners ultimately are the ones who adopt the budget.” However, you were the one who retroactively gave your aides hefty raises during one of the worst economic crises to hit your constituents since the Great Depression. Shifting the blame will not help your cause.
Mr. Mayor, it is with profound respect that I take deep exception to your claim, “There are fewer people doing more with less.” Yes, you trimmed $2 million dollars from your Executive Office. Your county’s Public Schools slashed its budget by close to $300 million.
My salary has been frozen for two years and we actually had to donate two days of salary just to keep your schools from going bankrupt. Even Superintendent Carvalho voluntarily docked himself — and his cabinet — up to six days pay. My Assistant Principal just worked all summer for free.
We can’t make photocopies. I can’t replace the toner cartridge in my laser printer to print up attendance sheets and take roll. This is an issue because my 3rd and 4th period science classes both have over 40 students.
The 8th grade students in these overcrowded classes will be required to take the state mandated Science FCAT this Spring. FCAT scores will not only be used to determine their advancement towards high school and college, but will also be held up as an indicator of my competence as a professional educator. While you were adjusting the salaries of your closest advisors to make sure they were fairly compensated for their “additional responsibilities,” do you know how much money was allocated for the students in my classes to buy lab equipment and supplies?
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You see, Mr. Mayor, it’s not just teachers who are “undervalued” in Miami. It’s also students.
With all due respect Mr. Mayor, you never actually answered my question. If your aides are “doing more with less” then please explain what it is that they actually do? As a teacher I could easily look any taxpayer in the eye and say, “For about $47,000 dollars that you have provided I have helped about 125 kids each year learn about the world around them. I have inspired them to better themselves and work hard to pursue their dreams. I have encouraged dozens of kids to go to college. Far fewer kids will start smoking cigarettes. Hopefully, I’ve helped to avoid a few teen pregnancies.”
Thank you for your attention to this matter,
Everett Evansky
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Mayor Alvarez’ original letter of response to Mr. Evansky
Dear Everett:
Thank you for sharing your opinion and giving me an opportunity to respond. I understand your frustration. I have tremendous respect for the public education system and believe so many educators are underpaid and undervalued in society. Unfortunately, Miami-Dade County government and the Miami-Dade Public School System are two separate entities.
That being said, I made a decision — more than a year ago — to adjust the salaries of a select few members of my senior staff to ensure pay equity with other government employees with comparable responsibilities. As a longtime county employee who worked his way up through the ranks, I can tell you that there are rare occasions where you find a particular salary is out of whack. Such was the case with a very few members of my staff who took on additional responsibilities as we transitioned to a new form of government. The salary adjustments were personnel decisions, not personal ones, and I have nothing to gain. The decisions also came way before I was forced to propose a budget with unprecedented service cuts and workforce reductions. I took no joy in making budget recommendations that are universally unpopular, and my proposal are likely to change. Our Board of County Commissioners ultimately are the ones who adopt the budget.
More important, the total budget and number of employees in the County Executive Office has been decreasing. The proposed budget is nearly $2 million dollars and 20 employees leaner than it was five years ago when I first entered public office. There are fewer people doing more with less.
Again, thank you for giving me the opportunity to respond.
Sincerely,
Carlos Alvarez
Mayor
