School Board to Debate Psychologists' Dismissal
Posted on: Thursday, 15 May 2008, 06:00 CDT
By Kathleen McGrory and Solange Reyner, The Miami Herald
May 15--Following the abrupt dismissal of about 40 school psychologists last week for budget reasons, two Miami-Dade School Board members say they will propose rehiring them and looking elsewhere for cuts.
School Board members Marta Perez and Ana Rivas Logan said Wednesday cutting the positions would do the district more harm than good. They plan to make their case at next Wednesday's School Board meeting.
"Our students need psychologists, now more than ever," Perez said. "These services are critical. As it is, we don't have enough psychologists in our schools."
But other board members said the cuts, though difficult, were necessary.
"We're sensitive to the programs and the personnel, but we've got to recognize there is a $284 million budget shortfall," said board member Wilbert "Tee" Holloway.
He added: "We certainly need psychologists, but we just can't offer everything at the levels we used to."
The cuts were made as part of an ongoing effort to slash $284 million from the district's budget. Eliminating the psychologist positions could save the cash-strapped district more than $2 million.
About 40 of the district's psychologists -- nearly one in five -- received word last week that their positions would be terminated, said Philip Lazarus, a Florida International University professor who advocates for the school psychologists.
The School Board has also recommended that psychologists be employed for 10 months of the year, rather than 12, as at present.
Many of those affected by the cuts had been assigned to the district's regional offices, district spokesman John Schuster said. Earlier this year, the School Board voted to collapse the six regional offices into four, eliminating scores of positions.
The others psychologists were assigned to the School Improvement Zone, Superintendent Rudy Crew's intensive-care program for perennially failing schools, which will be scaled back next year, Schuster said.
Schuster said the district was working to find positions within the system for the displaced psychologists -- if possible, in comparable roles.
It was not clear how many would accept alternative positions. School psychology requires three years of post-graduate study.
School psychologists evaluate gifted students and students with disabilities, consult with parents, advocate for students and provide crisis and behavior intervention.
Region psychologist Carmen Alvarez worries that needy students will suffer as a result of the cuts.
"Students are going to fall through the cracks," said Alvarez, whose position was eliminated. "It's the neediest students who will be impacted the most."
Last year, the Miami-Dade district employed 245 school psychologists -- or about one for every 1,300 students, according to the state Department of Education.
Broward County, by contrast, employed 150 school psychologists -- or one for every 1,720 students.
The National Association for School Psychologists recommends one psychologist for every 1,000 students.
"It is a mistake to think that cutting back on psychological services will not affect things in the classroom," said association spokeswoman Katherine Cowan.
Florida Association of School Psychologists President Josh Lutz said he had fielded dozens of calls on the matter.
"Who is going to be available to intervene in certain situations when they come up?" he asked.
School Board Chairman Agustin Barrera called the cuts a consequence of statewide reductions to education.
"When the state Legislature reduced the budget for education, did they not think that this was going to impact the classroom?" he asked. "Of course, it's going to hurt the classroom."
Barrera said he understands the need to trim positions to balance the budget. But he also said he was not in favor of reducing services to students as a by-product of the regional consolidation.
"I've always had a special place for kids with challenges," he said. "I don't ever want to reduce the level of service. If reducing the number of regions to four means we're reducing the level of service, then we need to talk about that."
Board member Logan hopes the board will further explore the topic.
"We have more to lose than to gain here," Logan said. "The law says we have to test the students for disabilities. Who is going to do this? How are we going to serve the students?"
Some psychologists haven't given up. Many have written to members of the School Board and reached out to the local news media.
A group of psychologists attended a School Board budget workshop on Tuesday. But they were not permitted to address the board, as workshops are not considered public forums.
Many intend to show up at next week's School Board meeting.
"It's important that we speak up," said Kat Norona, a region psychologist whose position was eliminated last week. "If we're not there, who is going to be there to help those kids?"
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Source: The Miami Herald
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