Legacy 2014 South Florida: Education Issue | Page 4

4BB

AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MIA MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS GROUP TO THE MIAMI HERALD | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2014

Broward Schools Continue to Move Forward with a Visionary at the Helm
By Dr. Mia Merritt
The man at the helm of the Broward
County School System, the sixth largest
district in the United States, educating
over 265,000 students, is a man with passion, vision and purpose. Robert Runcie,
a Jamaica native and Harvard graduate made history as Broward County’s
first African American Superintendent.
Since taking office in 2011, Mr. Runcie
has managed to strategically and effectively address the top three areas of
the district’s strategic plan: High quality
instruction, graduation rates, and college
and career readiness. Although Mr. Runcie
acknowledges that the graduation rate in
the district must improve, he was pleased
to share that there was a four-percentage
point jump in college and career readiness
among the students who do graduate, as
reported by the state. As superintendent,
Mr. Runcie is committed to, and diligently
working towards a significant increase in
all three areas of the plan.
The hot topic in Broward County right
now is the School Board of Broward County, Florida resolution 14-88, which would
put an 800 million dollar general obligation bond on the November 4th ballot.

When asking Mr. RunAdditionally, indoor air qualcie why the passing
ity and mold issues will also
of the bond was so
be brought up to standards
important, he stated
at every school. The money
that importance falls
from the bond would address
on a number of levels;
all of these issues. It must
the top three being
be made clear however, that
capital improvement,
bond funds cannot be used
safety, and technolfor teacher raises, employee
ogy. For instance,
salaries, textbooks, or school
schools have critical
supplies. It has to be used for
needs such as leaking
buildings, renovation, safety,
roofs, outdated air
and technology.
conditioning systems,
In an effort to gain a clear
infrastructure issues,
and accurate assessment of
Robert Runcie, Broward County
the need for updated Superintendent
the capital and technology needs
and additional technolof each school, the district had
ogy.
an independent comprehensive needs
Currently, the ratio of computers in
assessment conducted in June, 2014.
the classrooms is 5:1 and more than 60%
Results from the assessment found that
of the computers are not working prop2.7 billion dollars worth of capital needs
erly. Once technology is addressed, it is
and renovation was needed and should
expected that the ratio would be reduced
be completed over the next five years.
from 5:1 to 3:1. Security cameras need to
Currently, there is $300 million worth of
be replaced in many schools and liberal
technology needs, including computers
access on and off school grounds must
and infrastructure alone.
decrease. Fire systems and fire alarms a