In the fall of 2008, Miami-Dade County Public Schools was at perhaps its lowest point in its long history.

The District was in dire financial straits, academic achievement was but a paper promise to many, and the community had lost faith in what was perceived as a broken system. There were a number of schools that had been historically low

performing, schools that were threatened with sanctions from the state, including closure in some cases, schools like Miami-Edison Senior High, Holmes Elementary, Miami-Jackson and Miami-Northwestern High Schools. In response, we collectively stood before the schoolhouse doors and promised to do better. We invited the community and a variety of experts in. We replaced ineffective school leaders and teachers where necessary and moved quickly to provide needed resources to our most fragile schools, with a commitment that those resources would remain in place. Many of those resources are made possible by Title I funding. Today, none of those schools are failing. Miami-Northwestern is an A rated high school and our graduation rate continues to climb, outpacing even the states rate of improvement. Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended, provides financial assistance to school districts and schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards. Schools enrolling at least 40 percent of children from low-income families are eligible to use Title I funds for schoolwide programs designed to upgrade their entire educational program to improve achievement for all students, particularly the lowest-achieving students. Title I funds are intended to provide supplemental education services for schools with a majority of poverty students. In Miami-Dade it is an unfortunate fact that nearly 73 percent of all students live in poverty, and Miami-Dades student population is 23.5 percent Black/Non -Hispanic. For the 20132014 school year, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is serving over 200,000 students through the Title I program in 310 public schools. At these schools, 75% or more of the students come from low-income families, based on data provided by the Florida Department of Education via the Title I Public School Eligibility Survey Data Report. Based on federal guidelines described above, M-DCPS is obligated to provide Title I services at these schools based on the low-income criteria.

In terms of our administrative staff, during a time of national recession, when the Districts budget shrunk by nearly $2 billion, we made the decision to reduce administrative costs by nearly 50 percent while not terminating a single teacher for economic reasons and preserving valuable educational programs. Individuals who have chosen a career with Miami-Dade County Public Schools and have worked shoulder to shoulder during this period are without a doubt some of the finest educational professionals and qualified public servants anywhere in this nation. We hire, retain, and promote based on qualifications, experience and competency, and from our leadership and throughout our ranks, we are a reflection of Miami-Dade County. Of the Districts 1,336 MEP administrators, 387 (29 percent) are African-American. Of the Superintendents Cabinet, 4 of 13 members (30 percent) are African-American, including the Chief Operating Officer, Chief of Police, School Board Attorney and Assistant Superintendent Maintenance Operations. Census figures show that 19.2

percent of Miami-Dade County residents are African-American. In terms of our business practices and the participation of minority and women owned businesses in the procurement process, we openly recognized that improvements were needed and a promise was made to become more open and transparent, while improving access to our communitys many small and minority business firms. The first step was to create the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) and revise many of our purchasing policies. OEO has done a remarkable job in increasing the participation of just such firms (See Appendix.) Next, we commissioned a Disparity Study to be carried out in two phases, Phase 1 Construction, and Phase 2 General Procurement. The district originally proposed a study period of five years (2005-2011) for its disparity study. However, in order to review the most recent years of data and avoid the

staleness of data, the District, following the recommendation of the company that conducted the study MGT increased the study period to six years, making the data more current. Finally, as it relates to the issue of establishing a marketing and branding office, it is absolutely this Districts intent to move forward with the protectio n M-DCPSs intellectual property rights. Currently, the School Board Attorneys Office is engaged in the

trademark registration process for a number of schools. In addition, internal procedures and practices are being developed to protect School Board interests in its intellectual property. The Board Attorneys Office continues to send cease and desist letters to those potential violators who are selling unauthorized and/or counterfeit merchandise. These actions are designed to prevent unscrupulous vendors who profit from selling their wares without authorization. Over the past five and a half years we believe that we have come together as a community, united more than ever in building and nurturing the things we share. No longer an uneasy collection of factions, we are one Miami. And through Miami-Dade County Public Schools, we are a family, bound by the common responsibility of guiding our children to productive and responsible adulthood. In guiding our children, we are guiding ourselves to an ever more prominent and ever more prosperous place in the world. Public education is the very fabric that weaves a community together. It is the link that binds across religions, ethnicities, occupations and socio-economic divisions. And so our response to these unfounded, unwarranted, assertions is simple, we speak the truth. The priority of this District is improving student achievement for all students. We will let our record of performance and achievement speak for us. Milagros R. Fornell, Chief of Staff

APPENDIX The OEO began certifying small business in April of 2013 and since that time has certified 298 small businesses. Here is the breakdown on the certification: African-American Female - 21 African-American Male - 77 Asian-American Male 4 Hispanic-American Female 49 Hispanic-American Male 101 Non-Minority - 26 Service-disabled veteran 2 White female 18

In addition, MDCPS has formed strategic partnerships with other local agencies including Miami-Dade County, Miami-Dade College and the U.S. Small Business Administration for purposes of expanding opportunities to Black owned businesses. As a result we have seen the following results in recent commissioning of firms in the Construction field: Recent results on a Contractors) solicitation for Construction Managers-at-Risk (General

Of the firms that were selected as Micro Business Enterprises 8 out 8 are MWBEs (100%) 5 out 8 are African-American owned (63%) 3 out 8 are Hispanic owned (38%) 3 out 8 are Female owned (38%)

Of the firms that were selected as Small Business Enterprises 9 out 9 are MWBEs (100%) 6 out 9 are Hispanic owned (67%) 3 out 9 are Female owned (33%) 1 out 9 are African-American owned (11%) Recent results on a solicitation for Architects/Engineers :

Of the firms that were selected as Micro Business Enterprises 3 out 4 are Hispanic owned (75%) 1 out 4 are Non-Minority owned (25%) Of the firms that were selected as Small Business Enterprises 5 out 11 are Female owned (45%) 2 out 11 are African-American owned (18%) 6 out 11 are Hispanic owned (55%) 1 out 11 are Non-Minority owned (9%) Recent award for Job Order Contracting (Maintenance)- 2 Small Business Enterprises awarded, 2 Micro Business Enterprises awarded (all four firms were M/WBEs). 3 out of 4 firms have not previously held contracts. 1 out 4 firms African-American.