Two Miami mothers, Bibiana Salmon and Malexys Morales, carried out a weeklong hunger strike to protest the more than $300 million dollars of cuts to the school district.
|
The two women had vowed to continue the strike until state officials and the Miami Dade School District addressed widespread concerns over the massive reduction in funding for Miami’s educational system. The mothers remained camped out in front of Ronald Reagan Doral Senior High School on the western edge of Miami throughout the duration of their protest.
On the last day of the strike, Salmon and Morales were joined by dozens of supporters for a rally against the cuts. Their mission set a tone for solidarity between parents, students and teachers. They called for pay raises for teachers and for preserving all elective courses.
The State Legislature entered in a special session on Jan. 5 and approved billions of dollars of cuts from the Florida state budget. Schools, colleges and universities were among the hardest hit: the Miami-Dade School District cut $289 million so far and there are another $80 million of expected cuts.
Districts have been told to cut expenses and tap into reserve funding; however, the Department of Education has identified seven rural school districts and Miami-Dade as not even having 2.5 percent of their budget in general funds. In other words, there are no reserves for Florida’s largest city and poorest rural areas.
Despite pressure from the school district, the mothers continue their campaign until Carvalho pledged concessions.
“We have to send a strong message to whoever to take action,” Salmon had said during the strike. “Classes are being cut, teachers are being cut along with teacher’s benefits.”
