Three candidates seeking to lead the Miami-Dade teachers' union will have plenty to deal with if elected, including negotiating salaries amid a financial crisis."
Miami-Dade teachers will cast their ballots this week to elect the next president of the United Teachers of Dade.
Incumbent Karen Aronowitz faces opposition from veteran elementary school teacher Patrenia Dozier-Washington and social studies teacher Eugenio Perez.
The election will take place online Tuesday through Thursday.
The next president of the teachers' union will serve a three-year term.
The job pays $129,987.
Whoever wins will face a wide range of challenges, including negotiating salaries in the middle of a financial crisis. This year, the Miami-Dade district built its bare-bones budget with the help of federal stimulus dollars. But that money will sunset in two years, likely leaving the school district with an even bigger budget gap.
Additionally, the next union president will have to take a position on Race to the Top, a competitive grant program that caused controversy earlier this year. So far, the UTD has declined to participate, saying rules by the state Department of Education are too limiting. The Miami-Dade school district has signed on, regardless.
The UTD represents more than 32,000 teachers, teaching aides, security monitors and