As a member of the Miami Dade County School Board District One, I dedicate myself to principles that make our schools one "of the People," strengthened by its diversity.

In the words of that great American, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who to me is a source of hope and inspiration, " we are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied together in a single garment of destiny." Accordingly, I pledge to work together with all segments of our community to pursue the American Educational Dream.

Additionally, I share Dr. King's belief that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" and thus to the extent that our school system may have strayed from this lofty goal either in perception or in reality, I pledge to work to bring it back on course for this generation and generations yet unborn.

I believe that encouraging our children to "Read To Lead" will enhance their academic prosperity and help them achieve their fullest potential. As we select teachers to take us into the new century, I pledge to seek a new paradigm which will bring our schools' management and our schools' unions together to improve our system with a new spirit of cooperation.

I believe our children are our present and our future and are entitled to study in a school environment of love, safety and security. I pledge to dedicate myself to quality education for all and to combat and punish anyone who dares to prey upon our children.

I believe that our public school system is threatened by vouchers. Thus, I pledge to be vigilant in my efforts to be fiscally conservative, weed out unnecessary expenditures and to make maximum public school use of the revenues that have been entrusted to us by the people of Miami-Dade County.

I believe that our school system can be a model for all the world. Our development is being forged on the crucible of the human desire to be intellectually free. Therefore, I humbly and gratefully acknowledge the sacrifice of the people on whose shoulders I am standing , people who brought us this far. I pledge to strengthen and preserve our public school system by promoting confidence in our children, and providing greater access for all school age youth regardless of their social or economic status.

I believe that Miami-Dade County Schools can provide answers to help meet the needs of all of our school age youth as we enter a new century; however I do not believe that we possess a monopoly on learning technologies. Thus, I pledge to work with my constituents in openness and cooperation to create a more perfect system of education.