When Miami-Dade Superintendent Rudy Crew and his team headed to Tallahassee last week to make their pitch to state lawmakers, they knew that in a tough budget year…. So rather than relying on the ''do it for the kids'' approach that is pervasive in education lobbying, Crew made an unusual promise to legislators: a return on their investment….

With sales tax revenues predicted to be $1 billion less than originally projected… Miami-Dade officials are hoping their request for $160 million - a $23 million increase over last year - will take precedence over other competing interests. ''Government wants more transparency,'' Crew said. ``What better way to do that than to exchange dollars for results?''....

House Minority Leader Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach. ''I've never seen a business-plan approach from a school district….  I think it's warranted, refreshing, and I hope it's rewarded.''….

Sen. Stephen Wise, Chairman, re-K-12 Education Appropriations Committee, R-Jacksonville, ''It's a unique approach…. It has nothing to do with the pitch. We are just in a very, very difficult year for funding.''...

Miami-Dade officials don't expect lawmakers to give them money based on future results. Instead, they're pointing to past performance…. ''In the business world, the best prediction of future success is past performance,'' Associate Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said. ``The school system is going to its shareholders, providing a report that proves a handsome return and saying you should invest more because the outcomes can be even greater. It's a value proposition.''....

Sen. Alex Villalobos, R-Miami. ''They've tried until they were blue in the face…. It's been ignored in Tallahassee. What Rudy Crew and company did is listen to all the excuses and come up with a plan. I think their argument is bulletproof.''....

Wayne Blanton, President, Florida School Board Association. ''Miami-Dade could be a trendsetter here….  I think it's a good idea. The state wants more accountability, so the more you can measure, the more pleased the Legislature is.''....

Margaret Lofton, Polk County School Board member, Chair, Central Florida School Board Consortium. “That's an interesting concept. If we thought we could get $160 million by promising to do what the state has already asked us to do, we might try it.''....

Tania DeLuzuriaga, Miami Herald, Mar 19.