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After tense meeting, Miami-Dade School Board narrows search to three for superintendent

Sommer Brugal
·4 min read

Miami-Dade County School District’s next superintendent will be either Jose Dotres, Rafaela Espinal or Jacob Oliva.

After a more than five-hour meeting, where members debated contentiously how to best move forward and whether additional interviews were necessary, the School Board Tuesday agreed it would hold another special meeting to interview the three finalists for the superintendent’s post in a public setting. Following the interviews, the board will appoint the district’s next leader.

No date has been set for the special meeting, but the board did agree it would:

▪ Require candidates to provide opening and closing statements

▪ Instruct candidates to relinquish their ability to listen to other candidates’ interviews

▪ Provide no more than three questions to each candidate from each of the nine board members

▪ Invite district stakeholders to submit questions to the candidates, which would be vetted

Miami-Dade Public Schools board member Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall attends a special meeting held at the board’s headquarters in downtown Miami on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. The meeting, which was held to decide Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s replacement, concluded with the board picking three finalists from the initial pool of 16 applicants.
Miami-Dade Public Schools board member Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall attends a special meeting held at the board’s headquarters in downtown Miami on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. The meeting, which was held to decide Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s replacement, concluded with the board picking three finalists from the initial pool of 16 applicants.

Dotres, Espinal or Oliva will replace Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who announced last month he was leaving after 14 years to head the Los Angeles Unified School District. Miami-Dade is the nation’s fourth-largest school district with a $7 billion budget and nearly 400 schools and 335,000 students. Carvalho’s last day in Miami is Feb. 3.

‘Very emotional moment.’ Carvalho on leaving Miami and challenges ahead for school district

Dotres is the deputy superintendent of Collier County Public Schools, which includes Naples. Before taking that post last year, he was a longtime employee of Miami-Dade Schools, including teacher, principal, Carvalho’s chief of staff and the district’s HR chief. Espinal has more than 28 years with the New York City Department of Education, including serving as one of its regional superintendents in the Bronx. Oliva is senior chancellor for the Florida Department of Education and had been superintendent of Flagler County Schools in northeast Florida.

To read more about the three finalists for Miami-Dade Schools superintendent, click here

Sixteen candidates applied for the job. Two candidates withdrew their application after the deadline closed, officials said Tuesday.

Miami-Dade Public Schools board Chair Perla Tabares Hantman, left, talks with Vice Chair Dr. Steve Gallon III during a special meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. The board decided at the meeting to pick three finalists for the school superintendent job.
Miami-Dade Public Schools board Chair Perla Tabares Hantman, left, talks with Vice Chair Dr. Steve Gallon III during a special meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. The board decided at the meeting to pick three finalists for the school superintendent job.

Not all in favor of a public interview

At issue for the majority of Tuesday’s discussion was the need to interview the candidates publicly.

Board member Lubby Navarro — who proposed the board interview top candidates publicly — denounced criticisms saying the search process has lacked transparency, but said interviewing candidates in a public environment enables members to hear each other’s questions and examine candidates’ responses and allows for public participation.

Miami-Dade Public Schools board member Mari Tere Rojas speaks during a special meeting at the board’s headquarters in Miami on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. The meeting, which was held to decide Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s replacement, concluded with the board narrowing the field to three finalists.
Miami-Dade Public Schools board member Mari Tere Rojas speaks during a special meeting at the board’s headquarters in Miami on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. The meeting, which was held to decide Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s replacement, concluded with the board narrowing the field to three finalists.

With only 16 people applying to replace Carvalho, concern heightened about search process

Board member Mari Tere Rojas also called for a public interview setting: “I need to give everyone the opportunity, as we proceed through an open, fair and transparent process, [...] to respond to specific questions [and] take a much deeper dive than the conversation I had with these individuals.”

Miami-Dade Public Schools Vice Chair Dr. Steve Gallon III speaks during a special meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. The meeting, which was held to decide Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s replacement, concluded with three candidates being chosen as finalists from the initial pool of 16 applicants.
Miami-Dade Public Schools Vice Chair Dr. Steve Gallon III speaks during a special meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. The meeting, which was held to decide Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s replacement, concluded with three candidates being chosen as finalists from the initial pool of 16 applicants.

For his part, Vice Chair Steve Gallon III was opposed to the concept. A public interview “creates more liability and exposure for the candidate and for the board,” he said. “It appears we’re moving the goal post.”

Gallon spoke with and vetted qualified candidates prior to Tuesday’s meeting and came prepared to discuss the top candidates and choose the next leader.

Miami schools attract 16 candidates for superintendent post being vacated by Carvalho

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“I know what I know,” Gallon said. “And if five of us know enough about where we are, why create a platform or give an appearance of input” in the selection process. At one point, Gallon nominated Dotres to be the next leader, but rescinded his measure after board members criticized him for attempting to bypass a process the majority already had agreed on.

Nevertheless, despite upcoming interviews, Gallon said his position was unlikely to change.

Miami-Dade Public Schools board member Christi Fraga speaks during a special meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. The meeting, which was held to decide Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s replacement, concluded with the board narrowing the field to three finalists among the initial 16 applicants.
Miami-Dade Public Schools board member Christi Fraga speaks during a special meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. The meeting, which was held to decide Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s replacement, concluded with the board narrowing the field to three finalists among the initial 16 applicants.

Questions about process, interim superintendent

Since the board’s meeting earlier this month, members of the public have criticized the board’s search and selection process. Many have cited a rushed timeline that included only a seven-day window for candidates to apply. Others, including some board members, questioned why an interim superintendent couldn’t be named, a standard procedure for many districts when they hire a new superintendent.

While board members Tuesday defended the process, Chairperson Perla Tabares Hantman said the board’s decision to forgo naming an interim superintendent was because Deputy Superintendent Jaime Torrens declined to do so.

Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho talks with Dr. Marta Pérez during a special meeting held at the School Board’s headquarters in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. The meeting, which was held to decide Carvalho’s replacement, concluded with the board narrowing the field to three finalists.
Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho talks with Dr. Marta Pérez during a special meeting held at the School Board’s headquarters in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. The meeting, which was held to decide Carvalho’s replacement, concluded with the board narrowing the field to three finalists.

Who will replace Carvalho? Several mentioned, including current, former district leaders

“There’s so many misconceptions that are false,” she said, “but this is the real reason why I have not recommended an interim superintendent.” It’s unknown why Torrens, who has been with the district since 1985 but is eligible for retirement, rejected the position.

In Broward County, the Broward School Board hired Vickie Cartwright as interim superintendent in July to replace Robert Runcie, who stepped down last year after being indicted and charged with lying to a statewide grand jury. (Runcie has pleaded not guilty.)

While the School Board in October had an opportunity to name her as the permanent leader, it declined to do so because the process felt rushed. Board members at the time said they wanted to ensure community input.