The Miami-Dade School Board on Friday voted 6-3 to award a $275,000 contract to Alberto Carvalho, capping off what has been a turbulent first month in office for the new superintendent.

The deal represented a small setback for district veteran Carvalho, who had initially negotiated a three-year contract with board Chairman Agustín Barrera. Under the modified version, Carvalho will have less time to prove himself and carry out his agenda.

Typically, reforms in large urban school systems take years.

The same board members who voted against Carvalho last month -- Ana Rivas Logan, Marta Pérez and Renier Diaz de la Portilla -- voted against the contract, too.

But after the vote, Carvalho pledged to work with each of the board members. And many on the board said they, too, were committed to collaboration.

''We need to move this district forward. I'm going to work toward that,'' Diaz de la Portilla said, adding that Carvalho's performance will influence the effectiveness of the board's effort.

The board opted for the two-year pact after controversy arose about the way he was selected -- and a series of e-mails surfaced purporting to show a romantic relationship between Carvalho and a former Miami Herald reporter.

However, Carvalho -- who has denied an improper relationship with the reporter -- said he believes two years are enough for him to make ''considerable headway'' in the district.

''I'm not looking at this as [only] a two-year commitment on my part,'' he said. ``I hope to, over the next two years, demonstrate my capacity to perform the functions of superintendent and see us through what are going to be some difficult economic times.''

Carvalho, 44, began his career as a physics teacher and rose through the ranks to head the district's legislative efforts.

BUMPS IN THE ROAD

He was given the school system's top job on Sept. 10 -- the same day the board finalized a $368,000 buyout deal with former Superintendent Rudy Crew. The board felt pressured to appoint Carvalho immediately; he was offered the top job in Pinellas County that morning.

Shortly after his term began, some members of the community raised questions about the way in which Carvalho had been selected. The board did not take applications or conduct a formal search.

While acting board attorney Luis Garcia said the board did not violate state Government in the Sunshine laws, the board's ethics watchdog group concluded that the board ``violated the principles of fairness and transparency.''

The e-mails created another source of contention, raising questions about his integrity in some board members' minds.

Carvalho, who is married, denied having an affair with former Miami Herald reporter Tania deLuzuriaga. While the e-mails have not been authenticated, they included enough details about deLuzuriaga's life to give them credibility.

DeLuzuriaga, who recently left her job at the Boston Globe, has not commented.

Hundreds of district employees, community activists and parents attended the special board meeting on Friday. About 20 people spoke to the standing-room-only crowd.

''Please do the right thing. I hope that today we put this issue behind us,'' said Maria Garza, who works with a farmworker education group.

Others, including parent Charles Viscito, suggested the School Board slow down.

''I urge you not to engage in a long-term contract with the superintendent unless you are assured in your own heart and mind that these open questions are competely answered,'' said Viscito, who filed a complaint against the way Carvalho was selected.

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