E-mails provided by the Miami-Dade school district appear to show that a former Miami Herald reporter was helping Schools Chief Alberto Carvalho prepare for an interview for the top schools job in Pinellas County as recently as this past August.

Another e-mail appears to cast doubt on their alleged romantic relationship.

Carvalho could not be reached for comment late Wednesday. Former Miami Herald reporter Tania deLuzuriaga did not return calls seeking comment.

Carvalho, 44, was named superintendent Sept. 10.

He was offered the top job in Pinellas County on the same day but declined.

Shortly thereafter, a set of e-mails surfaced purporting to show a romantic relationship between him and deLuzuriaga. Those e-mails have not been authenticated, but some provide details about deLuzuriaga's life that give them credibility.

Carvalho has denied having a romantic relationship with deLuzuriaga, who covered Dade schools for the paper and left The Miami Herald in September 2007 for The Boston Globe.

In a public-records request, The Miami Herald asked for all of Carvalho's e-mail correspondence with deLuzuriaga from 2007.

District officials on Monday said they could access e-mails only that Carvalho had saved. There is none between Carvalho and deLuzuriaga, officials said.

The school district did, however, provide a snapshot of Carvalho's electronic mailbox as of Sept. 17, 2008.

Included were four e-mails apparently from deLuzuriaga, one of which was sent on the day Carvalho was named superintendent.

DeLuzuriaga allegedly wrote that she had received a phone call from ''someone at the school district'' alerting her to the romantic e-mails.

''I had no idea what the person was talking about and am pretty upset,'' deLuzuriaga purportedly wrote. ``It sounds as if some one [sic] is creating coorespondence [sic] to hurt you (and me).''

She continued: ``Do you know anything about this? Please get to the bottom of this. . . .''

In the other e-mails, dated Aug. 25, 2008, deLuzuriaga appears to give Carvalho information about Pinellas County schools.

Carvalho interviewed in Pinellas that week.

The Miami-Dade School Board will take up Carvalho's $275,000 contract on Friday.

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