‘Absolute clown show’ vs. ‘fair and transparent.’ How people view superintendent search
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Down to three
Jose Dotres, Rafaela Espinal and Jacob Oliva are the finalists to be Miami-Dade Schools superintendent, and the vote could come Monday.
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The School Board earlier this month agreed it would select Miami-Dade School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s successor before his last day in Miami Feb. 3.
To make that deadline, it set a seven-day application window and a selection process that is expected to last fewer than two weeks.
The School Board is meeting in a special session at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 24, to interview the three finalists and vote on the one they want to be the next leader of Miami-Dade Public Schools, a $7 billion entity with more than 17,000 teachers and nearly 335,000 students.
The pushback about the process has been swift among parents, teachers and community leaders, calling the board’s effort rushed and not transparent. Some suggested the board already had a preferred successor in mind to oversee the nation’s fourth-largest school district, which is facing multiple challenges.
Others, however, say they trust the School Board’s process has been fair and transparent.
From the search’s onset, the Herald has asked community leaders about the process and reported their opinions and concerns. Here, then, are their comments, along with statements from those who responded to a Herald query asking readers to submit their thoughts about the search process.
“The board wanted Jose Dotres from the beginning. It’s not a real search. [I would have liked to] have an actual national search allowing a search firm to assist in vetting candidates and finding the best qualified superintendent, not someone chosen by nepotism.” Mary Gonzalez, MDCPS parent
“The process had been fair & transparent.” M.L. Rodriguez, community member
The search has been “a plug and play. I’m embarrassed the board wants to have a superintendent in place in seven days. That means you don’t want someone really qualified, that means you want someone you’re comfortable with.” Larry Williams, board chair of Miami Northwestern Alumni and chairman of ICARE, Inner City Alumni for Responsible Education
“I would have preferred for the appointment of an interim superintendent. That would give the district time to cast a wide net. I think that a national search would yield the best candidate.” Jennifer Sando, MDCPS parent
“In my honest opinion, the selection process seems rushed and not transparent. We are looking for a person that is going to be our leader. They should take their time even if they have a temporary superintendent.” Dayana Bolivar, MDCPS employee/staff
“I’d describe it as ‘Miami’ — an absolute clown show. Total sham. It’s not so bad they have a predetermined outcome. Jose Dotres may be great; it’s that they blatantly lie about it.” Richard DeLizza, community member
“I feel a new leader needs to be selected expeditiously. The District is too large and complex and we are in a season of so much uncertainty to be without competent, capable leadership.” Shirley Watson, MDCPS employee/staff
“It is an insult to the process to think that we can recruit a top notch national education leader in such a short period of time. It is a disservice to the three top candidates because a cloud of doubt will always hang over them. Carvalho has elevated our district to such a high level and a national search with a reasonable timeline is the absolute right thing to do.” Karen Rivo, community member
“Today felt like a slap in the face. Today demonstrated it’s not our will, it’s [the board’s] will and we have to sit back and watch what happens.” Mina Hosseini, executive director of P.S. 305
“Rushed to the point of appearing preordained. No one ignores public criticism and clamoring for involvement like this unless there is a very strong self-serving reason. It is like a kid trying to hide the fact that he has a hand in the cookie jar.” Bill Blas, community member
“It doesn’t look like top tier candidates are being considered for MDCPS. Can’t we attract a big city school district superintendent that would welcome the opportunity MDCPS would offer? Perhaps the short window of time precluded those prospective, experienced and qualified candidates from applying.” David Dainer-Best, community member
The board’s plan is the “greatest miscarriage of responsibility I’ve seen in a long time.” T. Willard Fair, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Miami
“We are still trying to find qualified teachers five months into the school year, but a seven-day search is good enough to find the next superintendent of the nation’s fourth-largest school district?” Russ Rywell, a teacher at Miami Beach Senior High and former District 3 School Board candidate
“The process was suspect and not in the best interest of Miami Dade County. Other qualified candidates both internal and external were excluded simply based on the process chosen. This does not pass the smell test.” Joseph Gatlin, community member
“Too quick. Not enough time to attract national candidates. However, the speed of the process may prevent undue influence from state officials.” Amy Lund, MDCPS parent
“A travesty! Far too little time to attract a broad range of talented candidates from across the nation. The glaring lack of diversity among the applicants makes this limitation clear.” Louise Davidson-Schmich, UM professor who studies gender and political careers
This story was originally published January 23, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "‘Absolute clown show’ vs. ‘fair and transparent.’ How people view superintendent search."
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