Miami-Dade School Board hires national firm in search for new superintendent

The School Board of Miami-Dade County will lean on a national firm in the search for the district’s next chief.

At Wednesday’s School Board meeting, board members directed the general counselor to negotiate with Hazard, Young & Associates (HYA), one of the largest educational-leadership search firms in the country, to keep within the spending limit of $30,000 to assist Miami-Dade County Public Schools in finding a superintendent.

Jose Dotres has less than a year left as superintendent, as laid out by his contract. His tenure is planned to end on Feb. 14, 2027.

The board recently approved a search process to get candidates who could potentially lead the country’s third-largest school district. The board selected HYA at a May 6 meeting.

“ We will be making the most consequential decision during our tenure” in choosing a new superintendent, said School Board Chairwoman Mari Tere Rojas at a previous meeting about the search. “I know everyone takes this very seriously.”

With nearly 40 years of experience, HYA has undertaken thousands of superintendent searches in recent years nationwide, including in New York, Texas and California. In 2025, the Santa Clara Unified School District in California hired HYA to conduct the search for its superintendent and faced a consulting fee of $39,000, according to The Silicon Valley Voice.

The article also reported the firm was to meet with the community and stakeholders to get input on what they would like in a leader. They did this through in-person events and online through a website and surveys. These steps are also part of the plan that the Miami-Dade County district came up with before it hired HYA.

READ MORE: Miami-Dade school board greenlights plan to find new superintendent

The board’s five-part plan establishes a timeline to follow and directs district staff to execute some steps, including naming the new chief at the start of the new school year and the price tag of the search.

The firm will come up with the list of candidates and finalists, but the board has the final say in the selection.

Financial constraints

The district has been struggling financially. Dwindling enrollment tightened the budget by $89 million halfway through this school year when the purse was already $100 million thinner than last school year.

Members expressed the need to be frugal in this process because of that. The Miami Foundation had offered a grant of up to $50,000 for the search and some members wanted to accept it.

However, others were hesitant.

“ I am very uncomfortable with the optic of accepting money from another outside entity for this decision,” said member Mary Blanco. “I also feel that it is setting a precedent that perhaps could be misconstrued by the public, that there is an outside entity trying to influence, even though there is none.”

Chairwoman Rojas read from a letter that she said was from the foundation: “We do not seek to influence or be involved in the process. That is your responsibility and we understand ensuring the search from outside influence.”

The board did not accept the grant.

This report was produced by Miami Herald news partner WLRN Public Media.