A new Miami schools superintendent starts Friday. He still doesn’t have a signed contract.
Days before incoming Superintendent José Dotres is expected to begin his tenure on Friday as Miami-Dade Public Schools’ chief executive, a contract for how he’ll do so, what he’ll be paid and under what circumstances has yet to be finalized.
Chairwoman Perla Tabares Hantman, whom the School Board granted authority to negotiate the terms of the agreement, declined to comment Tuesday on the status of the contract discussions but told the Herald the agreement would be finalized by the end of the week.
On Tuesday, a special board meeting was called for 11 a.m. Friday — Dotres’ supposed first day — to discuss “matters related to the position of superintendent.”
Dotres’ contract is one of two agreements that remain unresolved as Dotres takes over the top job from Alberto Carvalho, who has been superintendent for the past 14 years.
Despite announcing his departure from Miami-Dade Schools two months ago on Dec. 9, no separation agreement for Carvalho had been completed as of Tuesday. The Los Angeles Unified School District, where Carvalho is heading, approved a four-year, $440,000 contract in December.
Nevertheless, an agreement could be finalized at the School Board’s meeting Wednesday, as was done in Broward County. The Broward County School Board last year approved at a special meeting then-Superintendent Robert Runcie’s separation agreement, which included a $754,900 severance package.
Runcie stepped down after being indicted and charged with lying to a statewide grand jury. He pleaded not guilty.
Carvalho’s final day in Miami was set for Feb. 3, though he agreed he could remain through Monday, Feb. 14. Wednesday will be his last regular School Board meeting.
Concerns about Dotres’ pay, DROP program
Friday’s special meeting will come more than one week after some board members raised concerns regarding Dotres’ proposed contract.
The first issue involved Dotres’ salary. Board member Mari Tere Rojas suggested a salary range of $335,000 to $365,000, while Vice Chair Steve Gallon III proposed a salary range of $359,000 to $387,000.
In Collier County, where he is the deputy superintendent, Dotres earns a salary of $197,000. Collier County Public Schools, which includes Naples, has a student population of around 48,000, a fraction of Miami-Dade’s 334,000 students.
When he left Miami-Dade last year as the district’s Chief Human Capital Officer, Dotres’ annual salary was $191,538.
Board member Marta Pérez was opposed to the salary ranges, claiming they were too high for a first-time superintendent.
“We should be very cautious with taxpayer money,” Pérez said. “Our current superintendent was hired for $275,000 and I think it would be fair to start off a new superintendent with that and (adjust) for inflation.”
Moreover, she said, it’s more than what the current superintendent makes. (Carvalho’s salary is $345,000.)
The second issue was Dotres’ term length: While the majority of board members supported a three-year contract, others, such as Lubby Navarro and Pérez, argued against doing so, citing his enrollment in the DROP program, the deferred retirement option program. His enrollment in the program is up in two years.
Dotres, who began his career with Miami-Dade Schools in 1988 as a teacher and reading coach at Frederick Douglass Elementary School in Overtown and South Pointe Elementary in South Beach, is 59.
Issue of where Dotres lives
The issue of Dotres’ residency and his decision to live in Broward County, not Miami-Dade, was also a point in question. Echoing concerns raised during his interview, some board members said it was imperative for the district’s leader to live in Miami-Dade County.
Even some community leaders, such as Miami-Dade County Commissioner Rene García, are urging Dotres to live in Miami Dade.
Other board members, however, argued the provision wasn’t included in the job description and requiring it now would be unfair to the incoming superintendent.
Still, on Tuesday, one week after the discussion, Gallon told the Herald he’s confident in the leadership, experience and skill of the chairwoman in negotiating an agreement.
“The expressed will of the board during prior discussions was clearly to have these matters resolved in an amicable and timely manner, which has been consistently identified as Feb. 11,” Gallon said. Resolving the agreements, he said, “clearly closes one chapter of district leadership and begins a new (one).”
This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 7:26 PM.
