Miami’s new superintendent will get a $173,000 raise when he starts his job Monday
Miami-Dade County Public Schools is one step closer to transitioning to a new superintendent after finalizing a separation agreement with Alberto Carvalho and reaching a $370,000-a-year contract over the next two years with José Dotres.
Carvalho’s superintendency will continue through Sunday and his voluntary resignation will become effective Monday, according to the agreement. Dotres, whom the School Board appointed Jan. 25 to succeed Carvalho, will take over Monday, according to his contract obtained by the Herald Thursday.
When Carvalho was named to lead the district in 2008, he was given a two-year contract and an annual base salary of $275,000. After the board renewed his contract for the fifth time in 2018, his salary increased to $345,000. Most recently, he earned nearly $375,000 annually, according to the district.
Carvalho, 57, is leaving Miami after 14 years as superintendent to head the Los Angeles Unified School District. The School Board there approved a four-year, $440,000 contract in December. His first day in L.A. is Monday.
Dotres, 59, too, is getting a big bump in his salary. In Collier County, where he was the deputy superintendent, Dotres earned a salary of $197,000. Prior to Dotres joining Collier County Schools last February, he had been Miami-Dade Schools’ Chief Human Capital Officer. In that position, he made an annual salary of $191,538.
What’s in Dotres’ contract?
After Dotres’ appointment last month, the School Board granted Chairwoman Perla Tabares Hantman authority to negotiate the terms of Dotres’ contract. Both parties reached an agreement Wednesday, Taberes Hantman told the Herald Thursday.
Dotres was expected to begin Friday, but after the agreements with both the outgoing and incoming superintendents were finalized, his start date was moved until Monday, she said.
Dotres’ contract will continue through Feb. 14, 2024, and will last for two years, a time frame some board members in recent discussions disagreed on.
At issue was if the board should offer a two- or three-year contract. While some members, including Vice Chair Steve Gallon III, lobbied for a three-year contract, other board members, such as Lubby Navarro and Marta Pérez, argued against providing a contract that extended past his enrollment in the DROP program, the deferred retirement option program. His participation in the program is up in two years.
When his enrollment in the program — and his contract — is up, however, his term will “automatically be extended to June 30, 2024” if Dotres provides written proof to the board by November 2023 that he has extended his participation in DROP and that the extension “has been approved and granted” by the Florida Retirement System, the contract states.
Moreover, Dotres “shall have the option to rescind or voice his participation in DROP” should he see fit, according to the contract.
Dotres’ contract also calls for a monthly supplement of $900 to cover expenses related to travel, attending meetings and functions required of the superintendent. The board will also provide Dotres with a car and a cellphone.
Carvalho’s separation agreement
Typical with separation agreements, an employer is expected to pay the outgoing employee a lump sum of unused time, such as vacation or sick days. Carvalho’s departure is no different.
The School Board agreed to pay the sum of Carvalho’s accrued sick and vacation pay no later than 60 days after his final day of employment, according to the contract. No financial amount was included in the agreement, but Hantman confirmed Carvalho would be compensated for any unused personal time once the total amount was calculated by HR.
Carvalho has been with the district since 1990, starting as a teacher at Miami Jackson High when he was 25, so he could have a substantial amount of accrued time.
In Broward County, the School Board last year approved former Superintendent Robert Runcie’s separation agreement, which included a $754,900 severance.
Also included in the agreement is Carvalho’s vehicle, a 2017 Chevy Tahoe, which he will keep. That’s because the board failed to meet its obligation to provide the superintendent with a new car every two years, according to the contract.
Instead of providing him with a payment “equaling the actual amount of these benefits ... and as monetary compensation for these outstanding benefits,” the board will “transfer the title of the automobile” to the superintendent.
Carvalho’s final days in Miami
During the last few weeks, Carvalho has attended events and visited schools to say goodbye to students and staff. On Wednesday during his final School Board meeting, many community members from across Miami came to offer the same to him.
Leaders from nonprofit organizations to elected officials wished him well and thanked him for his more than 30 years of service in the district and his continued support and partnership. In return, Carvalho thanked them.
“Thank you for teaching me,” he said. “I am the man I am today because of all of you in this room, and those who spoke earlier. I am a better leader because of what I’ve learned from you.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 7:25 PM.
