Dedicated long-time Miami-Dade school board member Perla Tabares Hantman dies at 88
Perla Tabares Hantman, a long-time Miami-Dade County school board member known as a tough-as-nails yet compassionate leader with an uncompromising commitment to education, died Tuesday from natural causes at the University of Miami Hospital. She was 88.
Hantman was the first Hispanic woman to serve as school board chair.
Hantman served on the school board for 26 years, and as chair 14 times, where she was known for running very strict and efficient meetings. She represented District 4 which includes the communities of Miami Lakes, much of Hialeah and Hialeah Gardens.
Jose Dotres, the current superintendent of schools in Miami-Dade, recalls how persistent and capable Hantman was, leading the district with professionalism through challenging times, including the pandemic and the height of the culture wars.
When Hantman found out some students had difficulties seeing the board and needed glasses, she created a program for all students to get eye exams. When there were issues with students walking to school safely, she secured over $18 million in federal funding for infrastructure projects to create safe routes to school.
“She is one of these very few individuals that are able to turn a no into a yes,” said Dotres.
A proud Republican and fiscal conservative, she was well-loved by colleagues of all political affiliations, known for using her humor and wit to diffuse tense situations, and was unafraid to take bold and unexpected positions. Her late husband Arnold Hantman, who her children describe as loving and supportive, was a Democrat.
In 2022, when the Miami-Dade County Schools rejected new sex education textbooks after an outcry from parents, Hantman eventually changed her vote, which allowed the district to ultimately adopt the materials.
“It was a politically unpopular position to take,” said District 1 board member Steve Gallon.
“I think her ability to be reflective, when it comes to things that will affect children, moves things to a better place,” he added.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava says she admired Hantman for her ability to compassionately navigate political differences in a civil manner.
“I saw her as someone very caring and very judicious and balanced,” said Levine Cava.
Marcos Moran, assistant/region superintendent for the school district, said she was known for coming into the school board building to work even during spring break when the district was off.
“She was just so determined to get things done that she did not mind sacrificing her time or her efforts to get things done,” said Moran.
Former Miami-Dade superintendent Alberto Carvahlo said Hantman was a dear friend, and that he remembers her wit, passion and irreverent spirit.
“I will never forget the time the future king and queen of Spain visited Coral Way K-8 and a royal aide tried to assign a seat to Perla and she quietly whispered that while Prince Felipe and Letecia would one day become king and queen of Spain with their rightful thrones, she was the chair and as such she would pick her chair,” he said over text message.
One of her many accomplishments was starting a college fair at Miami Dade College for high school students to get more information about continuing their education. The fair is now named in her honor. This year’s college fair will take place on Sunday, March 9. The plan was to have Hantman at the fair this year for a ribbon cutting.
Mari Tere Rojas, the current chair of the Miami-Dade school board, said it will be tough to be at this year’s fair without her.
Loving but strict
Hantman was not only dedicated to the children of Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
She was a mother of four, a grandmother to eight, and great grandmother to six.
“Our house was a little bit like school board meetings. She was tough, demanding, high expectations and perfectionist, and her children were everything,” said her son Michael Hantman, now a partner at Holland and Knight law firm.
Her children say Hantman instilled in all of them the importance of working hard to achieve your goals, as well as the power of education.
“She never believed in excuses. You get it done, or you don’t get it done,” said her son.
School board chair Rojas said that Hantman would boast about her children and grandchildren, always sharing their accomplishments. The two would talk about work, but would also chat for hours about their grandchildren and family vacations. They would also discuss the importance of continuing to prioritize family while pursuing their careers.
“She was a very elegant lady, very classy, with a lot of grace and integrity and she set a standard of leadership,” said Rojas.
As a mother, Hantman was described as loving but strict. “She was never the mom that got you out of trouble in school,” said Michael Hantman.
“She gave us all a sense of fending for ourselves from a young age, not thinking we had some safety net,” he added.
But as strict as she was, she still made things fun for her family, he said.
When the family was on a trip in London, the hotel’s room-service server came to the room. Hantman commented about his name tag and asked how to pronounce his unusual name. “Is it ‘Reecharee,’” she innocently asked. He responded: “No, Ma’am. It’s Richard.” The room erupted in laughter.
From Havana to Miami
Hantman was born and raised in Havana, Cuba, to Carlos and Gilda Tabares. Her father Carlos was an OBGYN and her mother was a homemaker.
Her son says she was described by her father as “very independent in her thinking,” and was always considered mature for her age.
The family was well-to-do, and Hantman went to school in Havana, learning English, German, French and Italian.
Her father had a limited vision of what women could accomplish in life, but Hantman could not be deterred.
She started college at the University of Havana, but Hantman left Cuba on a freedom flight to Miami alongside her parents, her aunt and her two young children two years after Fidel Castro came to power.
She spent a few years in Miami, then a few years in Mexico where she worked for the United States Embassy, and then came back to the United States. In Miami, she finished her education at Barry University. As a young professional, she served in the U.S. Foreign Service.
Hantman got her start in public service in part because she lived across the golf course in Miami Lakes from former U.S. Senator Bob Graham.
Hantman’s children say that Graham saw how capable Hantman was and helped her get appointed to the Florida Board of Medicine, and later to the Florida Board of Regents, now known as the Board of Governors, the committee that oversees the state public university system.
Later in her life as a school board member and chair of the school board, she was a huge proponent of bilingual education and also celebrated the Independence of Cuba on May 20. Every year, she would attend the celebration and performance at Milam K-8 Center in Hialeah, and the school would honor her.
Until the end, Hantman was committed to living her life to its fullest. Just one week before her death, she got dressed up in one of her sharpest suits and left home to meet with her lawyers.
“She is the inspiration for the family, she’s been very strong and a pillar of strength for everybody,” said her eldest daughter Alina Van Katwyk. “We were so proud of her,” she added.
Hantman is survived by her four children Alina Van Katwyk, Francis Baguer, Michael Hantman, and Claudia Arko, her eight grandchildren, and her six great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister Miriam.
This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 5:36 PM.
