The rush to replace Miami-Dade schools chief Carvalho looks awfully suspicious | Editorial

Obviously, the fix is in, or so it seems.

The rush-rush process laid out Wednesday by the Miami-Dade School Board to select a new superintendent is a stunning dereliction of duty. What are we selecting a building superintendent, or a schools superintendent?

The nine-member board’s most important duty is to find a replacement for Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who has led and elevated the nation’s fourth-largest district onto the national stage, winning an innumerable number of awards, while giving our children a quality education. His last day is Feb. 3, when he’ll leave to head the Los Angeles school district. Ideally, Miami should appoint an interim schools chief to give the board breathing room to conduct a rigorous national search.

However, the majority of the board — with some strong and independent exceptions — decided to cram the process into seven short days, to advertise for candidates and accept applications. No national search is needed, it seems, and no interim will be named, it appears. Please, not so fast.

For most of the Board members, this likely will be the only superintendent they ever select; for many students, teachers and parents, this will be the only leader they’ll know. The selection must be made with extreme care.

But the posted job requirement is simply this: Experience as a classroom teacher, principal and administrator. A master’s degree, although a doctorate, is preferred. And this person must understand South Florida’s diverse community and be knowledgeable of local student needs. That’s it.

Nothing about experience in navigating the political needs of the job, advocating for funding. Nothing about wanting to see the candidates’ metrics for taking a school district to the next higher level academically.

This is a charade. For goodness’ sake, it took nine months and a national search to pick the school system’s auditor.

On Wednesday, Chair Perla Tabares Hantman, who is leading the Board in the effort, Vice Chair Steve Gallon III, Mari Tere Rojas and Lubby Navarro all appeared to be firmly on the same page .“I don’t see the need for a national search, “ Gallon said. Also showing their support for a speedy resolution with their vote were members Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall and Lucia Baez-Geller.

But with their push to get a new superintendent in place they seemed to imply: “We’re never going to find anyone of Carvalho’s caliber, so why even try?” Carvalho, who at the meeting said his job had been “the honor of a lifetime,” stoically watched he proceedings.

Board members who expressed concern at the speed of selecting a new superintendent, like long-time member Marta Pérez, who later described the process to reporters as “a sham,” and newcomers Luisa Santos and Christi Fraga were in the definite minority.

It’s no secret that district insiders think that most board members want a candidate who will do their bidding, a puppet, not a truly strong leader.

This greased-lightning approach will undercut the stature of the ultimate choice in the eyes of the district and the broader community.

That person needs the proper “protection,” able to prove that he or she truly earned this position by fighting their way to the top of the heap of other well-qualified candidates from across the country.

The good people of this community have, time and again, rallied together in emergencies, when under threat. Hurricanes, of course, and most recently, a building collapse. It’s time to rally together and insist the School Board take the time to conduct a transparent national search and get it right.

This perverse search for a new schools chief is an emergency, and we are definitely under threat.

This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 6:00 AM.