Miami-Dade’s next school superintendent cannot be a competitor of public education | Opinion

Public school ally

In his Jan. 29 online Miami Herald op-ed, “The education that shaped me: Finding a new Miami-Dade superintendent is personal,” Jaret L. Davis makes important points about the need for transparency in selecting our next public schools superintendent. He is right that this decision is deeply personal for our community and that trusting the process matters.

Transparency alone is not enough. As the district prepares for the search, two principles must be non-negotiable: the candidate should not be a stakeholder in, or competitor with, traditional public schools. Also, parents must have a meaningful role beyond limited public comment at a school board workshop. When a candidate is closely tied to charter networks, private education ventures, or organizations competing with public schools for students and funding, the conflict is not theoretical; it is structural.

I am a graduate of Miami-Dade’s public schools and a parent of two children enrolled in traditional public schools, one of whom receives services through the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) program. I benefited from the district’s classrooms. Now, I depend on them to meet the needs of my own children.

Public schools are the only institutions legally and morally obligated to serve every child, including students with disabilities, students learning English, students experiencing housing instability and students whose needs are costly and complex. Families like mine do not have the luxury of treating education as a consumer choice experiment. We depend on leadership that understands public schools as a public good.

Miami-Dade deserves a superintendent whose sole allegiance is to the public school system and the children it serves. Families rely daily on public schools and deserve a meaningful voice in that decision.

Lissette Fernandez,

co-founder,

Moms for Libros,

Miami

Midwest courage

The people of Minneapolis proudly and bravely protest en masse in the freezing cold, every step upholding democratic principles that have united us as a nation for 250 years — until now. Spiritually, they embody religious and empathic imperatives to care for all children, the meek and strangers in our land. As Americans, they have rekindled the spirit of democracy in all 50 states, that embodies our love of country and civil rights, including our constitutional guarantees of free speech, freedom of assembly, right to privacy and right to representation.

The people in Minneapolis come together demonstrating their power, not as “domestic terrorists,” but as protectors of our country’s values, assembling peacefully and acting to rid our nation of cruel and uncaring forces threatening the freedoms we built and defended throughout our history.

Minneapolis affords no leader and his minions the power to break democratic traditions that unify us. With Minneapolis as our vanguard, the United States has shown its strength and resolve to assure our democracy survives.

Citizen protests throughout the nation have earned respect and support from other countries, whose people are also marching in their streets in support of the democratic movement in the United States and against kings and authoritarian rule everywhere. Minneapolis is the international bellwether for advocacy in the face of cruel and threatening conditions. Its citizens are relentless in protecting American democracy and speaking up when people and their rights are trampled upon.

These citizens’ exercise of courage reminds all Americans that our country’s democracy is precious, fragile and worth protecting. Next year’s Nobel Peace Prize could find no more deserving home than in the city of Minneapolis.

Holly Zwerling,

Philip Stoddard,

Miami

Tax relief

Entirely eliminating property taxes would be a dream come true, but how realistic are these promises by our governor and legislators?

Instead of raising our hopes, they should be addressing solutions to the budget deficits this would cause. Perhaps they should consider these realistic suggestions for property tax relief:

• An additional tax exemption for all properties (homestead and non-homestead) of $50,000. This could be an economic relief exemption.

• Reduce property taxes by 80% for all those who have been paying homesteaded property taxes for more than 10 years.

• Reduce property taxes for people over 65 by 90% on all homestead and non-homesteaded properties.

• Prohibit local and state government from reducing funding for all basic services.

Florida should continue being the safest state, with the best services and schools. This is why we elected the governor and legislators: to find practical solutions to such conundrums.

Analise Briscenti,

Miami

European view

For decades, Americans have earned the respect of Europe — from liberating us from fascism (Nazism) to founding NATO, which brought our continent its longest period of peace. The United States once stood firmly for values that placed the individual, justice, responsibility and service at the center of public life.

Today, however, many Americans appear to feel left behind, unheard and disconnected from the promise of the American Dream. Europe knows from painful history how such frustration can be manipulated, with tragic consequences.

Yet, I also see hope: Americans who speak out, defend democratic institutions and refuse to surrender their rights. That courage matters — not only for the U.S., but for all who believe in democracy and human dignity. Our continents remain strongest when we act as partners, not rivals.

The world needs an America that is confident, just, self-critical and free. Many of us across the Atlantic still believe in that America.

Patrick Verlende,

Sleidinge, East-Flanders,

Belgium

Stunted report

Re: the Feb. 5 Miami Herald editorial, “Florida DOGE report could be helpful if it weren’t such a political stunt.” I appreciate the editorial board taking the report to task. When I first read the article about the report, my thoughts were similar to the board: a political stunt with political jabs. As a cyclist, I was shocked with the comment about money being spent on bike-ways because they’re rarely used. If only DOGE people were intelligent. Obviously, they are just political hacks.

While there may be one or two factual matters that could be helpful in future budgeting, this DOGE report is mostly junk and should go into the waste bin.

Gary P. Simon,

Pinecrest

Political hero

When Minnesota Republican Chris Madel dropped out of his state’s 2026 governor’s race, he said “I can’t look my daughters in the eye and say I’m running as a Republican, when [ICE agents] are pulling over Hispanics and Asians because of the color of their skin. I did not sign up for that.”

I wonder what Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and the rest of Donald Trump’s enablers will tell their children about who they were when it mattered.

Madel made certain he wouldn’t have to explain himself at all.

Ossie Hanauer,

Kendall

Fixing higher ed

Excellent commentary by Frederic J. Fransen in his Jan. 30 op-ed in the online Miami Herald, “US higher education can be saved, if…”

He explains in detail the reasons today’s higher education is in such disarray and how to fix the problem.

Marilin Rodon,

Coral Gables

Repelling reptiles

During the recent cold snap, Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wanted us to trap cold-stunned iguanas and place them in cloth sacks, allowing the iguanas to breathe.

What was FWC going to do with those invasive creatures once we handed them over?

I envision federal-state cooperation. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ FWC hands over the iguanas to Trump’s ICE, which then deports the creatures to their native countries, thereby helping America get rid of even more illegal immigrants.

Leo Bueno,

Coral Gables