Frankly, Miami-Dade public schools need a new leader who can do it all | Opinion

As school families reinstate bedtime routines after the holiday break, the omicron variant is top of mind. Education professionals are doing everything they can to maintain healthy learning environments, against the backdrop of a governor who has stripped Florida School Board of its power to keep our students safe.

With Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s departure, we will need a top administrator who leads with logic and makes bold decisions to protect kids’ safety and their educational future.

Miami-Dade County School Board members now face their most important assignment: selecting the new schools chief. It is a decision that will shape the school system, determine the educational framework of 335,000+ students, define the quality of our workforce and shape a generation of children already affected by a pandemic.

Therefore, the selection process must rise to the occasion.

When Superintendent Carvalho took over in 2008, a handful of schools were on the state shutdown list and the district’s graduation rate was an unsatisfactory 60%. And while some elected officials tried to close schools in vulnerable communities, the superintendent helped us keep them open.

Our combined efforts made the county schools rise from obscurity to center stage. Fast forward to 2022 and the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) system is nationally recognized as a top urban school district. Our numerous magnet programs are considered the gold standard and the schools, many in the top 20 statewide, boast a 93% graduation rate. The superintendent has achieved a turnaround that is the envy of urban school districts nationwide, including, the Los Angeles Unified School District.

During Carvalho’s tenure, United Teachers of Dade negotiated with M-DCPS to improve the work environment for education professionals and maximize their benefits. We often butted heads. However, during my exchanges as President, I knew that his focus was on making our school system better, our children smarter and our facilities world class. He also supported our workforce by backing the teacher pay referendum.

That’s why the process to replace Superintendent Carvalho needs to be thoughtful, transparent and must engage the community. Social media has made people more accessible and more aware. Both parents and the teachers want clarity. Importantly, the decision-making process cannot be influenced by outside forces not aligned with our community or by career politicians with partisan agendas who want to control Miami-Dade County.

On Jan. 5, the School Board will meet to set the guidelines and process of the search. We hope they will be guided by underlying principles of good governance and public trust. In that spirit, I offer some characteristics that I believe a successful superintendent of the nation’s fourth-largest school district must have to ensure our schools flourish, our children shine, and faculty and staff excel.

We need an effective leader who understands how to support teachers, develop students and encourage parents. The next superintendent must understand both the school system and the community. They should be someone who has taught in the classroom, held an administrative leadership position in a large school district and brings a track record of stellar academic accomplishments.

The new superintendent must also stand up to cynical politicians and their attempts to defund public education. They must be a defender of public schools against the encroachment of for-profit industries that use taxpayer dollars to fund private scholarships and produce poor outcomes. They should also promote our publicly funded magnet schools, which offer first-rate programs.

We have one of the most complex and diverse school districts in the nation — almost 400 schools, from Miami Gardens to Homestead. The new superintendent must be able to navigate these different worlds effectively.

Finally, the new schools chief needs to be a good steward of the public purse. With a budget of $7 billion, the superintendent will be only second to the county mayor in terms of budget and economic impact on the county. Spending decisions touch everyone from bus drivers to security guards and construction companies (through the $1.2 billion school improvement bond).

We wish the school board well in their task. We stand ready with guidance and will be vigilant alongside fellow community members to ensure the process is open and fair. The stakes are high, and the prosperity of our county is in the balance.

We need to get this right. That is what we owe to ourselves, but, more important, what we owe to the future of Miami-Dade County.

Karla Hernández-Mats is the president of the United Teachers of Dade.