Jose Dotres can show his commitment to Miami-Dade Public Schools by living here | Opinion

Now that the School Board has selected a new superintendent, Jose Dotres, for the sake our students and community, we must work with him to ensure school district continues to offer the highest quality education for all students in Miami-Dade County. The future of our community depends on it.

Nevertheless, this appointment should raise some concerns.

As the School Board negotiates a contract with Dotres, it should require a permanent residency/homestead in Miami-Dade County as a stipulation of employment. As the appointed educational leader for our county’s 345,000 students, parents, and employees, it is critical that the superintendent be authentically invested in and integrated into the community. While residency is not a statutory requirement, it should be understood as an ethical obligation for the leader of community’s schools. Living as a member of the community ensures access and visibility to parents, business leaders and important stakeholder groups.

Having a true understanding of the needs of our children and their parents requires firsthand knowledge and relationships that can only be built through shared experiences. Living alongside the men, women and children that make up the vibrant fabric of Miami-Dade would allow the new superintendent to lead with an intimate understanding of our children’s needs that simply cannot be gained by a daily commute from the neighboring county.

Much of the success that outgoing Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has had can be attributed to his longevity in the position. This afforded him the ability to implement long-term educational programs with time to evaluate their efficacy and fine-tune them over time. Sadly, as a result of the School Board’s decision to appoint Dotres, it potentially has selected an interim superintendent for only a maximum of two years. Dotres, while no doubt a competent educator, is enrolled in the state’s Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP), which requires the employee to leave service no later than 60 months after entering the program. By Dotres’ own admission during his School Board interview, he would be required to vacate this superintendency no later than June 2024 or forego his retirement payment. Unfortunately, this represents a tenure much too short to see the outcomes of any new initiatives.

School Board members have every right to appoint the superintendent who they feel will best serve their needs. I hope that Dotres will prove his commitment to Miami-Dade County Public Schools by living within the district’s boundaries. Should he accept this invitation to join our community, we must do all we can to support his term as our School District leader. After all, his success as a leader will pave the way for the success of our children.

Rene García represents District 13 on the Miami Dade County Commission.