MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The new superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools officially takes the helm on Monday of the nation’s fourth largest school district.
José Dotres, who was appointed by the school board on Jan. 25, mostly recently served as the deputy superintendent in Collier County.
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The 59-year-old veteran educator started his education career in Miami-Dade County Public Schools in 1988 as a teacher and principal before moving into Miami’s Dade district office.
He previously told CBS4 News one of the biggest challenges he’s facing in his new role is combatting learning loss and the need to accelerate learning for kids to help get them to where they need to be academically, all while balancing social, economic and mental health factors.
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“I don’t think it can get anymore complex,” Dotres said of the challenges ahead. “In Miami-Dade the challenge is a great one. It is great because of the many different pockets. The complexity of the city, of the community. And then where some schools lie in the additional resources that are needed,” he said.
“The big, big challenge is making sure that we are on top of and very diligent and making sure we are providing the appropriate instructional strategies and the appropriate instructional supports for students to not only grow academically but in many areas catch up in the learning that they’ve lost.”
Last week, he reached a two-year agreement with the school district and will be paid $370,000 annually.
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He is replacing Alberto Carvalho who is heading to California to lead the Los Angeles Unified School District.
