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…