Tell us, how do you feel about the search process for Miami-Dade Schools’ new superintendent?

After 14 years at the helm of the fourth-largest school district in the country, Alberto Carvalho announced in December he was leaving the district to become the superintendent in Los Angeles.

The Miami-Dade School Board chose not to name an interim superintendent and instead created a seven-day window in which applicants could apply, a process that led to 16 applicants.

Several groups in the community have said the process has been too short and not transparent enough to hire the next leader of Miami Dade Schools, which has a $7 billion budget, nearly 400 schools and about 335,000 students.

Here are the three finalists vying to become Miami-Dade’s next school superintendent

On Tuesday, the School Board picked three finalists to proceed to the interview stage, in which the public can submit questions to be asked.

The School Board has not set a date yet on when the candidates will be interviewed. The three finalists are Jose Dotres, Rafaela Espinal and Jacob Oliva.

Dotres is a deputy superintendent in Collier County on Florida’s west coast and a former Miami-Dade Schools executive. Espinal has worked with the New York City education department for nearly three decades and has been a regional superintendent there. Oliva is a senior chancellor in the Florida Department of Education and is a former superintendent of Flagler County Schools in northeast Florida.

With only 16 people applying to replace Carvalho, concern heightened about search process

We would like to hear your thoughts on the School Board’s hiring process.

In your opinion, has the process been open, transparent and will lead to the best candidate to lead Miami Dade Schools?

If not, what would you like the School Board to change in how they select a new superintendent?

And what do you think are the challenges a new Miami-Dade schools superintendent will face going forward as schools contend with COVID, learning losses and mental health issues of students that developed during the pandemic?

After tense meeting, Miami-Dade School Board narrows search to three for superintendent

Let us know your thoughts by filling out our submission form below. Nothing you submit will be published without your explicit permission, and a reporter may follow up if they have any questions.