Miami-Dade Public Schools (M-DCPS) has a new superintendent. Dr. Jose Dotres is now head of the nation’s fourth-largest school district. The Miami-Dade School Board members voted 6-3 to appoint Dotres during a special meeting on Monday, January 24.
A product of Miami-Dade’s public schools, Dotres began his educational career as a teacher and reading coach in 1988 at Frederick Douglass and South Pointe elementary schools. He then spent five years as the assistant principal at one of the district’s first K-8 Centers, M.A. Milam K-8 Center. In 2000, he became principal of Hialeah Gardens Elementary, where he established an extensive and successful inclusion program for students with autism. He served as administrator, region director, and region Superintendent for the next eight years.
“Dr. Dotres is a committed educator with more than 30 years of extensive experience in multiple leadership roles encompassing the school site, region, and district office levels at M-DCPS,” the district said in a statement Monday night.
Dr. Dotres spent a year in Broward County Public Schools as a chief academic officer. In 2014, he returned to M-DCPS as the Superintendent’s Chief of Staff. A year later, he transitioned to Chief Human Capital Officer.
Dr. Jose Dotres has served as deputy superintendent of Collier County Public Schools for the past nine months.
The school board gave potential new superintendents one week to apply for the job and received 16 applicants, which was whittled down to three finalists last week.
The other finalists were Jacob Oliva, who works for the Florida Department of Education as the chancellor for the division of public schools, and Dr. Rafaela Espinal, an assistant superintendent in the New York City public school system.
The incoming Superintendent will replace Alberto M. Carvalho, who has led M-DCPS for the last 14 years. Carvalho will leave for his new job as Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District on February 3.
