Miami-Dade County has a new superintendent, Rafael Villalobos, who was appointed by the Miami-Dade County School Board to succeed the retiring Jose Dotres. Villalobos, who currently serves under Dotres as the South Area Superintendent, gave his first in-depth interview since accepting the job at South Miami Senior High School, his alma mater.

Challenges Ahead

Villalobos acknowledged that his task is to maintain the district’s successful run of seven straight “A” grades. When asked about the pressure to keep the district moving in that successful trajectory, Villalobos said, “First and foremost, I’m grateful to Dr. Dotres and the work he has committed to his entire career as well. I’ve lived my entire career making sure that we did what was right by children first in every single school because if we do that and we keep that at the forefront, we cannot fail.”

Villalobos also discussed the challenge of maintaining excellence with fewer dollars to devote to the cause. He explained that state funding is dependent on the number of students enrolled and that the district needs to start looking at how to right-size the district. Villalobos said that underenrolled schools cannot offer the same opportunities as schools that have robust student populations.

Support for Teachers and Families

Villalobos urged voters to pass the next referendum to boost teacher salaries, saying that it’s crucial for teachers to be able to survive and live in Miami-Dade County. He also encouraged immigrant families to send their kids to school, saying that the district has resources and support systems in place to help them.

Original reporting: NBC6 Miami — read the source article.