WE NEED A SUPERINTENDENT WHO LEADS

The Miami-Dade School Board is about to make one of the most important decisions in its history. Choosing the next superintendent isn’t just filling a vacancy. It’s selecting the person who will lead the nation’s third-largest school district at a time when our public schools face enormous challenges and even greater opportunities.

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This is not the time to play it safe. Miami-Dade doesn’t need another caretaker or someone who simply keeps the system running the way it always has. We need a transformational leader. Someone with vision. Someone willing to challenge the status quo, make tough decisions, and never lose sight of what matters most—our students.

The numbers tell the story. Enrollment continues to decline as families leave South Florida, housing costs climb, birth rates fall, and more parents choose charter schools, private schools, or homeschooling. Every student who leaves takes state funding with them, putting even more pressure on the district’s budget. That reality has already forced school closures and campus consolidations, and those difficult decisions are far from over.

But declining enrollment isn’t our biggest problem. Student achievement is. While Miami-Dade has outstanding teachers, dedicated principals, and many excellent schools, too many students are still not reading or performing math at grade level. We can celebrate our successes, but we also have to be honest about where we are falling short. If we don’t fix the basics, nothing else matters.

Everyone is talking about artificial intelligence, technology, and preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow. I agree. But before a student can succeed in AI, cybersecurity, engineering, or healthcare, they have to be able to read, write, think critically, and solve math problems. Those skills are the foundation for everything else. Without them, all the new technology in the world won’t make a difference.

The next superintendent must be laser-focused on results. Every budget decision should support the classroom. Every program should be measured. Every department should be accountable. Success shouldn’t be judged by how many meetings are held or how many reports are written. It should be judged by whether more students are reading at grade level, improving in math, graduating prepared for college or careers, and leaving our schools ready to compete in the real world.

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This district also needs a leader who embraces innovation instead of fearing it. Artificial intelligence is changing education, just as it is changing every profession. Miami-Dade should become a national leader in preparing students for that future while making sure no child is left behind in mastering the fundamentals. We should never be satisfied with being average when we have every opportunity to be the best.

The School Board has received applications from people who want this job. That’s the easy part. The hard part is choosing the right person. The best superintendent won’t necessarily be the one with the longest résumé or the biggest title. It will be the one with the courage to make difficult decisions, the vision to see where education is headed, and the leadership to bring this community together around one mission—helping every student succeed.

This is one of the most important hires our community will make for the next decade. The future of Miami-Dade depends on the quality of its public schools, and the quality of our public schools depends on the quality of the person leading them.

Let’s not hire someone to maintain the system.