Since 2008, Alberto Carvalho has served as the Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Now, he is resigning his position as Superintendent of M-DCPS and heading to Los Angeles, CA, where he will be Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District. 

In a news conference on Dec. 9, Carvalho announced his departure from MDCPS and acceptance of a new job in Los Angeles, in which the Los Angeles School Board unanimously voted for his appointment. Carvalho has accepted a four-year contract with the LAUSD, and after 31 years working as an educator and 14 years as superintendent in Miami Schools, will depart from his current position on Feb. 3.

On Jan. 24, The M-DCPS school board voted in a 6-3 decision to select Dotres—a longtime educator in M-DCPS —as the next superintendent. The other two candidates were  Dr. Rafaela Espinal, an assistant superintendent in the New York City Department of Education, and Jacob Oliva, a senior chancellor in the Florida Department of Education. 

Dotres began his work in Miami-Dade County During 1988 as a teacher and reading coach at Frederick Douglass Elementary School and South Pointe Elementary School. At M.A. Milam K-8 Center, he spent five years as an assistant principal, and in 2000, he became principal of Hialeah Gardens Elementary. Most recently he served as Deputy Superintendent for the Collier County school district. 

Dotres’ appointment as Superintendent has caused some controversy to follow. Dotres’ currently lives in Weston, Broward County, with no current plans to move. However, some school board members feel that the superintendent should live in Miami-Dade. Dr. Lubby Navaro, M-DCPS District 7 School Board Member , wishes to add a requirement in Dotres’ contract for Dotres to live in Miami. 

Dotres’ remote leadership of MDCPS brings a different type of leadership to Miami-Dade, since Carvalho, who throughout COVID-19, did not work virtually. Dotres’ start date is currently undetermined, as he is currently negotiating a contract with M-DCPS School Board chair Perla Tabares Hantman.