Miami-Dade County Public Schools selects unanimously veteran educator as new superintendent to replace retiring leader

The nation's third-largest school district has named a new Schools Superintendent to replace Jose Dotres.

Miami-Dade School Board members voted 8-0 to appoint veteran educator Rafael Villalobos, 54, as Superintendent. 

Villalobos started as a teacher in the school system in 1994 at South Dade High School and was an Assistant Principal at five schools and Principal of John A. Ferguson Senior High School. Since 2022, he has been the South Regional Superintendent.

Supt. Dotres said, "I am so confident that the level of success will continue. Rafael has the credentials, the passion, and the heart and has a great vision for this community." 

Villalobos said, "I am truly honored to be able to serve the children and families of this community at large. Children are the most prized possession that we have. I am extremely passionate about children. I know what we do every single day transcends into our community, society, and country as a whole."

The school system has 310,000 students and more than 40,000 employees.

He said, "My priority is to get to know the community. It is important for me to get to know teachers and staff and work with board members as well as business partners, colleges, and universities because it takes a village to have the success we are talking about."

He said, "I think the greatest issue that we have right now is declining enrollment, and I want parents to understand that we are your best choice and make parents understand that the progress we have in schools with teachers helps them every day. They have got to entrust us, and they have got to know that we are there for them. If they have left and are not with us anymore, come back and talk to our schools, our principals and our students and see that we are there for them."

He said he hoped to see teacher salaries improved.

"The ability for them to survive without working two or three jobs is very difficult, but we are also restrained by what we have to do for children and the schools."

He also said he feels his experience as a Principal helped him.

He said, "As Principal at John A. Ferguson High School, we had 4,500 students and we were the second largest high school in Florida with more than 300 staff members."

As for his start date in his new role, Villalobos said that has yet to be determined. Dotres officially retires on February 14th of next year.