Alberto Carvalho to leave Miami-Dade Schools for NYC - at the worst time

Say it ain’t so, Alberto!

Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, the charismatic populist leader of the 4th largest school district in the U.S., has been tapped to lead the largest school district in New York City, several news sources reported Wednesday afternoon.

Perhaps New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, right, who was expected to make the official announcement Thursday — it had been postponed because of the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas — isn’t used to las malas lenguas in Miami taking the wind out of his sails. Because it seems de Blasio had to make a hasty reveal Wednesday afternoon after word got out.

“Alberto Carvalho is a world-class educator with an unmatched track record of success,” de Blasio said in a statement published on Chalkbeat. “I am very confident that our extensive, national search has found New York City the best person to lead the nation’s largest school system into the future.”

Extensive? Extensive?

Carvalho had been floated as a name for the post since December, immediately after Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced she would be stepping down. He’s just the flashy type that de Blasio and NYC love: a longtime educator from a scrappy, immigrant background who rose through the ranks to become a leading voice on education at the national level. Plus he’s boss on twitter. If Ladra were a betting dog, and she is, she would wager that de Blasio wanted Carvalho all along.

But weeks ago, the Sup told reporters he was committed to Miami-Dade, where he championed a $1.2 billion referendum for modernization and technology upgrades that are just getting started, which is likely one of the reasons de Blasio wants him.

“My commitment to Miami is so strong and I have demonstrated it in the face of political opportunities,” Carvalho told Chalkbeat back then, referring to encouragement he has gotten to run for posts from Miami-Dade mayor to Congress to University of Miami president. “It’s really hard for me to imagine a set of circumstances that would lead to a different decision on my part,” he added.

Oh what a difference a month or two makes? Or was it an offer he couldn’t refuse? The New York Times reported that Carvalho — who makes $352,874 a year in Miami-Dade — could take a sizable pay cut because Fariña’s salary is $234,569.

But this is Carvalho we’re talking about. The king of gab. He can convince anybody of practically anything. He convinced property owners in Miami to tax themselves additionally to soup up public schools, didn’t he?

But this is New York City we’re talking about. Is Carvalho, who rose early through the government affairs branch of administration, a parrot or an empty suit propped up by boatloads of charisma and well-crafted tweets? Or does he have the substance to make it in The Big Apple, which arguably has better public schools than we do? This could be a make or break moment. Some folks think that he has that twinkle in his eye that the city needs and that his initiatives can turn the private school drain around. Others think Carvalho’s gonna get eaten alive in New York City, where charisma only gets you so far and you can’t just tell the same story 25 times.

He certainly is going to have to lower his profile a little. De Blasio runs the show over there. He won’t be able to usurp his boss like he does here with the board. There will be fewer press conferences.

And while Ladra is not the hugest fan — he is an egomaniac with a history of, er, potentially compromising extracurricular activities — Carvalho has good instincts, thinks out of the box, knows a bad idea when he sees one and is truly committed to public dollars for public schools. Many teachers love him because he is accessible and responsive and he has defended them, blasting the latest evaluation process, for example, as inadequate.

“Miami Dade County Public Schools has been fortunate to have the leadership of Superintendent Carvalho for the past decade. His dedication and passion for education, coupled with our phenomenal workforce, has made MDCPS a leader in public education nationwide,” said United Teachers of Dade President Karla Hernandez Mats in a statement late Wednesday.

“As a colleague, he has always been responsive and respectful, even when we disagreed or I thought his actions weren’t in the best interest of our bargaining unit,” the union leader said. “I believe the Superintendent could have been even more effective for MDCPS if the Florida State Legislature was more focused on supporting our children, its education workforce, and schools, rather than its maniacal obsession with defunding our school system and decertifying the unions. Now more than ever, it is important to have a strong and vibrant voice in Miami Dade County to deflect the destructive education proposals that are being considered in Tallahassee. New York City should be pleased to have Sup. Carvalho lead their public schools and we wish him well in this new chapter of his career.”

School Board members might not be as sad to see him go. There have been some tensions for about a year. Carvalho doesn’t have the same love fest as before. There’s been confrontation, antagonism. One of the board members preempted one of his initiatives at a recent meeting. And they are calling for an audit of the expenditures made so far with the $1.2 billion in bond monies. Could Carvalho be making the move now to avoid any questions about that spending later?

Most recently, Carvalho’s strong stance against arming teachers in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting was a downright relief because it was taken seriously by both sides of the aisle.

What are we going to do now? This community is still reeling from the Valentine’s Day massacre of 14 students and three educators at the Broward high school. Parents and teachers and students are in Tallahassee as you read this, trying to sway legislators to amend the current school safety bills by taking out the marshal program that would arm teachers and putting in a ban on some assault rifles. Will we be vulnerable to a Republican majority School Board and a new Sup that could come specifically to advance an NRA and/or (more likely) a charter school agenda? Will there be a national search? Or does the board already have someone in mind from inside? Ladra would imagine that there are already at least 100 resumes submitted. It’s scary.

The Miami-Dade School Board has called an emergency meeting for Thursday to discuss “the stability of the executive management leadership.”

This appointment is one of the most important in our community, and it is made by a majority of the nine-member School Board. So, basically, five people could choose the next person to hold our children’s future educational experience in his or her hands.

Let’s pay close attention.

Alberto Carvalho, Miami-Dade School Board

Alberto Carvalho to leave Miami-Dade Schools for NYC — at the worst time added by Ladra on February 28, 2018
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