We have three new interesting candidates wanting to get on the Miami-Dade School Board.
In the District 3 race, we have Dr. Raquel Bild-Libbin challenging 15-year School Board Member Martin Karp. She filed paperwork last month naming 
political mailer Keith Donner as her treasurer. She is a Miami Beach-based licensed psychologist specializing in the treatment of life transitions, relationship problems, depression, stress management, anxiety, parental challenges, and in coping with chronic illnesses. Seems like she’s perfectly qualified. And more on that race later.
In the District 5 race, where School Board Member Susie Castillo has decided not to seek re-election, we have two wannabes fighting in what seems like a very lop-sided race.
Miami Springs Councilwoman Mara Zapata, a teacher and administrator at 
Miami-Dade Public Schools for three decades, filed paperwork Monday to run for the District 5 seat vacated by Castillo. She joins Gianfranco Puppio-Perez, a political climber who’s worked for lawmakers Carlos Curbelo and Michael Grieco, who was the first to file for the seat in June.
“I’ve dedicated the last 30 years of my life to helping children receive the best education possible, working with new teachers to help them be the most qualified and prepared teachers they can be and guiding parents to make the best decisions for their children,” Zapata said in a statement Tuesday.
“I believe that our children and our teachers should feel safe in our schools and able to focus on learning, teaching, growing and thriving in a safe learning environment,” she added.
She taught in classrooms and worked as a curriculum specialist. She also served as an administrator at Miami Dade College, where she was chairperson of K-12 teacher education programs. She served as chair of the Education Advisory Board for the city of Miami Springs from 2011 to 2017, when she was elected to the council, and as chairwoman of the Miami-Dade County Co
mmission for Women for two years. And she is an executive board member of the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.
Um, this kinda makes it a no-contest contest so far.
While Puppio-Perez served as a “special assistant” to former Congressman Carlos Curbelo during his time on the School Board, he was really kind of a gopher to chief of staff Chris Miles. He then followed Curbelo to Washington as his “director of special projects.” Most recently, he has served as State Rep. Michael Grieco’s legislative director.
“Having worked at the school board, state and federal levels of government, I’ve gained a unique perspective and understanding of the challenges we face in improving education for all children, regardless of their socioeconomic background or family circumstance,” Puppio-Perez told Florida Politics.
“I’m excited about the opportunity of making a difference in children’s lives,” he added.
“My education platform is guided towards ensuring that our schools are safe for our students, teachers and parents, as well as fighting for better teacher salaries and guaranteeing a world-class education for every student.”
Well, duh. We’ll see if Mr. Puppio qualifies after he sees who he’s up against.
Dade School Board candidates file, two will vie for vacated seat added by Ladra on
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