Dotres told reporters on Monday it was important for him to return to Hialeah Gardens Elementary and M.A. Milam K-8 Center, where he served as principal and assistant principal, because his experiences at the schools helped him “become the leader that I am today”.
“So I started today, my day, with trying to make sure that I thanked the teachers, the custodians, the food service workers, the clerical staff, the school leaders that are basically the frontline workers for our school districts,” Dotres said.
“At the end of the day, you don't become a leader or you don't understand the reality of what teaching and learning is about … without having to learn from their own experiences,” he added.
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Dotres is a career educator, having spent more than three decades in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, first as a teacher and reading coach before becoming a principal and district-level administrator.
He previously worked as a deputy superintendent in Collier County schools before coming back to M-DCPS to succeedthe district’s longtime leader Alberto Carvalho, who is now superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
As Dotres steps in to lead the state’s largest district, he said his top priority is to address student learning loss.
“Our ability to support teachers and help them, equip them with the opportunities of how to accelerate learning … while at the same time trying to help them remediate what some students have lost … is critical,” Dotres said.
Supporting the social emotional health of students and staff is also a top concern for Dotres. In an interview with WLRN, he said he’d begin his tenure as superintendent by taking a “temperature check” of what supports are in place for students. The district has been waylaid by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the resulting staff shortages.
Dotres told reporters he’s ready and willing to personally fill open shifts in the district, if needed. In the past, Dotres said he’s helped cover for staff at Spanish Lakes Elementary School in Hialeah.
“Instead of teaching, I ended up helping out in the cafeteria at a very important time of the day,” Dotres said. “So I have no issue going back to teaching a class. We're all part of one collective. And if issues occur that we have to cover and make sure that we cover gaps in staffing, we're prepared to do so.”
“It's the right thing to do.”
Dotres signed a two-year contract to lead M-DCPS at a salary of $370,000 a year. Not included in his contract is a requirement that Dotres live in the district, a point of contention for some school board members. Dotres is currently a resident of Broward County.
