Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Dr. Jose Dotres backs push to increase teacher pay

MIAMI – There’s a push within the Miami-Dade County Public Schools to renew a referendum to increase teacher pay and maintain school safety.  

On Tuesday, Superintendent Dr. Jose Dotres sat down with CBS4’s Joe Gorchow to discuss an important item on the ballot on November 8th, referendum 210. 

“If we don’t get a yes, we lose,” said Dotres. “We compromise completely our ability to sustain, recruit, and retain the best teachers for this community. We compromise our ability to retain and recruit the best police officers for every one of our schools.”

Dotres spells out the case for a “yes” vote next week.

The money raised from the referendum only benefits teacher compensation and police officers’ safety and security. 

Dotres shared around 20-25% will go to charter schools based on new state law.

An oversight committee made up of residents will monitor the funds.

That new law is why homeowners will see a slight increase in property taxes from the referendum passed in 2018.

Dotres says the average homeowner in Miami-Dade will go from paying around $14 monthly for the 2018 referendum to roughly $20 a month for the renewal. He adds it’s all to continue the progress made, being an A-rated school district for three consecutive years.

Dotres tells CBS4 the goal if the referendum passes to increase teacher salaries in the district to the national average.  For the 2021-2022 year, that’s $66,397, according to the National Education Association Research.  The district’s average is $54,000. 

And the most significant needs from principals are quality teachers. 

“They have a need for teachers,” added Dotres. “Probably the most important decision that a principal can make is who they hire. If they hire the right teacher and most talented individual, you have a winning school. Students will win and grow, and that’s the most important decision they can make.”

Dotres shares that the funds will also support one of the largest school police forces nationally, with nearly 500 officers, one assigned for every school in the district.

“One officer becomes intimately involved with the students,” said Dotres. “They know the students really well.  They know the community. Sometimes folks might forget they know the layout of the school building.”

The only way to do that, Dotres says, is competitive compensation by passing the referendum. The total amount will be $400 million over the next four years.  And Dotres believes that will go a long way in retaining teachers and recruiting others to fill the nearly 300 teacher vacancies within the district.

Republican leadership believes the price tag is too steep, with property taxes on the rise.

“The misnomer here is the school board is going to receive additional dollars,” said Rene Garcia, County Commission, Miami-Dade Republican Party Chair. “Because property values have increased so much in Miami-Dade County that they’re going to receive more money than they received last year. On top of that increase they were receiving, they’re asking for additional dollars. I think they could with what they’re receiving and do a good job with what they have.”

If the referendum passes, the district says the goal would be to increase teacher compensation by the next school year. But they need to negotiate with the union before anything is finalized.