Superintendent Carvalho Tours Schools Ahead Of First Day Of Classes
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Miami-Dade Public Schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho spent the day touring several schools ahead of the first day of class for about 350,000 public school students.
"This is like Christmas, Hannukah in August," said Carvalho. "This is the most fantastic day of the year for me. It is literally the equivalent of reawakening the sleeping giant, amidst a summer nap."
The superintendent is touring some of the schools where new choice programs are being inaugurated, like Miami Central High School and MAST Academy in Key Biscayne.
"We are opening this school year with 53 new choice programs; robotics, computer science, coding, engineering, language programs," said Carvalho.
His first stop was Miami Central High where there are new magnet programs in trade and logistics and an iPrep Academy.
"Each student is going to get their own personal computer and with that comes responsibility so first we're going to introduce the students to how to use the computer, in additional we're going to teach them responsibility that comes with the computer," said Monica Maycock, an English teacher at Miami Central.
MAST Academy's newly-built wing will give magnet students from all over the county access to several magnet programs as well as stunning views of the bay.
Miami-Dade Public Schools, which has a budget of 4.8 billion dollars and employs 48,000 staff members, is the largest employer in Miami-Dade and second largest in Florida.
The Superintendent says administrators have worked hard all summer to make sure the first day of school goes off without a hitch and he's asking parents for their help in ensuring a successful school year.
"Our teachers and leaders are going to be ready with the three R's of reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic," said Carvalho. "What we are asking parents is to meet us in the middle and be responsible for their three Rs of respect, responsibility and restrain. If we can do that, we're going to have a fantastic school year."
