Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Leaving His Post
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Alberto Carvalho is leaving his position as the Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent.
According to the New York Times, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio chose Carvalho as the school's chancellor for what is considered the nation's fourth-largest district.
Carvalho, who came to the United States as an undocumented immigrant from Portugal at just 17, is considered to be in the top tier of superintendents in the U.S.
He has been in his current job for nearly 10 years.
Jackie Calzadilla with Miami-Dade Public Schools told CBS4 that Carvalho, "has not yet accepted and will not be making public comments until he addresses the borad he has worked for for 10 years, tomorrow at 10 a.m."
The news was seemingly confirmed by New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio when his office sent out the following statement late Wednesday afternoon.
"Alberto Carvalho is a world-class educator with an unmatched track record of success. 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. I look forward to welcoming our new chancellor to New York City in the days ahead, and to working with him in the years ahead as we deepen achievement in our classrooms and build on the outstanding record of accomplishment that Chancellor Fariña has delivered for students and their families across the five boroughs."
David Lawrence Jr., who is the Chair of Children's Movement of Florida, said Carvalho has been instrumental to South Florida's diverse community and its future.
"He's made some significant steps, we're a better educated community because of him," Lawrence said.
Lawrence calls Carvalho masterful.
Carvalho arrived in the United States at 17 as an undocumented immigrant from Portugal.
He went from being a busboy to one of the nation's leading educators with a track record of success.
"Among his gifts, he understood money and how it flows and how to watch over it," Lawrence said. "He understood this necessity of change."
Karla Hernandez-Mats represents 30,000 employees that work for Miami-Dade Public Schools and hopes to have an input in what's next.
"It will be a tough bar to reach," she said. "He has certainly collaborated with the United Teachers of Dade and so we are looking for someone who is not only teacher-focused and teacher-centric but also student-focused to want to make sure that their education is bar none."
In 2014 Carvalho was selected as Florida's Superintendent of the Year.
He was also chosen as the 2014 National Superintendent of the Year.
