'This Is A Tough Moment': Outgoing Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho Honored By District

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Thursday February 3rd will be Alberto Carvalho's last day as the Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

But before he packs up and heads west to Los Angeles, he was honored on Tuesday with a special sendoff for his service in South Florida.

With hugs for the mayor and commissioners, Carvalho prepares to say goodbye to the district he's led for the past 14 years.

"This is a tough moment, an emotional rollercoaster," he said in the county commission chamber Tuesday. "It is bittersweet."

One-by-one, elected leaders who also consider Carvalho a friend, thanked him for his commitment to the community.

"I look at him and think of a brother. He is one of my best friends," said Commission Vice Chair Oliver Gilbert. "Our friendship is a friendship that was born not-- we don't like to play golf together-- we like to change the community together. We have that kind of heart. I like how the chairman said, 'He's going on to other pastures. Not greener pastures', 'cause nothing's better than us."

Commissioner Raquel Regalado, who also served on the school board, expressed her appreciation for Carvalho's dedication and hard work.

"We were in the trenches when they cut the education budget by a billion dollars and we had to make difficult choices and he did everything that he could to support the board to make sure we kept every single teacher and that we made sure every single student was receiving resources," she said.

While Regalado actually reduced the number of proclamations allowed at the School Board, she ironically presented Carvalho with his own proclamation Tuesday, proclaiming February 1, 2022, as Alberto Carvalho Day in Miami-Dade County.

"You're an extraordinary person, we all know that," said Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. "What you've overcome in your own life, you are the epitome of the American dream story and that has been a beacon of hope for so many."

During his tenure, the superintendent touts a jump in the graduation rate and zero "D" or "F" schools in the district.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you for your words. I have educated some of your children," he told the commission. "I actually signed their diploma. I am proud of that. Now it is time to elevate the dignity and humanity and potential of the kids in Los Angeles. The reason I'm going there is because of what we did here. They would not want me there if they did not want Miami's results."

Carvalho says he's not selling his home in South Florida because his heart will always be open to the community of Miami-Dade County.

His replacement, Dr. Jose Dotres, who is currently a Deputy Superintendent in Collier County, was announced last week.