HIALEAH, Fla. — Superintendent José Dotres welcomed a group of about 200 teachers on Monday for training at the American Senior High School in Hialeah.
Dotres hosted the New Teacher Induction, or NTI, training, which included breakout sessions on lesson planning, discipline strategies, and pacing guides.
“This is the best school district in this country,” Dotres told the teachers.
Lenroy Williams said he is ready to work with students in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, a federal program operated in schools by the U.S. Armed Forces.
“This is the best of both worlds for me,” Williams said. “I still get to wear the uniform, and I get to shape young minds.”
Maralys Valdes, an entrepreneur with experience in real estate, was preparing to teach fifth-grade students at Ben Sheppard Elementary School in Hialeah.
“It was the right time for me to switch over,” Valdes said about her career change.
The 2026–27 academic year begins on Aug. 13 for students at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, who will no longer have districtwide free meals.
The district cut 168 jobs and closed nine schools due to budget reductions related to declining student enrollment.
- Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy
- Robert Russa Moton Elementary
- Parkway Elementary
- Rainbow Park Elementary
- Lenora B. Smith Elementary will move to Georgia Jones-Ayers Middle and transition to a K-8 center.
- Phillis Wheatley Elementary
- Pine Villa Elementary
- Miami Springs Middle will move to Miami Springs Senior and transition to a 6-12 school.
- Richmond Heights Middle will move to Arthur & Polly Mays Conservatory of the Arts and transition to a K-12 school.
State per-pupil funding allocations lowered after there were 13,000 fewer M-DCPS students from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, according to the district.
The state’s universal voucher program has been causing private school enrollment to surge, according to the Florida Policy Institute, a nonprofit based in Orlando.
Classes start on Aug. 10 for students at Broward County Public Schools, and on Aug. 11 for students at the Archdiocese of Miami Catholic Schools.
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