It’s every student’s favorite day, the last day of school.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools wrapped up the 2022-2023 school year Wednesday. Summer vacation is here after the school district overcame a number of challenges along the way.
“Connect and inspire, and to me, that’s what this school year was all about,” said Superintendent Dr. Jose Dotres at a news conference.
Dotres said he’s proud of this year’s high school graduates, more than 20,000 of them, for their resilience during the COVID years.
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“We are seeing growth, we’re seeing growth both in mathematics and in reading; reading, there’s a little bit greater challenge than in mathematics,” he said.
While Dotres was attending graduation ceremonies, the teacher’s union held a protest against the education laws recently signed by the governor.
“They’re changing our programs in civics, they’re also trying to censor our books, tell us what we can and cannot read, and give that power to a small minority,” said Antonio White, vice president of United Teachers of Dade. “When you talk about parental rights, it can’t be parental rights for some, it has to be parental rights for all.”
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As kids begin their summer vacations, the school district, Dotres said, is grappling with how to comply with the new laws while still making sure every student, including gay and trans kids, feel welcome at school.
“We have to attend to all students, the individuality of every single one of our students is important, and we’re here to support them, we have to support their creativity, who they are, what they believe in, and we have to do it in a sensitive manner and in a way to bring success to their own personal lives, Dotres said. “The student experience is what it’s all about, how do students experience school, and we are now entering into a landscape where this is gonna become more and more important, especially for public schools, we are now in a state where vouchers have come into play.”
That’s another law the school district has to deal with. Any parent can receive around $8,000 in taxpayer money to send their child to private school. Dotres realizes there will be more competition to retain and attract students to public schools.
He says the strategy to attract students begins June 20 with Summer 305. It’s not summer school designed solely for remediation, it has 20 new programs including engineering, paid internships with local businesses, and a course designed to help dyslexic kids improve their reading skills.
