Attendees greeted Rafael Villalobos, after he was selected as the new Miami Dade County Public School superintendent in Miami on July 29, 2026.
Pedro Portal
pportal@miamiherald.com
The Miami-Dade Public Schools superintendent’s decision to pause the process of school closure and consolidation consideration is an important opportunity to take a closer look at the forces driving enrollment changes across the county. School closures should never be treated as a simple budget exercise, and they should not move forward without meaningful engagement with educators, families, students and the communities that would be affected.
Miami-Dade is a majority-immigrant community, and our nation’s current immigration policies are having a real and painful impact on families throughout our county. Fear, uncertainty, family separation and economic instability can affect whether families remain in the community and whether children are able to attend school consistently. But immigration is not the only factor behind declining enrollment.
Families are also being pushed out by the rising cost of living. Housing, rent, insurance, transportation, food and other essential expenses have made Miami-Dade one of the most unaffordable places in the country for working people. Many families can no longer afford to live near their jobs, their children’s schools or the communities where they have built their lives. When families are displaced, our public schools feel the consequences.
At the same time, public education is being weakened by the continued diversion of taxpayer dollars to private-school vouchers and privately managed charter schools. Every dollar directed away from neighborhood public schools makes it more difficult to maintain strong programs, provide student services, attract and retain educators, and keep schools vibrant and fully supported. Enrollment challenges cannot be separated from these policy decisions.
Any decision to close or consolidate a school must include meaningful input from the families, educators, students and communities who depend on it. At the same time, parents and community members deserve a clear and honest explanation of the financial realities facing the school system and why such difficult decisions may be necessary to maintain a sound and sustainable budget. That information should be shared openly, in language families can understand and well before any final recommendation is made.
We welcome the opportunity created by this pause and urge the district to use it to establish a transparent, inclusive and data-driven process. That process must respect the important role our community schools have played in the lives of generations of Miami-Dade families while also recognizing the need to make responsible decisions that protect the long-term financial health of the school system.
Any recommendation must be developed with the community, not imposed on it, and must balance fiscal responsibility with our commitment to preserving strong public schools and educational opportunities for all students.
Antonio “Tony” White is president of United Teachers of Dade.