How much will Miami-Dade schools new superintendent make and when does he start?

After hammering out the details in recent weeks, the Miami-Dade school board agreed Wednesday on a contract for Rafael Villalobos to take the reins as superintendent of the district.

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Villalobos, who currently serves as South Region Superintendent, will be paid an annual salary of $385,000, according to a copy of the contract obtained by the Miami Herald, and starts his new role Sep. 2. The compensation is a modest increase from current Superintendent Jose Dotres’ starting salary in 2022, but is less than his current rate.

The new contract runs for three years, through September 2029.

Under the terms of a separation agreement also approved by the board Wednesday, Dotres will step down from his role Sept. 1, but stay on until Oct. 11 as “Senior Transitional Advisor to the Superintendent.”

Dotres’ initial contract from his 2022 hire began with a $370,000 salary. Annual raises were to be calculated based on the inflation rate, but capped at the average increase in salary given to the district’s workforce. That formula would put Dotres’ current salary above $400,000.

Villalobos’ contract and Dotres’ separation agreements passed with unanimous support from the board.

District 9 Board Member Luisa Santos suggested that language in the contract stating the board “may” evaluate Villalobos every year change to “shall,” mandating an evaluation each year. Santos’ motion did not receive a second.

Board members at the meeting largely praised how the negotiation process unfolded. Rojas called it a “home run” hire.

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Dotres said at the meeting that it was rare for such a transition period to be agreed upon.

“Today represents a rare moment in the world of superintendencies, where transition does not exist — one exits, the other one enters — and that’s not the way this is. You have my full commitment to this transition, and I know that Mr. Villalobos and I will work very closely together, so that there is a seamless process in what will happen next,” Dotres said.

Terms of the agreement

Most of the language of Villalobos’ contract mirrors Dotres’ contract from 2022. Like Dotres, the district will provide him with an automobile and cell phone, as well as a monthly stipend — $1,200 as opposed to Dotres’ $900 — for “functions that involve unreimbursed expenses.”

Under the terms of the contract, the board could fire Villalobos with or without cause. If they were to fire him without cause, he would be owed a severance package worth 20 weeks of his salary.

The contract allows Villalobos to “engage in outside professional activities,” only if they are undertaken on non-duty days and don’t conflict with board policy or his duties.

Unlike Dotres’ contract, the agreement between the board and Villalobos requires the board to give Villalobos at least ten business days prior written notice of issues and concerns that will be raised about him as part of an evaluation. Villalobos’ contract also extends the time he has to receive written grounds for removal from three to seven days and requires him to give 60-days advance notice of resignation. Dotres was required to give 90 days.

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