With Miami-Dade Superintendent Jose Dotres’ contract ending in February 2027, school board members are now looking to have his replacement by August.

Dotres has served as the superintendent for the third-largest school district since 2022. The school board started the search for his replacement in April.

More than 20 people applied for the position, but now only six have secured spots as semifinalists.

Here’s a closer look at who Miami-Dade’s superintendent might be:

Jose Bueno

With roughly 33 years of experience within Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Bueno currently serves as Dotres’ Chief of Staff.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Bueno’s tasks include coordinating and implementing major projects “that have significant district-wide impact on the goals of the district and involve coordination of other divisions and offices.”

He started as a teacher within the country back in 1993 and is a Florida International University and Nova Southeastern University graduate.

Ernie Lozano

Lozano is currently Broward County’s Public Schools Chief Human Resources Officer.

His passion is creating a safe and secure environment for both students and staff.

“He has been recognized for his contributions to the District’s safety and security initiatives, receiving accolades for his exceptional leadership and commitment to student and staff well-being,” according to a bio on the site for the National Student Safety and Security Conference & Workshop.

Before his career in human resources, Lozano served within education as a teacher, assistant principal and more.

Sylvia Mitchell

Hope builder, executive leadership coach and seasoned superintendent are all descriptions Mitchell has on her LinkedIn.

Living in Houston, Texas, Mitchell is familiar with the Sunshine State since she was a principal at Charter Schools USA in Fort Lauderdale back in 2012.

She has also served as superintendent twice in Texas and is currently Executive Vice President, Curriculum, Design & Development for Per Scholars.

Carlos Perez

Perez is a charter school principal in West Palm Beach and the former executive director of the Education Reform Project, a nonprofit organization based in Miami Beach.

According to the nonprofit, Perez has over 25 years of experience within education, mainly in New York, but now in Florida.

Perez has also been an assistant superintendent in the past, as well as taking part as an Executive Board Member for the New York State Association of School Personnel Administrators.

Christopher Ruszkowski

Currently based in South Carolina as CEO of South Carolina’s Children’s Fund, Ruszkowski has moved all over the country, and Florida will be no exception.

According to his LinkedIn, he served as New Mexico’s Secretary of Education back in 2019. Before living in South Carolina, he was a conservator for the Texas Education Agency. A conservator oversees the state’s takeovers of large school districts and charter school networks.

Getting his master’s at Stanford, Ruszkowski was a Distinguished Policy Fellow at the Hoover Institute located within the university.

Rafael Villalobos

Since 2022, Villalobos has been the South Region Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Before that, he was a principal for over ten years.

The Nova Southeastern alum has been in Miami for most of his life, even graduating from South Miami Senior High School in 1990.

Café La Trova celebrated the city’s Cuban heritage through live music, warm hospitality, and dishes that felt deeply rooted in local culture.

Papi Steak, meanwhile, embraced Miami’s flashy, see-and-be-seen reputation with theatrical presentations, celebrity appeal, and an atmosphere that often felt more like a nightclub than a standard steakhouse.

Despite Papi Steak’s over-the-top reputation, nearly every dish I tried — from the wagyu pastrami to the hamachi crudo — was thoughtfully prepared and tasted just as good as it looked. If you’re looking for an indulgent, special-occasion dinner where the spectacle is part of the fun, it’s easy to understand why the restaurant has become such a phenomenon.

Still, if I could only recommend one restaurant to a first-time visitor, I’d choose Café La Trova.

While Papi Steak offered the more decadent, once-in-a-lifetime meal, Café La Trova delivered a more authentic Miami experience, pairing outstanding food and cocktails with a genuine sense of the city’s history and culture.