Letter of Intent

Mr. Walter J. Harvey January 10, 2022

School Board Attorney
School Board Attorney’s Office
1450 N.E. 2nd Avenue, Suite 430
Miami, Fl. 33132

Dear Mr. Harvey,

I am writing to express my interest in applying for the position of School Superintendent with Miami Dade County
Public Schools (MDCPS). As my resume reflects, I am a committed educator with over 30 years of extensive
experience in multiple leadership roles within MDCPS encompassing the school site, regional, and district office
levels. To complement my background with MDCPS, my experiences with Broward County Public Schools and Collier
County Public Schools have augmented my skill set through observation and understanding the background of other
successful strategies, initiatives, and visions which elevated the success of those districts.

In my current position as Deputy Superintendent with Collier Public Schools, I oversee many departments
encompassing a large footprint within the school district. The greatest impact during my tenure has been assisting
the school district in creating greater coherence across the organization with the precise purpose of galvanizing the
collective work of talented individuals to impact student learning and professional development more directly. I
have been fortunate to work closely with Collier’s Superintendent and have been provided access to a wide variety
of opportunities that have strengthened by ability to impact change at many levels.

I value communication and strive to keep all staff and stakeholders informed and engaged thereby building a greater
sense of community and ensuring optimal conditions for teaching and learning. I have strong problem solving and
conflict resolution skills which enable me to handle concerns or issues with professionalism when they arise. More
importantly, I believe that I have earned the respect of colleagues and many stakeholders in MDCPS. As a result of
those established relationships, I can bring stability and continuity to the outstanding work that I have been a part
of for so many years. My desire to return to the district is not only grounded in my professional affiliation with the
organization but also with a spirit to give back to a community where I grew up and attended public school from
kindergarten through twelfth grade.

It would be my honor to serve as an advocate for a school district that has excelled in securing the best opportunities
for students and supporting a large employee base that contributes greatly to the success of students and the
district.

Sincerely,

Jose L. Dotres

Jose L. Dotres, Ed.D.

Deputy Superintendent, Collier County Public Schools

 JOSE L. DOTRES
jldotres@gmail.com

EXECUTIVE P ROFILE

Results-driven Senior-level Education Leader with diverse experience developing and executing culturally diverse programs of
excellence to drive student outcomes in large school districts. Strategic thinker, visionary leader, and energetic executive with a
strong foundation of integrity, vision, and innovative leadership. Sound character and commitment to propelling schools toward
higher levels of achievement through advancing student outcomes. Practices a management style that encourages idea sharing and
inclusivity. Compelling thought leader for issues related to national conversations on education. Other strengths encompass:

 Academic Programs of Excellence/Academic Integrity  Educational Technology Initiatives

 Educational Program Design/Administration & Academic Leadership
 Teacher Growth & Development/Induction and Instructional Coaching
 School and District Leadership Development
 Strategic Planning/School Academic Turnarounds
 Collective Bargaining and Contract Administration
 Performance Metrics & Adopting Best Practices
 Budgeting/Forecasting/Management
 Serving as a Culture Change Agent and Steward
 Data Analytics & Systems Management
 Process Improvement/Best-in-Class Programs

Superior institutional relationship building skills with expansive, unique multicultural exposure, competence, and effectiveness.
Demonstrated ability to establish strong relationships based on trust and respect with key stakeholders, as well as civic, community,
cultural, and industry leaders to further develop programs and advance the institution’s mission. Imaginative, perceptive, and committed,
able to develop new channels of support for the organization. Strong understanding of foundations and processes of leadership
development, teaching & learning, and instructional technology. Knowledgeable and experienced in operational functions of public school
systems.

EDUCATION

Doctoral Studies Program, St. Thomas University, Leadership, and Innovation - May 2020
Educational Specialist, Teaching English as a Second Language, University of Miami - 1992
Master of Science, Reading, Barry University - 1988
Bachelor of Arts, Public Administration, Florida International University – 1985

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

COLLIER COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS APRIL 2021 - CURRENT

◼ Deputy Superintendent

Primarily responsible for coordinating alignment and coherence across the organization to ensure greater collective impact. Lead and
directed the operational management of the district office and served as the Superintendent designee. Lead multiple divisions within the
organization which include, Teaching and Learning, School Leadership and Performance, Safety and Security, Finance, Grants
Administration, Transportation, Nutritional Services, Facilities Management, Technology and District Initiatives. Coordinated the review
and planning of the district’s capital outlay program. Conducted school visits and confer with departmental leaders to address concerns
regarding school performance, instructional program needs and operational supports. Utilized assessment information and multiple
indicators for program development and improvement. Participated in the development and implementation of the Strategic Plan and
monitored the associated timelines and deliverables. Collaborated extensively with the senior leadership team to determine and prioritize
departmental strategies and initiatives. Supported the implementation of a districtwide Connect to Success program to support social
emotional learning. Initiated an early learning intervention program in the primary grades. Supported the development of a Pedagogy
Institute for teachers new to the field of education. Launched a district-wide Parent Academy and website to support parental
engagement and education. Supported the structure of a Collier County Public School Technical College and Adult Education umbrella that
provides multiple career pathways for students. Re-envisioned and crafted a comprehensive Leadership Development Platform that
elevates the leverage of principal supervisors.
Jose L. Dotres   jldotres@gmail.com  Page Two

MIAMI-D ADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS 2014 – APRIL 2021

◼ Chief Human Capital Officer, Human Capital Management (2015-2021)

Key member of the senior leadership team providing oversight, guidance, and support for strategic initiatives in areas including
teacher and leader development, performance management, recruitment, staffing, labor relations, and professional standards to
ensure the district priority of student achievement is met at all levels. Engage in district, state, and national conversations on
teaching and learning, and human capital development to continuously improve current practices. Correlated responsibility for
overseeing the responsibilities of Chief of Police for Miami-Dade Schools Police Department and served as School Board Liaison for
the Superintendent of Schools. Retooled and innovated multiple Human Resources functions in response to the global pandemic, by
implementing an agile response plan that maximized the recruitment, selection, development, and safety of the entire workforce.

Best in Class Programs

➢ Implemented Building Excellence in Novice Leaders through Challenges and High Expectations (BENCH Academy) to assist
Principals and Assistant Principals in their preparation for school leadership. The program serves 50-65 participants annually.
➢ In collaboration with University of Florida, created Professional Learning Support Team structures in all schools across the district.
➢ Designed and developed a Principal and Assistant Principal Induction Academy anchored on the importance of providing support
for novice leaders to accelerate leadership effectiveness. Program serves over 110 new leaders annually.
➢ Implemented an Executive Development Program for secondary school leaders through National Institute for School Leadership (NISL).
➢ Launched the inaugural Teacher Leadership Academy for aspiring teacher leaders anchored on teacher leadership standards.
➢ Launched a Districtwide diversity program of recruitment, empowerment and development (Project REDI) to increase the talent
pool of male teachers and leaders of color in M-DCPS

Increasing Teacher Effectiveness and Student Learning

➢ Refined performance management systems that are more formative in nature to encourage reflective practice and continuous
improvement.
➢ Improved district-level performance management system including key performance indicators and stretch goals to support a
data-driven culture of accomplishments.
➢ Launched a district-wide 24/7 digital learning platform for teachers and school leaders.
➢ Enhanced the clinical supervision program for supervising teachers to align to new mentoring and support standards.
➢ Amplified and strengthened existing partnerships with local higher education teacher preparation programs at Miami-Dade
College and Florida International University.

Responsive School Police Initiatives

➢ Implemented an innovative recruiting plan to hire law enforcement officers, resulting in 300 new officers in a 24-month period
➢ Oversaw the implementation and application of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Act, which involved training over
40,000 District employees in active shooter/assailant response and critical incident management.

Leadership and Talent Development

➢ Contributed to the development and implementation of the District’s Strategic Blueprint - Vision 20/20 and its key Pillar III , Highly
Effective Teachers, Leaders, and staff with the singular goal of increasing student achievement by recruiting and hiring the most
qualified people, developing them deliberately, and retaining them strategically.
➢ Redesigned the district mentoring and induction program for new teachers (MINT) serving 900 teachers annually.
➢ Developed and redesigned the district alternate teacher credentialing program to attract high caliber, non-education majors and
career changers to the teaching profession.
➢ Implemented the Leader-to-Leader Program that provides district administrators and highly innovative principals to lead their
colleagues and provide platforms for succession management.
➢ Implemented and delivered diversity and inclusion training to over 1485 school and district leaders.
➢ Developed an innovative Clerical to Teach Academy designed to provide an avenue for clerical employees to enrich their career
pathway by transitioning from support roles to full-time, classroom teachers.
➢ Partnered with local institutions of higher education to create a Pre-service Teacher Online Toolkit equipped with resources and
opportunities that frontload opportunities for pre-service and early career teachers to acclimate with District policies, practices, and
instructional constructs prior to joining M-DCPS.
➢ Created the New Teacher Resource Center as a single, multi-access location and platform for new and early career teachers to
receive accessible and readily available instructional, induction, and onboarding resources.
 Jose L. Dotres   jldotres@gmail.com  Page Three

◼ Chief of Staff (2014-2015)

Emphasis on driving system-wide alignment to accomplish the goals set forth by the Superintendent and Board and ensuring
effective communication with the School Board. Provided support and monitoring related to efficiency and improvement initiatives of
the leadership team and served as strategic lead and problem solver for the Superintendent.
➢ Contributed recommendations and annual revisions to the district’s legislative platform to direct and support direct lobbying efforts
to the legislature.
➢ Participated and collaborated in launching a $1.2B 21st Century School Bond Program to improve school facilities, arts programs
and technology infrastructure for Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
➢ Integral in adding 35,000 mobile devices and classrooms were upgraded with 900 new interactive white boards and 8000 desktop
computers for teachers.
➢ In response to high priority community need, expanded and enhanced the implementation of the Office of Economic Opportunity
to promote the economic growth of small, micro, and Minority/Women’s Business Enterprise (M/WBE) firms.
➢ Collaborated to expand the scope and magnitude of bilingual and dual language programs across the district.

BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS 2013 - 2014

◼ Chief Academic Officer, Office of Academics

Proactively recruited to manage and lead the core and non-core curriculum for the school district. Guided the coordination and
implementation of systemic initiatives aimed at improving teaching and learning across K-12, Adult and Community Education,
Career and Technical programs, Early Childhood, Exceptional Student Education and Student Support Services. Primarily responsible
for overseeing four major funding areas of the school district including Title I, Special Education, Head Start, and Academic
Categorical State Funds.
➢ Improved the state accountability grade of the school district from a “C” rated school district to a “B” rated school district.
➢ Redesigned and enhanced a framework of development, selection, and alignment of job descriptions for a cadre of over 234
Instructional Coaches district-wide.
➢ Incorporated the design of K-8 configuration schools as part of the innovation platform of the school district.
➢ Provided leadership and coordinated an external district-wide review of service delivery and resources provided by the Exceptional
Student Education division.
➢ Implemented the launch of a personalized learning platform for elementary and middle school students district-wide.
➢ Instituted data-driven Teaching and Learning Quality reviews with principals from schools with low performance indicators to
recalibrate support to schools and performance expectations.
➢ Led the district-wide development of a multi-faceted professional development platform to prepare teachers and school leaders
on the implementation of new state standards aligned to the Common Core framework.
➢ Supported development and successful acquisition of Wallace Foundation Grant to develop an exceptional cadre of principal supervisors.

MIAMI-D ADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS 1994 – 2013

◼ Regional Superintendent, North Regional Center (2009-2013)

Responsible for all educational functions and services across 91 schools within 13 local municipalities including 91,660 students and
284 principals/assistant principals. Directly supported the goals and initiatives of the Superintendent of Schools while supervising
schools and providing direct support in the areas of Curriculum, Business, Personnel, Professional Development, Facilities
Operations, Parent Advocacy, Attendance Boundaries, Special Education, and State and District Initiatives.

➢ Led high levels of accountability through data-driven decision making.

➢ 1st Regional Superintendent to not have any F schools in the region within the district.
➢ Engaged the involvement of community, business stakeholders, and potential funders through strong relationship building
strategies and interpersonal connections.
➢ Expanded the scope and access of gifted programs across all schools in the region for underrepresented minority students.
➢ Initiated a region-wide initiative on increasing high school graduation rates.
Jose L. Dotres   jldotres@gmail.com  Page Five

COMPETITIVE GRANTS AND AWARDS

➢ 2010 – 2015 LeadStrong, a $3,624,718 grant from the USDOE School Leadership Program, created a clinical model of
capacity-building through leadership residencies to build a “bench” of school administrators to lead and turn around high-need
schools.

➢ 2012 – 2017 Incentives for Highly Effective Administrators and Teachers (iHEAT), a $17,166,759 grant from the USDOE
Teacher Incentive Fund 4, created a cadre of teacher leaders supporting colleagues at high-need school sites through peer
observation, instructional coaching and mentoring, and professional development.

➢ 2020 –2023 Miami Leading Educator Advancement and Recognition through Networks of Support (Miami LEARNS), a
$26,243,489 grant from the USDOE Teacher and School Leadership Program, to develop high-impact, lasting refinements of
Human Capital Management best practices, incorporating an innovative performance-based compensations system aligned to
professionalization, credentialing, and compensation of teacher leadership positions in selected high-need schools.

HONORS AND AWARDS

Miami Dade School Board Proclamation, December, 2021

Miami Dade College Alumni Hall of Fame, 2013
Cervantes Outstanding Educator Award, Nova Southeastern University, 2004
Elementary Mainstreaming Administrator of the Year, C.E.C., 1998

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND BOARDS

Florida CHRO Governing Board of Directors

Miami Gardens Excellence in Education Council, Board of Directors
Broward County Public Schools, ESE Advisory Board
Nova Southeastern University, Hispanic Advisory Board
Miami-Dade Public Schools, Ethics Advisory Committee
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), Florida International University
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), Miami-Dade College
Schools Attendance Boundary Committee (ABC), Miami-Dade Public Schools
Nova Southeastern University, Teacher Preparation Advisory Committee
Leadership Florida, Education Class II, Florida Department of Education
Superintendent Advisory Council for Exceptional Student Education
Dade Association of School Administrators (DASA)

PUBLICATIONS

Learning Forward’s Publication – The Learning Professional – October 2019

“Anchors for Resilience”
Co-authored with Tomas Hanna, CHRO, NYDOE & Anthony Kim, Education Elements
ASCD Publication – October 2019
“Resilient Leaders for Thriving Schools”
Co-authored with Tomas Hanna, CHRO, NYDOE & Anthony Kim, Education Elements
CORWIN Connect - November, 2018
“3 Keys to Creating a More Agile District”
Co-authored with Tomas Hanna, CHRO, NYDOE & Anthony Kim, Education Elements
Jose L. Dotres   jldotres@gmail.com  Page Six

PRESENTATIONS

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, Florida Senate - Tallahassee, FL. October 2021
Council of Great City Schools Annual Conference (Virtual) – February 2021
The Immediacy of Innovation in HR in Response to a Global Crisis
Council of Great City Schools Annual Conference – Louisville, KY – October 2019
Beyond Compliance to Growth: Transforming the Culture of Teacher Evaluation
Learning Forward’s 2018 Annual Conference – Dallas, TX – December 2018
From Pre-Service to Teacher leadership: A Human Capital Investment
New Teacher Center Symposium, San Francisco, CA – February 2018
Diversifying Mentor Selection: An Opportunity to Build Capacity (Investing in innovation Federal Grant i3)
Council of the Great City Schools, Chief Human Resources Officers Meeting – Fort Lauderdale, FL – February 2018
Addressing Teacher Shortage Head On: Rethinking Teacher Recruitment
Learning Forward’s 2017 Annual Conference – Orlando, FL – December 2017
Teacher Leadership Academy: Transformation of Untapped Teacher Leaders
Florida School Boards Association, Tampa, FL - November 2017
Innovative Strategies for Teacher Recruitment and Retention
Council of Great City Schools Annual Conference, Cleveland, OH - October 2017
MDCPS Teacher Leadership Academy - A Human Capital Investment
Great Coaching; Developing Teachers, Mentors and Leaders for Urban Schools
How Urban Administrators Use Instructional Rounds to Advance Urban School Achievement
Council of Great City Schools Annual Fall Conference – Miami, FL – October 2016
Starting Strong - Mentoring and Induction for New Teachers in M-DCPS

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE REVIEWS

Council of Great City Schools, Strategic Support & Technical Assistance Reviews:
Jefferson County Public Schools, KY – January 30 - February 2, 2018
Dayton Public Schools, OH – March 21-24, 2017
Pittsburgh Public Schools, PA - August 28-31, 2016
Albuquerque Public Schools, NM - March 1-4, 2016

PANELS AND WEBINARS

RTM Education Congress – Orlando, FL. – October 2021

Mental Health Awareness, SEL and Suicide Prevention
Florida CHRO Community Town Hall – July 2020
The New World of Work and HR Transformation
The Wallace Foundation – September 2019
Principal pipelines: Different adaptations by different districts Panel/Roundtable
New Teacher Center – June 27, 2019
“What if Teacher Turnover Wasn’t Such a Burden”
Council of the Great City Schools, Chief Human Resources Officers Annual Meeting - Albuquerque, NM, February 2019
“Building a supportive and Rich Career Trajectory”
New Teacher Center – November 8, 2018
“Scaling Up: Districts Using i3 Grants to Support New Teachers Webinar”
Council of Great City Schools, Baltimore, MD – October 2018
Don’t Abandon Ship: Recruiting and Retaining Urban Educators to Meet the Needs of All Students
Executive LEADership Development Program: Enhancing Professional Practice Through Teacher Evaluation
RTM Innovation West Forum, San Diego, CA – September 2018
“3 Keys to Creating a More Agile District,”
Education Committee, Florida House of Representatives, PreK-12 Quality Subcommittee, Tallahassee, FL - January 2017
“Pathways to Teacher Certification & Quality Classroom Instruction”
TeacherMatch Solutions Summit, Portland, OR - April 2016
Question Focus: Human Capital expert with practical, hands-on perspective to TeacherMatch EPI (IntelliGlance)
Council of Great City Schools, Miami, FL - October, 2016
“Troops in Education”