In Miami School Board District 6 race, incumbent faces challenge from Key Biscayne teacher
Student achievement and supporting teachers will be among the top issues for the two candidates vying to represent District 6 in the Miami-Dade County School Board elections, as a teacher of 21 years hopes to unseat a two-term board member in the Aug. 23 primary.
Sandra Manzieri, 56, a teacher at Key Biscayne K-8 Center, is running against incumbent Maria Teresa Rojas, 68, who’s been in the seat since 2016 and also is the sister-in-law of Carlos Gimenez, the former Miami-Dade mayor and now a U.S. representative. The district includes Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne, Coral Gables, South Miami, Little Havana and parts of southwest Miami-Dade.
It is the first time Rojas is facing a challenger since she was first elected in 2016, filling the last two years of the seat once held by Raquel Regalado, the Miami-Dade commissioner. Salary for the four-year term is $46,773, according to the Miami-Dade Elections Department.
This is the first School Board election since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and comes after the first full school year where all students and teachers were back in the classroom.
During the past year, district officials, including the School Board, highlighted initiatives and measures schools implemented to offset student learning losses and increase mental health supports for both students and district staff. Nevertheless, both candidates agreed work still needs to be done to address learning loss and mental health concerns across all age groups.
Rojas cited the district’s recent A rating and Florida Standard Assessment results, where only slightly more than half of students in both Miami-Dade and Broward public schools earned a passing score of Level 3 or higher in English and math.
“We still have students at Level 1 or 2, and that’s concerning to me,” Rojas told the Herald in an interview. The district must work collaboratively, she said, “until every (student) is on grade level.”
Manzieri pointed to her first-grade classroom in Key Biscayne. Because of the pandemic, some of her students were entering a classroom for the first time this year, and teachers like her, she said, were tasked with addressing setbacks while also encouraging accelerated learning.
“The learning losses were huge and we were told that we needed to provide state-mandated interventions, that they had to be provided during the school day and that they needed to have a certain amount of time, too, depending on how far behind (students) were,” she told the Herald Editorial Board in a recent interview. “All of those responsibilities were squarely placed on the shoulders of the classroom teacher, and as you can imagine, it’s impossible to do that.”
The district needs to have trained experts in every school to help teachers address the learning losses, she said.
Reasons for running
Both candidates are educators with classroom experience: Manzieri as a current classroom teacher and Rojas as a former teacher, principal and district official, all in Miami-Dade schools. But, their reasons for running differ.
While Rojas’ decision is rooted in continuing her lifelong career in the public sector, leaning on her passion for education and a “proven track record” as an advocate for children, teachers and district stakeholders, Manzieri hopes her candidacy raises awareness of what a day in the classroom actually looks like for teachers.
“I know it’s a long shot,” Manzieri said. Rojas, she acknowledged, has an established group of supporters, connections and name recognition. “But I also feel that people need to raise their voices (about) what’s going on and let people know what’s happening in our schools. There’s a major lack of understanding of what teachers face day to day.”
Rojas’ incumbency and connections to Gimenez also have fueled her fundraising. As of Wednesday, she raised $177,521, more than 10 times the $12,365 Manzieri has raised. In addition to small contributions, Rojas’ funds have come from builders, businesses and the teachers union in $1,000 checks, the maximum contribution allowed.
Facing more politics in schools
Either candidate, if elected, is likely to face a politically charged school environment where disagreements over curriculum and the role parents should play in the classroom are top issues.
Gov. Ron DeSantis this year signed into law new rules that limit how discussions about race-related issues are taught, bar K-3 lesson plans that discuss sexual orientation or gender identity and grant parents the ability to sue school districts if they believe their child’s school has violated the measure’s provisions. Lawmakers have also pushed for parents to have an increased role in their child’s education — a move both Manzieri and Rojas support.
Echoing talking points often shared by conservative lawmakers, Manzieri said teachers should focus on reading, math and science while any discourse or debate surrounding social issues should be removed from the classroom. The district is “wasting precious time bickering” about topics that “don’t have a place in the classroom,” particularly when some students can’t read on grade level.
READ MORE: Parental rights, DeSantis talking points line up for some Miami school board candidates
There is an age-appropriate way to present certain topics, such as historical events, she said, but teachers already have too much to cover, she said.
“There’s just so much time in a teacher’s day, and we can’t get through everything that we need to get through, and then we’re trying to throw more things at teachers,” she said.
Rojas also emphasized the need to focus on core subjects, particularly civics. But moving forward, she said, especially following the pandemic when many young students faced academic challenges, a particular focus should also be given to students in primary grades.
READ MORE: Teachers alarmed by state’s infusing religion, downplaying race in civics training
Boosting communication between district staff, teachers
The disconnect between what’s being required of teachers and what they can realistically cover could be solved by increasing communication with teachers, including having the board seek their input before making policy decisions, Manzieri said.
“Instead of just listening to the union, which doesn’t represent every teacher, maybe listen to teachers,” she said. “I feel School Board members often communicate with the leadership in the school when the problem arises, but leadership sees things from their perspective, not from the perspective of someone in the classroom.”
Manzieri has also in recent months expressed frustration with Key Biscayne K-8’s and Rojas’ handling of parent complaints at the school revolving around the school principal Michelle Coto, according to the Key Biscayne Independent.
Rojas, for her part, disagreed that complaints have gone unnoticed or ignored, arguing the issues were addressed with the principal. There is a chain of command parents must follow when a complaint needs to be heard. At its June 22 meeting, the School Board approved Coto’s reassignment as principal at Shenandoah Middle School.
READ MORE: Miami school district earns A rating from the state; Broward gets B
Supporting teachers, boosting safety
Following the School Board election in August, Miami-Dade schools in November will ask homeowners to increase their property tax bill by slightly more than $50, on average, to increase teacher and staff pay and bolster student safety and security measures on campuses.
The district is asking for a millage rate of 1.0, up from .75, over the next four years — $100 for every $100,000 in assessed taxable property value.
When the School Board last month agreed it would increase the millage rate, which would bring in nearly $400 million to the district and would cost the average homeowner an additional $54.74 in property taxes, Rojas shared initial concerns she had about asking constituents for more money, given inflation rates and the rising cost of living in Miami-Dade.
READ MORE: Proposed tax increase for Miami-Dade County schools heading to voters in November
However, after the workshop and board discussion, Rojas said the measure is needed because charter schools are now eligible to receive funding brought in through the district’s referendum, first approved by voters in 2018.
“If we do not stay afloat, we’ll lose teachers,” she said at the time. “We have a problem, without a doubt. We have to increase the base salary for our teachers and workers.”
One of her mottoes, she said, is “Teachers do God’s work every day.”
Like Rojas, Manzieri understands the need to improve teacher pay. But, in an interview with the Herald Editorial Board, she said she had “a major problem with this, especially in the climate that we’re living in (and) the economy that we’re experiencing right now.”
“We’re putting this burden on the taxpayers. What if they decide (against it), then teachers are going to get a pay cut. This is not correct,” she said. “We have to find a way within the budget to pay teachers a fair salary. We cannot be at the whim of voters.”
READ MORE: Miami-Dade School Board just reorganized the district. See who is getting a new job
District 6 Candidates, Miami-Dade School Board
Sandra Manzieri
Age: 56
Occupation: Teacher, Key Biscayne K-8 Center
Experience: 21-year teacher
Money raised: $12,365, as of July 13
Maria Teresa Rojas
Age: 68
Occupation: School Board District 6 representative since 2016.
Experience: Former Miami-Dade teacher, principal, district administrator
Money raised: $177,521, as of July 13
