The race to fill the vacant Miami-Dade County School Board District 1 seat is headed to a runoff, with Katrina Wilson and Linda Cothiere advancing from a crowded primary field.
Neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the Aug. 18 election, setting up a Nov. 3 runoff to determine who will represent the predominantly Black North Dade district on the nine-member school board.
Wilson finished first with roughly one-third of the vote, while Cothiere secured about one-fifth. The two candidates emerged from a field that included Joy L. Jackson, Erhabor Ighodaro, Bernard W.H. Jennings, Wrendly Mesidor, James Wright and write-in candidate Thera Johnson.
The District 1 election was triggered by the resignation of former School Board Member Steve Gallon III, who left the seat after moving into a run for Miami-Dade County Commission. Gallon endorsed Wilson in the school board race.
Who are the runoff candidates?
Wilson is a former principal and former Miami Gardens City Council member who resigned from the council to pursue the School Board seat. She previously served as principal and CEO of Liberty City Charter School, which was Florida’s first charter school and was co-founded by former Gov. Jeb Bush.
Wilson entered the race with an emphasis on her experience in education leadership and navigating changes in the public education system.
Speaking to the Miami Herald after the election, Wilson said parents and families in District 1 are looking for different ways to meet their children’s educational needs.
“Overall, people are looking for ways to improve education,” Wilson said, according to the Herald. “They are looking for options for their children as they are deciphering what’s best for them as families.”
Cothiere is a Haitian-American public school educator who has spent decades working in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. While a graduate of Miami Carol City Senior High School, Miami-Dade College, and St. Thomas University, she performed particularly well in precincts in North Miami and North Miami Beach, areas with significant Haitian communities.
“I am incredibly proud of where I come from and of my Haitian-American heritage, but I am not running to represent one community or one demographic,” Cothiere said in a press statement released to Hy-Lo News. “I am running to represent every student, every parent, every family, and every educator who deserves to know that their voice matters. Our backgrounds may be different, but when it comes to the future of our children, we share a common purpose.”
Cothiere’s campaign has focused on issues including preschool access, parental involvement and teacher empowerment. She was also backed by the United Teachers of Dade, Miami’s largest teachers union, during the primary campaign.
The runoff will give voters another opportunity to decide who should succeed Gallon and serve the remainder of his current term.
A school district in transition
The winner will take a seat at a time of significant change for Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
The school board is dealing with declining enrollment, budget pressures and school closures and consolidations. The district is also navigating the impact of Florida’s expanded school-choice policies, including the state’s essentially universal private school voucher system.
Leadership at the district level is also changing. Superintendent Jose Dotres is preparing to step down after nearly five years in the position, with the school board selecting South Region Superintendent Rafael Villalobos as his successor. His start date was still being finalized following the primary.
Immigration policy is another issue affecting families across the district, particularly amid increased federal immigration enforcement and changes surrounding Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants.
District 1 covers portions of North Dade, including Miami Gardens, Opa-locka, North Miami and North Miami Beach.
The Miami-Dade County School Board oversees one of the country’s largest public school districts and plays a major role in decisions involving school operations, budgets, facilities, student programs and district leadership.
Now, Wilson and Cothiere will spend the weeks leading up to Nov. 3 making their cases to District 1 voters.
This is a Hy-Lo News Staff Report.
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