Superintendent Carvalho under investigation
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho is currently under investigation by the Office of the Inspector General after accepting a solicited donation from K12.
Miami-Dade superintendent Alberto Carvalho is currently under investigation for a donation agreement between K-12 and MDCPS. Gregoire Winston/highlights
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) currently has Superintendent Alberto Carvalho under investigation with the discovery of a solicited donation from the education corporation K12. As the parent company of My School Online (MSO), K12 allegedly gave $1.57 million in donations to the district to urge teachers to use the online program when the school year began.
Inspector General Mary Cagle notified the school board of the ongoing investigation Wednesday, Sept. 16. Cagle is currently reviewing a $1.57 million donation made to The Foundation for New Education Initiatives (FNEI), a non-profit organization that Carvalho established in March 2008 which focuses on giving students who come from lower-class families opportunities for a quality education. According to both FNEI and Carvalho himself, K12 made the donation as an incentive to teachers for the use of their program MSO for distant learning in Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) by August 31, when school began.
The donation money, which Carvalho claims to have deposited in the FNEI account, was to be used to give teachers who qualified a $100 gift card. According to the Miami Herald, teachers woke up the Sunday before classes began with an email acknowledging the amount of work they put in the days preceding the commencement of distant learning and that they would be receiving a $100 gift card as a “token of appreciation.”
“We were told that if we did certain things on the internet to set up for classes, teachers will get a gift card or an incentive of $100,” French teacher Florence Rouit said.
The investigation also covers a late-night discussion at a special School Board meeting on Monday, Sept. 14, where last minute issues were discussed. During the meeting, School Board Chair Perla Tabares Hantman raised questions about the donations from K12 and how she was unaware of these donations until the night before classes started through distance learning.
Soon after, School Board Vice Chair Steve Gallon confronted Carvalho on a discrepancy concerning the distribution of the donation money. Carvalho mentioned that every teacher would qualify for the $100 gift card, and with 19,200 teachers in MDCPS, the donation of $1.57 million dollars would have fallen short by $350,000.
“What the donations imply, if the investigation finds [Carvalho] guilty, is that the decision of the deal was made on the basis of greed as opposed to quality of service he was subscribing to thousands of students [and teachers] in his district,” sophomore Massimo Aguila said.
School Board member Dr. Lubby Navarro hoped to collect a set of testimonies from parents and teachers to emphasize that no school board policies were violated. Navarro wanted to bring a proposal during the School Board’s Oct. 21 meeting regarding policy and procedure in relation to accepting vendor donations, however, no new information has surfaced concerning the OIG’s investigation.
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Rafael Sans is a sophomore in the International Baccalaureate program at Coral Gables Senior High. This is his first year as a highlights staff member,...
ELECTRA Diana Cotsiopoulos • Jul 16, 2021 at 7:40 pm
I crossed path with this guy, he has no class, he been in to steel. His District level of Operations is a mess. Pretty much no one will account a net worth of US 40.000 .000 being who he is. In the land of the blind the one eye is the king. I will estate this is not a good person and anyone could ask my why…? This guy is a thief. Anyone who has a salary larger than any other State while in Miami, is corrupt; and you also are welcome to ask me why…?
Idiots are dangerous. Miami School System needs core help. Welcome to ask me why…?
Have a nice summer. Electra Cotsiopoulos.
Anarilys Castano • Jun 9, 2021 at 10:55 am
Carvalho HAS TO GO. He is the most corrupt and abusive superintendent that ever any teacher can have. Where is the money? 1.5 million dollars is in his foundation(who is he to take that money?)In less than a month a superintendent from Broward is out of his position why not Carvalho? 5.5 billion dollars is the budget of the one of the biggest district in USA. We are talking about a new generation, the core of the society, the education of the most important country in the world,. This is not a Third World Country and he is acting like one of the administrator of one of those country. There is not any word for his repugnant position. Why his salary is an a half million dollars and all of his expenses has to be paid from the Dade County, from our taxes. WRONG.How a teacher can live with 47,625 as a base salary after 16 years of hard work. What is happening in Miami. Why he can not live with that money like us? He forgot how is to be a teacher with that miserable money. In 13 years as superintendent he never increase the salary to any teacher, he take out our steps that was the only that help with our salary. The Health benefits are not a benefit anymore.He never respect the sacrifice that all the teachers do. A superintendent can not be in that position for more than 4 years. That position can not be for life. All the schools are facing a lot of problems, one and the most cruel is to eliminate ESOL Program that affect hundred of students. They cannot read and go from grade to grade without reading. READING is the root of education, and without that we are facing a massive future problems. CARVALHO IT’S TIME TO GO and give the money that is not yours. Ambition is good but not at the cost of children’s education and others.