The nation’s third-largest school district will soon have a new captain steering the ship.

Last week, the Miami-Dade County School Board appointed Rafael Villalobos to succeed the retiring Jose Dotres as superintendent.

Villalobos gave us his first in-depth interview on Monday since accepting the job. The discussion was held at South Miami Senior High School, his alma mater, and began with Villalobos acknowledging that his task is to maintain the district’s successful run of seven straight “A” grades.

Here’s part of the conversation. 

You’re stepping into some big shoes. How much pressure do you feel to keep the district moving in that successful trajectory?

“First and foremost, I’m grateful to Dr. Dotres and the work he has committed to his entire career as well,” said Villalobos, who currently serves under Dotres as the South Area Superintendent. “I’ve lived my entire career making sure that we did what was right by children first in every single school because if we do that and we keep that at the forefront, we cannot fail.”

So how do you continue to maintain excellence when you have fewer dollars to devote to the cause?

“Well, there’s no doubt, there’s a decline in enrollment across the country, right?” Villalobos said, and explained that state funding is dependent on the number of students enrolled. “We have to start looking at how we’re going to right-size the district, and we’ve started that process already, and I think we’re well on our way, but it’s not just about the consolidating, or the closures, but it’s about extra resources and making it even better than it was before.”

Underenrolled schools, he said, cannot offer the same opportunities as schools that have robust student populations. 

“We are in this competitive arena now and we’ve got to make sure that parents and communities and our businesses and our partners, they understand that we are your better choice, regardless of who’s out there,” Villalobos said. “I mean, I tell the parents today, we welcome you, come back, tour the schools, let us tell you all of the amazing things that we’re doing.”

What do you have to say to the teachers who are looking to you to see if they’re gonna be able to survive and live here in Miami-Dade County?

“Ari, no doubt, it’s very difficult, I mean, what, we’re 50th in the country in teacher salary?” Villalobos said, adding that it’s crucial that voters pass the next referendum to boost teacher salaries. 

He also urged immigrant families to send their kids to school. 

“What happens outside of the school, we don’t have any control over, but if something does happen, we are there for them; we have resources and support systems in place,” Villalobos said.