Miami-Dade County Commissioner Dennis C. Moss Announces Candidacy for Miami-Dade County School Board District 9
MIAMI – Miami-Dade County Commissioner Dennis C. Moss announced his candidacy for Miami-Dade School Board District 9. The seat will be vacated by Dr. Lawrence Feldman, the current school board member representing the district, who announced last July that he would not run for reelection.
“My passion for District 9, its schools, students, and residents have led me to announce my candidacy. The residents of District 9 need a leader who can build upon the work of Dr. Feldman and can continue to guide the district in this evolving educational environment,” said Commissioner Moss. “My record for the past 27 years serving the Miami-Dade County Commission District 9 speaks to my commitment to service. As a School Board Member, I will work to ensure the physical safety of our schools, ensure that our students are safe from the COVID-19 virus, save traditional and challenged neighborhood schools, refine online distance learning, and implement life preparation skills in our curricula such as employability, entrepreneurship and coding skills.”
Commissioner Moss, a lifelong resident of District 9, has been serving Miami-Dade County’s Commission District 9 since 1993 when he was first elected to the Board of County Commissioners. Commissioner Moss is known, respected, and admired for making promises and keeping them. Throughout his career, Commissioner Moss has always advocated for our youth.
As County Commissioner, he voted to allocate $25 million of non-School Board County funds to provide County police officers in an effort to protect students after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas massacre. He has also worked as a juvenile probation officer; a social worker with Big Brother and Big Sisters, serving as a surrogate Big Brother in South Miami and Coconut Grove; and as an executive director for 36 years for the Richmond-Perrine Optimist Club, an organization that serves the community by developing programs for at-risk youth, and disadvantaged families.
Additionally, when Commissioner Moss saw that disadvantaged students in South Dade were being disproportionately suspended and expelled from our schools, he created a community suspension program and an alternative school to serve their needs.
“During times like this, where we are facing a Coronavirus pandemic, social unrest in our streets and safety concerns in our schools, the School Board needs experienced leadership that parents, students, and residents can trust. I feel that it is my duty to step up. Our teachers need support, our parents want innovative curriculums and safe schools, and our students deserve every opportunity to be successful,” stated Commissioner Moss. “Moreover, I will work closely with all District 9 families to ensure that we are consistently implementing solutions that create a stable foundation for each and every student and employee within the Miami-Dade Public School system. During my career, I developed core values that guided my decision-making. I want to bring those same skills to District 9 as a School Board Member.”
Commissioner Moss currently serves as Chairman of the Housing, Social Services and Economic Development Committee, which is responsible for oversight of matters concerning affordable, workforce and public housing, education, community assistance, social services, economic development, job creation, neighborhood improvement and self-sufficiency initiatives. He was also appointed as Vice-Chair of the Transportation and Finance Committee and as a member of the Tourism and the Ports Committee, The Chairwoman’s Policy Council, and the Community Disparities Subcommittee.
Commissioner Moss is a 1974 graduate of Grinnell College in Iowa, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics. He is married to Margaret Hawkins-Moss and has three children, all of whom are graduates of Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
