MDC Trustee Vies For Seat On Miami-Dade County School Board
Miami Dade College Board of Trustee member Roberto J. Alonso is running for a seat on the Miami-Dade County School Board for District 4.
The seat covers Miami Lakes, Hialeah and Hialeah Gardens. It became available after Perla Tabares Hantman, who has served on the board since 1996, said in April that she would not seek reelection.
Alonso’s competition is Kevin Menendez Macki, who has served as the school principal at Horeb Christian School in Hialeah for six years. He has more than 15 years of experience in education.
“We have a great community,” said Alonso, who lives in Miami Lakes. “I see everybody more engaged than ever in the topic of education right now. So it’s really an exciting time and I think a turning point in education, where families, parents and students are really seeing [its] importance.”
Alonso, who has more than 20 years of experience in education, said his platform is centered around conservative values. That includes his support for parental rights in the school curriculum, opposing the imposition of Critical Race Theory in K-12, advocating for fair and accountable salaries for teachers and securing funding and programs for students with special needs.
“I’m excited to hear and to see him put his thoughts, his dreams and his ideas to fruition,” said his sister Jessica Alonso Mendoza, who has been teaching since 1997 and is a first-grade teacher at Bob Graham Education Center.
Connecting with the community has been a huge part of Alonso’s campaign. He visits 100 homes in District 4 every day during the week. On Saturdays, he is joined by his family.
“One of the things that separates [Roberto] from everyone else is his ability to understand what people are feeling,” said Anthony Valenzuela, a 2021 MDC alumn who is helping Alonso with his campaign. “He’s not a career politician who just wants to run for his own benefit…he actually takes the time and asks people what they would like to see changed.”
Alonso has also been active on his Instagram account—@robertoalonsofl—where he posts information and videos about his campaign.
He has received nearly $50,000 in contributions from individuals and businesses in the community, according to his campaign treasurer’s report.
Alonso is the founder and vice president of business development at Always At Your Side Adult Day Care, a realtor at Costa Realtors Corporation, and co-founder of Miami Lakes Cars for a Cure, a car show in Miami Lakes that creates awareness and raises funds for cancer research.
He also co-founded HeroK12—a software company that automates the daily tasks of administrators in schools—and was the organization’s director of business development until 2019. Additionally, Alonso served as the chair of the public safety committee for the town of Miami Lakes from 2013 to 2016.
The 42-year-old earned an associate’s degree in computer and information sciences and support services from MDC in 2002. Two years later, Alonso received a bachelor’s degree in management information systems from Florida International University.
Primary elections will take place on Aug. 23 and general elections are on Nov. 8. If Alonso is elected, his four-year term would start on Nov. 22.
“He is a person of great character, someone that is doing this because they care about their community, not because they need a title [or] job,” said Alex Rizo, a Florida state representative for District 110. “This is someone that really wants to make a difference.”
For more information about his campaign, click here.
