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Javier Perez’s life changed dramatically and forever on Apr. 26, 2016, when a drunk driver ran over him as he coached his son’s baseball team at Tamiami Park.
His injuries were so severe that both of his legs were amputated. He was unable to return to his job as the beloved principal of South Dade Senior High School.
Perez credits his wife, Maytee, a CAP counselor at Southwest Miami Senior High School; his son, Jordan, and his daughter, Sabrina, as the primary catalyst for his miraculous recovery.
Miami’s Community Newspapers recently interviewed Perez to learn about his inspirational journey to recovery and his campaign to win the District 7 seat on the Miami-Dade County School Board.
Q. What gave you hope and strength during the darkest hours of the months following the accident and 20 plus surgeries you went through?
A. First and foremost, my family. However, I would not have gotten through the darkest of days without my friends, colleagues and the community. Their support and prayers truly got me through it. I relied on my faith and believe God put this in my path for a reason…that something bigger was going to come out of it. The Lord doesn’t give you more than you can handle and knowing that in my heart made me feel like there was a reason I was chosen for this journey.
Q. What led you to decide to run for the District 7 School Board seat?
A. This has been on my mind for a while. I understand the challenges schools face and I wanted to be part of the team that creates solutions for these challenges. I understand school policy and I bring a unique perspective to the school board as a former teacher, coach, principal, and as a parent. What better way to give back to my community than to serve as a school board member.
Q. What makes you a good candidate for District 7?
A. I am an educator. I am not a politician. I’m someone who has dedicated 28 years to education and understands the ins and outs of schools. I bring a wealth of experience to the table.
As a school board member, it’s imperative to do what’s right for every school, and every community in the district. What’s right for one school may not be right for another. District 7 is a district I know extremely well because I worked at South Dade Senior High School, my kids went to Winston Park K-8 Center, and I live in the community.
I’m the person who pays attention to the details. I’m a great listener and I’m always interested in feedback. I think listening to what people have to say and what their thoughts are on important aspects helps us grow.
Q. What would be some of your priorities as a school board member?
A. Safety is obviously a huge priority, for the students, teachers, administrators and school community. Miami-Dade County has the largest school police department in the country and they do an unbelievable job. I know most of the senior police officers and will work with them to implement new ideas to protect our children, our country’s most precious resource.
Student achievement is extremely important. As a district, we need to provide our students with everything they need to be successful. There are a lot of changes coming down from Tallahassee. Our teachers do an unbelievable job, and the district needs to ensure that our administrators keep up with the changes and make sure our teachers get all the information they need to continue doing their jobs successfully.
Improving our athletic programs in schools is essential (facilities, pay, growth at the middle school and K-8 levels). Many students go to school for sports. Sports teach students life skills; teaches them how to win, how to lose, and how to work as a team.
To a certain extent we put all emphasis on the academics. In many ways, athletics is a dropout prevention program. Sports make kids feel good, and at times it’s the only thing some children are successful in.
One thing I feel we need to improve on is parental and community involvement. Parents need to be involved and they need to be heard. They are an important voice. After all, we’re taking care of their kids.
Q. Can you provide an example of how to reach the children who struggle in school?
A. Here’s a good example. When I was at South Dade, we had the Agriculture Science Program with a farm, crops, plants, fruit — the works. We had students who didn’t do well in the more academic courses such as math and science. However, when they joined the Agriculture Science classes, they excelled. They thrived in the different setting and were able to apply math and science concepts in this program.
Some children require more hands-on learning or simply learn differently. As educators, we need to be creative to maximize what makes students learn. Additionally, providing a variety of programs for students also helps them to be successful in school.
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