For the fourth time in her 14 years serving as a school board member, Perla Tabares Hantman has taken the role of chair for the School Board of Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

The nine school board members agreed to have her once again lead the school system, which represents 340,000 students in the county.

A champion for education, Ms. Hantman has dedicated more than a decade to improving the quality of education and preparing students for a future beyond high school.

The school system has scored high in building up its contingency reserve, she said, which has grown from $4 million to $130 million in less than three years.

Also, more than half of Miami-Dade public schools got an A on the last FCAT, a standardized exam administered to all public school students in Florida, with only one getting an F.

A main focus this year is on once again balancing the budget with reduced funding, she noted, which the school board along with Superintendent Alberto Carvalho accomplished last year without layoffs.

“We are an example, and I'm saying it not only as a chair person but as a member of the community, we are an example of what government can do with less money and that's what we've done, focusing and not taking away anything,” she said.

Ms. Hantman discussed her priorities as chair with Miami Today reporter Yudislaidy Fernandez at the school system’s headquarters in downtown Miami.