Perla Tabares Hantman is the Chair of District 4 on the
School Board
A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution.
The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...
of
Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...
.
Hantman was first elected to the School Board in November 1996. Hantman attended the
University of Havana
The University of Havana or (UH, ''Universidad de La Habana'') is a university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of the Republic of Cuba. Founded on January 5, 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the first ...
, before emigrating from
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, and continuing her education at
Barry University
Barry University is a private Catholic university in Miami Shores, Florida. Founded in 1940 by the Adrian Dominican Sisters, it is one of the largest Catholic universities in the Southeast and is within the territory of the Archdiocese of Miami ...
.
Hantman was the first Hispanic woman to serve as the Chair.
In April 2012, the Board approved three items proposed by Hantman. She was re-elected for the seventh time in 2013, previously serving in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Her 2010 campaign was met with minor controversy as Ralph Arza was noted being at her headquarters. Arza had previously resigned from the Florida House, in 2006, for sending out expletive-filled threats to another state representative.
In 2014, she ran for re-election, and drew a challenger, Duysevi "Sevi" Miyar. ''