Perla Tabares Hantman

Tabares Hantman was born to Carlos and Gilda Tabares in Havana, Cuba, where she was also raised. She attended the University of Havana. A polyglot, she learned English, German, French, and Italian, in addition to her native Spanish. After Fidel Castro came into power in the island country, she emigrated from Cuba to the United States with her family. After spending a few years in Miami, Florida, she later lived in Mexico where she worked for the United States Embassy. After returning to the United States, she finished her education at Barry University. Her career in public service began after meeting former U.S. Senator Bob Graham, who she lived across from a golf course in Miami Lakes. Graham aided her appointment to the Florida Board of Medicine, and the Florida Board of Governors, then known as the Florida Board of Regents; the latter committee overseeing the public State University System of Florida. ==Miami-Dade County school board (1996–2022)==

Tabares Hantman was first elected to the Miami-Dade County Public School (MDCPS) board in November 1996, being re-elected to the board in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018, for a total of seven terms. Her 2010 re-election 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. Tabares Hantman stated Arza had "nothing to do" with her campaign. The Miami Herald recommended its readers to vote for Tabares Hantman for the Miami-Dade School Board. Hantman won the race against Miyar. She also served as the board's chair, first elected to position in 1999, becoming the first Hispanic woman to serve in the role. She was re-elected several times, serving a total of 14 terms in the position. She was also noted for her influence and support in the development of the Cambridge program at Miami Lakes Educational Center, as well as the magnet reforms at Barbara Goleman Senior High and José Martí MAST, and later the opening of the South Florida Autism Charter School in 2021. The board stated the children's book about Cuba was "inappropriate for young readers because of inaccuracies and omissions about life in the communist nation". A Cuban American conservative, Tabares Hantman supported the ban, stating it "misleads, confounds or confuses has no part in the education of our students, most especially elementary students, who are most impressionable and vulnerable". In 2022, Tabares Hantman announced she would not be running for re-election, opting to retire after serving for 26 years on the school board. Later in the year, she notably changed her vote from "no" to "yes", regarding the approval of the sexual education textbook Comprehensive Health Skills. Her change caused the board to vote 5–4 in favor of updating sex ed curriculum for the MDCPS district. Also in 2022, Tabares Hantman voiced concerns with the "title and job description" of the school board's deputy chief of staff role, then newly proposed by José Dotres, the school district's superintendent. ==Death==

Tabares Hantman died on March 4, 2025, survived by her sister, four children, eight grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. She received a private funeral service and was buried next to her husband at Vista Memorial Gardens in Miami Lakes. ==See also==