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Miami-Dade School Board · District 1

Vocab Week: a lesson in tokenism, starring Katrina Wilson

This video is framed as a teacher’s vocabulary lesson. The word is tokenism. It shows Katrina Wilson’s roles at The Charter School of Excellence and the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools, and who else sits on the consortium board. It follows the Zulueta family’s $4.3 million in Florida political giving since 2000, and their contributions to her campaign. It also shows the Schools of Hope notices: Mater Academy sent 81 of the 90, and 21 of the schools are in School Board District 1. Terms such as “charter school queen” and “hollowing out our public schools” are the committee’s opinion. The video does not say Wilson was paid by or profited from anyone.

Vote Tuesday, November 3. Miami-Dade County Public Schools, School Board District 1 runoff.

Transcript

Each quote is followed by its source and, where there is one, a link to the source video. “Edited for length” means the video uses part of the recording. Video on screen in the lesson: the consortium’s board page, state filings, Florida Division of Elections and FEC records, Katrina Wilson’s campaign finance reports, the 2025 law, and the list of Schools of Hope notices. The list of sources is below.

Narrator Good morning, class. Welcome to Miami-Dade County School Board, District One.

Narrator Today’s lesson is brought to you by the president of the Charter School of Excellence and the vice president of the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools: the charter school queen herself, Katrina Wilson.

Narrator This week’s vocabulary word: tokenism. Putting a familiar face out front to sell a plan to the people it works against.

Donald Trump “I will be the nation’s biggest cheerleader for school choice.”Campaign speech, Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 8, 2016. Source: MSNBC broadcast recording, Internet Archive.

Ron DeSantis “At the end of the day, we fundamentally believe that the money should follow the student.”Signing of House Bill 1, Miami, March 27, 2023. Edited for length.

Erika Donalds “And so we have to bring the free market into the education system.”PragerU speech. Edited for length.

Jeb Bush “We built the Liberty City Charter School. And at that time, there were no charters in Florida.”National Urban League conference, July 2015, C-SPAN. Edited for length. Watch the source video

Narrator Their plan needed a face our community trusts. They found one.

Katrina Wilson “So I opened the first charter school in the state of Florida... with then Jeb Bush and T. Willard Fair. It was called the Liberty City Charter School.”QNA podcast interview, posted Oct. 13, 2026. Edited for length. The host says “Mm” during the line. Watch the source video

Katrina Wilson “Now, if you ask me whether I think we should have choice, I think we do.”QNA podcast interview, posted Oct. 13, 2026. Edited for length. Watch the source video

Narrator So how do we know she’s part of this? Let’s go back to the consortium, where Katrina Wilson is vice president. In 2018, it gave Erika Donalds its Champions Award and called her a charter school pioneer. That’s Byron Donalds’ wife. Here’s what she wants for our schools.

Erika Donalds “I would like to eradicate the teachers’ unions from our schools.”Fox Business interview, posted Oct. 23, 2025. Edited for length. Watch the source video

Narrator No wonder the teachers’ union, United Teachers of Dade, endorsed Linda Cothiere. Even with Katrina Wilson’s claim of more than thirty years in Miami-Dade public schools. Not sure if she’s counting her decades in charter schools.

Narrator Back to the consortium. On that board with her: Fernando Zulueta. The Zuluetas run Academica, the biggest name in Florida charter schools. Since 2000, the Zuluetas and their companies have put more than four million dollars into Florida politics. Nearly nine hundred thousand to the Florida Senate Republicans. More than a million to the Republican Party of Florida. And to Ron DeSantis, Rick Scott, and Donald Trump.

Narrator And it goes without saying: Fernando Zulueta, Ignacio Zulueta, and a company Ignacio manages each wrote Katrina Wilson’s campaign a check. Same day. So did the consortium’s president, Bob Haag.

Katrina Wilson “People worry, ‘Oh, you know, we got charter schools coming, and they’re gonna take over the schools.’ They can’t take nothing from you.”Hy-Lo News candidate forum, Oct. 14, 2026. Edited for length.

Narrator Mater Academy is managed by Academica, the Zuluetas’ company. Under a 2025 state law that lets them use our school buildings at no cost, Mater sent eighty-one of the ninety notices to move into Miami-Dade public schools. And here they are, so you can see for yourself what they’ve got their eyes on next. Twenty-one of them are in School Board District One, the district she wants to represent. Those are the schools in yellow.

Narrator And that’s how tokenism brings in the policies of people who talk to us like this.

Donald Trump “Look how much African American communities have suffered under Democratic control. To those, I say the following:”Campaign rally, Dimondale, Mich., Aug. 19, 2016. Edited for length. Watch the source video

Donald Trump “What do you have to lose? ... You’re living in poverty. Your schools are no good. You have no jobs. ... What the hell do you have to lose?”Dimondale, Mich., Aug. 19, 2016. Edited for length. Watch the source video

Katrina Wilson “‘Oh, you know, we got the charter schools coming, and they’re gonna take over the schools.’ They can’t take nothing from you.”Hy-Lo News candidate forum, Oct. 14, 2026. Edited for length.

Donald Trump “You’re living in poverty. Your schools are no good. You have no jobs.”Dimondale, Mich., Aug. 19, 2016. Edited for length. Watch the source video

Katrina Wilson “Because everywhere you show up, it gets to be ugly. Because your politics is ugly.”Miami Gardens City Council meeting, March 26, 2025. Edited for length. The full story is on the Two Terms page

Narrator Vote by November third to stop them from hollowing out our public schools.

What the record shows

Katrina Wilson is president of the board of The Charter School of Excellence and vice president of the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools. Robert Haag is the consortium’s president and Fernando Zulueta its treasurer. 2026 annual reports filed with the Florida Department of State; consortium board listing; the record, with copies of both filings.
The consortium gave Erika Donalds its Champions Award in 2018. Consortium release on its Champions Awards (archived).
United Teachers of Dade endorsed Linda Cothiere for School Board District 1. United Teachers of Dade endorsement letter, Sept. 21, 2026.
Wilson has said she spent more than 30 years in Miami-Dade public schools. Wilson campaign website; The Florida Trib, Aug. 19, 2026.
Academica is the biggest name in Florida charter schools. StateImpact Florida (NPR), Dec. 14, 2011.
Members of the Zulueta family and their companies have given about $4.3 million to Florida politics since 2000, including $1,113,262 to the Republican Party of Florida and $877,912 to the Florida Senate Republicans’ campaign committee. Florida Division of Elections, contributions search, 2000 to 2026: search page.
Ignacio Zulueta gave $25,000 to the Trump Victory committee on Nov. 3, 2020. The gift went to that joint fundraising committee. FEC filing image.
Fernando Zulueta, Ignacio G. Zulueta and School Development HC Finance LLC each gave Katrina Wilson’s campaign $1,000 on July 15, 2026. A donor listed as Bob Haag gave $1,000 on July 26, 2026. Miami-Dade Elections Department, Katrina Wilson treasurer’s reports 26P4 and 26P6: campaign finance search; the donor tables.
Mater Academy is managed by Academica, and its 2024 audit names Academica Dade, LLC as its service provider. Florida Auditor General, Mater Academy financial audit, fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, note 5, flauditor.gov.
A 2025 state law lets approved “Schools of Hope” operators use unused space in district school buildings. Chapter 2025-203, Laws of Florida (SB 2510), amending section 1002.333, Florida Statutes.
Miami-Dade received 90 notices to move into district schools by November 2025, and Mater Academy sent 81 of them. Miami Herald, Nov. 18, 2025, reprinted by Pineapple Report.
Twenty-one of the schools named in the notices are inside School Board District 1. A Prosperous South Florida matched the school addresses to the District 1 boundary map.

Questions and answers

Who is Katrina Wilson?

Katrina Wilson (also listed as Katrina Wilson-Davis) is a candidate for Miami-Dade County School Board District 1. She is in the runoff on Nov. 3, 2026 against Linda Cothiere. In the Aug. 18 primary, Wilson received 33% of the vote and Cothiere 21%. The 2026 state filing of The Charter School of Excellence lists Wilson as president of its board. The 2026 state filing of the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools lists her as vice president.

What is the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools?

It is the state’s charter school association. Its 2026 state filing lists Robert Haag as president, Katrina Wilson-Davis as vice president, Devarn Flowers as secretary and Fernando Zulueta as treasurer. In 2018 it gave Erika Donalds, the wife of Rep. Byron Donalds, its Champions Award.

Who are the Zuluetas, and what is Academica?

Fernando Zulueta and Ignacio Zulueta are leaders of Academica, a Florida charter school management company that StateImpact Florida (NPR) called the biggest name in Florida charter schools in 2011. Fernando Zulueta is the treasurer of the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools. Their campaign contributions to Katrina Wilson are in the question below.

What are Schools of Hope notices?

A 2025 Florida law (Chapter 2025-203, amending section 1002.333, Florida Statutes) lets approved “Schools of Hope” charter operators tell a school district they want to open in district school buildings that have unused space. The Miami Herald reported on Nov. 18, 2025 that Miami-Dade received 90 such notices and that Mater Academy sent 81 of them. The Herald reported that the operators would pay no rent. Mater Academy is managed by Academica.

Which District 1 schools are in the Schools of Hope notices?

The video shows 21 of the schools named in the notices as being inside School Board District 1, including Carol City High. A Prosperous South Florida matched the school addresses in the notices to the district’s District 1 boundary map. Those schools are highlighted in yellow in the video.

Where did the $4.3 million go?

About $4.3 million is the total that members of the Zulueta family and their companies have given to Florida politics since 2000, according to the Florida Division of Elections contribution records. That includes $1,113,262 to the Republican Party of Florida and $877,912 to the Florida Senate Republicans’ campaign committee. It also includes gifts to Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott committees. The Trump gift was $25,000 from Ignacio Zulueta to the Trump Victory committee on Nov. 3, 2020, according to the Federal Election Commission. It went to the Trump Victory committee, not to a campaign account.

Did the Zuluetas give to Katrina Wilson’s campaign?

Yes. Her campaign reported $1,000 contributions on July 15, 2026 from Fernando Zulueta (job listed as “CEO of Academica”), Ignacio G. Zulueta (“educational management”) and School Development HC Finance LLC (“school finance”), a company that listed the same street address as Fernando Zulueta. A donor listed as Bob Haag of Davie gave $1,000 on July 26, 2026. The Consortium’s 2026 state filing lists Robert Haag as its president at a Davie address. These are campaign contributions reported to the Miami-Dade Elections Department. The video does not say Wilson was paid by or profited from anyone.

When is the election?

The School Board District 1 runoff is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The District 1 seat is on the ballot for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. United Teachers of Dade endorsed Linda Cothiere in a letter dated Sept. 21, 2026.