Miami School District Negotiation Over

Miami School District Negotiation

Over the last several years, the issue of redistricting has been continually brought to the forefront. Part of the reason for this is because of shifts in demographics and changes in the number of people moving in and out of the area. At which point, many school boards will begin to redraw their boundaries, to reflect the changes that are occurring. In the case of the Miami school district, the issue is particularly challenging, as they must wrestle with the increasing amounts of immigration and changing population shifts. As the area, has been known to be one of the regions that are seeing a consistent population increases (over the long-term). A good example of this can be seen with a study that was released by Election Data Services. Where, they found, that Florida will be gaining two Congressional seats, because of the increases in population over the last ten years. Commenting about these results Kimball Brace the President of Election Data Services said, "We were most surprised at the shift of an additional district, out of New York and down to Florida, even though this follows the population movement in this country since World War II." (Royse, 2010) This is significant, because it shows how the population shift, is creating dramatic changes, in how various redistricting efforts are being conducted. In the case of the Miami school district, these concerns have caused some parents to express their fears about what is taking place. Where, they feel that any kind of proposed changes will: reduce the quality of education, increase travel time, it creates various economic / cultural clashes, it can affect property values and there could be negative social impacts upon the children. This is important because the views of parents; will play a major role in determining if this strategy will be successful. To develop an effective redistricting plan, requires taking into account the different view points of the various stakeholders. This will be accomplished through: examining who the stakeholders are, what negotiation strategy they could be utilizing and how the ethics / culture of the community will have an impact upon this decision. Together, these different elements will provide the greatest insights, as to how the various boundaries of the Miami school district can be successfully redrawn.

Who are the stakeholders?

The various stakeholders for any kind of redistricting efforts would include: the general public, politicians and educators / administrators. The way the general public would be affected by this decision, is based upon a change made to the Florida Constitution in 2002. This states that all class sizes must be 18 students (for grades 4 through 8) and 25 students (for grades 9 through 12). Those schools that are not in compliance with these regulations will be fined. This has an impact upon class sizes, as any kind of changes in the population will require consistent redistricting, to remain in compliance with the Constitution. This affects politicians, as they are constantly seeking out ways to keep the class sizes small, while addressing the changing needs of the population. The various educators / administrators have less flexibility in adjusting to changes in that are occurring, as the fines for class sizes could take away reduced funding.

What negotiation strategy do you use to support the school boards need, to redraw the boundaries, while addressing the concerns of the stakeholders?

To address the different issues of the stakeholders, you would have a forum that would allow various parents and other members of the community, to express their views about the proposed redistricting that will be occurring. Where, they would have a chance to comment about the plan and what they feel should be implemented or removed, to address any kind of concerns that they may have. At the same time, school officials must point out that the status quo has to change, as doing nothing will hurt the district in the long run. Next, you would want to discuss the views of different politicians and public officials, by addressing the need for redistricting as well various strategies for achieving this objective. This will help redistricting experts, to understand how and in what ways the political establishment, would like to see the issue resolved. Finally, you would want to discuss how these changes could affect school officials and their views on such efforts. Once you have spoken with all of the different stakeholders, you would then implement a strategy that will address of all their concerns, by utilizing all the various ideas from all parties. This supports the needs of the school board, by intelligently redrawing the boundaries and taking into account all of the numerous views. At which point, the chances increase that this strategy will be successful, because it addresses the different concerns and helps the school board to achieve it objectives (creating a win -- win situation for all parties).

How do ethics and culture affect your decision?

Ethics will determine how the redistricting experts will approach the issue. Where, they will take steps, towards finding the most agreeable solution for both parties. In this aspect, ethics would affect their decisions and actions, by trying to find the best strategy that will benefit all of the various parties. This is because many redistricting plans will often create: animosity and heated emotions. As the experts will assume that everyone will go along with their suggestions. This lack of ethics and respect for the different stakeholders; will cause the situation to become worse, as everyone feels that they have been short changed during the process. Once this occurs, it means that the odds increase dramatically that the plan and the issue itself could windup in court. A good example of this occurred, with the U.S. Supreme Court Case Reno v Shaw. Where, the court found, that any individual could challenge redistricting proposals, if they believe that race is a deciding factor in determining the boundaries. ("Key Supreme Court Cases for Civil Rights," 2010) This is important, because it shows how the experts, who are redrawing the boundaries for the school district, must take into account the views of everyone. Otherwise the proposal could be the subject of severe legal challenges, based upon the case precedent established in Reno v Shaw.