Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Redistricting dominates November's meeting

November's School Board meeting was dominated by discussion over the proposed maps for the redistricting of the school district. Little else of great interest was discussed.

G-1:
Request for approval of resolution 11-129 redistricting the School Board

One map was created in September; after board member Dr. Marta Perez raised concerns, the consultants hired by the district created another one, and the process has caused some agitation among the population, as it moves some constituents currently in Dr. Marta Perez's district (district 8) to district 7 (represented by Carlos Curbelo).

After some passionate pleas to the Board for them to leave the schools (South Miami High in particular) in district 8, board member Raquel Regalado brought the legal aspects into the discussion. "We have to redistrict. We cannot leave our districts as they are because they are not in compliance. There has been growth, and we have to redo our boundaries. That being said, we started this process in April, and we'll be talking more about the specifics of that. We did have a committee meeting, and I chaired that committee meeting, and we talked about this. One of the things we discussed was whether to move the vote to December; there was not a motion, there was not a second, and that's why we're discussing it here. This does not mean that we cannot later on make a decision to postpone this vote to another meeting, however, by law, we have to make a determination by December, and that's something I want everyone to understand, because legally it cannot go past that point. The other point that I think is important to consider is, one of the speakers said that in the past, the districting process has been different for the Miami-Dade School Board, and that's true. This time around, we actually considered something we had never considered before. And that was the placement of our schools in the feeder pattern. I know because I made that request. That is something that has never been considered when we've looked at our district, and that is something we have really tried to maintain, feeders within the district. Finally another point was made as to the districting at the state and county levels, something else we should consider is that our districts are much bigger than other districst; therefore when we talk about the actual impact, it is a different process for that reason. This has been the first time in the districting process where there has ever been a town hall meeting, information on the website, public access to the maps, so when we talk about transparency, I think in this case, this Board really has tried to get the information out there. But districting is a very complicated process, redistricting is a process that everyone has to go through and no one is happy with, but I want to be clear about one point, and I'm glad it was mentioned: we all represent everyone. Every single one of us represents the entire county...So this idea that if you were to be represented by another board member, that that board member would not attend your schools, not support your community, not support the parents, not visit the schools and not attend events, I find disrespectful. I do. Because I do not think that's the case. I think that everyone sitting here does everything they can to represent their schools. Yes, it's a difficult process, yes, it's going to be a political process, but I want to be clear that there are expectations you should hold for everyone sitting up here, as parents, as residents, as taxpayers, and I hope you do that. And if someone up here is not doing those things, whether you live in their district or not, that's a problem."

Dr. Marta Perez went back to the maps. "Those two feeder patterns are completely torn apart by this redistricting. We cannot vote at committee meetings, so a motion was not in order. Yes, we do represent the entire district, and I don't think anyone here has been here to disrespect, but since we do all represent the entire district, these people who came before you, you represent as well, and you should listen to what they're saying. Yes, I think it's very important that we all be respected, but that means all nine of us, not eight, because I have been called all kinds of names, I think there was even a reference to a dog at some point, but we all have to respect each other, all nine of us have to be respected. I have other comments, but I think it's best to pass to Mr. Harvey."

Board chairperson Perla Tabares Hantman addressed Dr. Perez's accusations of disrespect by claiming to never have seen or tolerated any instances of disrespect as long as she had been chairperson, but that she would never allow it in the future either.

School Board Attorney Walter Harvey made a very clear explanation of the reasons for and the legality behind the redistricting process, as well as testifying to the public's input in the process, contrary to what happens in most districts. "First, the public comments have been received in at least three formats. Public comment has been made at this meeting, at the School Board committee meeting on November 17, the town hall meeting, and also there are several other agenda items dating as far back as April of this year where the issue of redistricting was discussed by the board. The public has submitted comments on the school website at redistricting@dadeschools.net, and those comments that were received prior to November 10 were forwarded to the consultants prior to the formulation of the final maps before the School Board. The public has also submitted comments on a hotline, and those comments received before November 10 were also forwarded to the consultants. I would like to emphasize that section 1001.36 of the Florida statutes requires the school board to make changes deemed necessary to boundaries of a school board member's district in odd years, no boundary change that would affect the residence qualifications of an incumbent board member shall disqualify such incumbent member during the term for which he or she is elected. In addition, on November 18, 1994, federal district court judge Lenore D. Nesbitt entered an order approving the nine single-member districts for the School Board, mandating the School Board reapportion its board members residence areas after each decennial census, which would be this year, 2011. Accordingly, the School Board is legally required to review, formulate, plan and adopt a resolution setting forth the boundaries for that plan prior to the end of this calendar year, 2011. The results of the decennial United States census were received by the School Board in April 2011, and the results indicate an increase in the population in Miami-Dade County of over 10.8% over the last ten years; however that population growth has not been evenly distributed throughout the nine board members' residence areas. The School Board must therefore redraw the residence areas that are reflective of the population changes that have occurred since the 2000 census. We have provided the public with memoranda, PowerPoints, a redistricting website, and other reports concerning an overview of the legal requirements of redistricting. The redistricting consultants obtained by the School Board are here to explain the item before you for adoption."

The consultants hired by the School Board to assist in the redistricting process touched on the specifics of the legal issues, namely that, pursuant to the decennial census results, they have to redistrict; that the redistricting plan cannot disqualify any incumbent School Board member; and that they must be divided into nine single-member districts. They exhibited the two proposed maps (the one made before the September 14 workshop and one made afterward) and explained the differences between the two and why the new boundaries had been set the way they had. The overall differences in demographics between the two maps are minimal.

The discussion over the redistricting persisted for a couple of hours, focused on Dr. Perez's complaints against the map. Finally, after much prolonged debate, the original map was adopted by an 8-1 vote, with Dr. Perez being the only dissenting vote.

A-1
Superintendent's announcements

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho had only two real announcements at today's meeting: one concerned a reduction in the number of serious (criminal) incidents in our schools over the past year; the other was recognition of several magnet schools who have won acclaim in the US News and World Report's top 100 high schools.

Chief of School Police Charles Hurley said,"The first critical data point I want to discuss is our STI, our Serious Targeted Incident index, as well as our uniform crime report with is made each year to FDOE and the FBI. For the third consecutive year, the district has had a steady decrease. As it stands right now, we are some 31% down on serious targeted incidents. Though sometimes necessary, arrest of youth should always be made as a last resort. Referrals into juvenile justice system and other actions taken by law enforcement must be balanced and calculated. To effectuate this change, we have to evaluate our processes and philosophy of the police department. We've done a very good job of that over the past three years, and to date we're down 35% in juvenile arrests. One point of interest that I think is important and noteworthy to share with the board is that in most cases, these arrests that we're discussing here, and I do sit on the juvenile justice board, and represent the school system, and I also chair the juvenile committee for the Miami-Dade County Association of Chiefs of Police, which is a group of all 38 police chiefs in Miami-Dade County. The cross-section of our community we're talking about is minority children. And obviously referrals to the juvenile justice system can be very damaging to juveniles, and to be 35% down I think is a remarkable piece of data I wanted to share with the Board."

Superintendent Carvalho went on with the second item of A-1, which was to recognize four Miami-Dade County public schools that were named among the 100 Best High Schools in America by US News and World Report. Five others were also honored as silver, bronze and honorable mention high schools. "If there are about 21,000 high schools in America, and 35 of those are in Miami-Dade, if you do the math, Miami-Dade represents about .16% of all high schools in America, and yet 4% of our high schools rank in the top 100. This is a huge accomplishment for Miami-Dade County Public Schools and is a reflection of great teaching and great learning."

The gold medalists (those in the top 100 schools) were:
DASH (Design and Architecture Senior High School) in top 15
Coral Reef Senior High School
MAST (Maritime and Science Technology Academy)
New World School of the Arts

It should be noted that all four of these schools, while undoubtedly excellent, are also magnet schools, meaning they serve a more select student population than the majority of our high schools.

Other schools in Miami-Dade recognized as silver or bronze medalists or honorable mentions were:
Mater Academy Charter Middle and Senior High
William H. Turner Technical Arts High School
School for Advanced Studies North, South, and Wolfson Campus

...once again, four magnet schools, plus one charter school, all of which can be selective about their student population. Not to dispute their excellence...just saying.

The discussion turned back to the reduction in serious incidents after the school recognition, as board member Dr. Tee Holloway then took the microphone to commend Chief Hurley and the School Police: "While I served in the Florida legislature, I had the opportunity to serve on the Juvenile Justice Committee and also on the Criminal Justice Committee, and I've gone into prisons from the top of the state to the bottom of the state, but I think what was more significant and I mentioned this in committee meeting, was the effort our chief of police is leading as relates to what is happening in the processing and philosophy in our police department. Less of our juveniles are being turned over to the system. The best deterrent is to not let them get into that system, because once they're in there, they're in there for life, and they become the statistics that threaten our livelihoods. We've got to be aware of this concern, and 35%, 31% reduction is significant. A third of the numbers has decreased in our schools, and that is certainly worth applauding, and hopefully we will see the results in the long term."

Board member Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall: "To our chief, I happen to serve on the conference of black state legislators for the state of Florida, and I was at a meeting just this weekend, and they were talking about what happens to our black boys, and they're trying to work on some kind of project or program to move them along in high school and not into these institutions. I listened and I thought, hmmm, that's something we're already doing, Mr. Superintendent. and I think what the chief has proposed and what we congratulated him on, if you want, you might be able to share this with the entire state to use as a prototype. What we're doing is what they're trying to get to, so I would suggest strongly that we share this with a commission on the status of men. What happens in Dade County usually sets the tone for what happens throughout the state and, as we just saw, throughout the nation."

Superintendent Carvalho voiced his agreement. "I am familiar with that entity, I have been asked to testify before them, precisely on the disproportionate achievement of our students compared to their counterparts across the state, particularly African-American males, so it would be my pleasure to portray some of the best practices here in Miami-Dade that I believe save young men's and young women's lives every day in the interest of scaling them up statewide. This idea about creating reception centers in our community, at least three, north, central and south--way too many of our young men and women do something wrong--make a mistake. And we all know by the time they are taken to juvenile detention center, a record is now on them for a lifetime, that may prevent them from entering the military, becoming an attorney, in some cases even preventing them from being able to vote. That is too high a price for young men and women who, out of irresponsiblity, make a mistake. This idea has been in my mind; I shared with the chief and with Kathy Rundle [state attorney] this week, and it was very aggressively embraced as a means of saving kids. These reception centers would be centers that would provide a gateway, a one-stop shopping center for all the services these youngsters could use--social workers, psychological services, referral services, community agencies, bring in the parent there right away as a means of intervening before a criminal record is created for these kids. I know it may cost a little money, but if the community comes together, whether it's the Children's Trust, the county, law enforcement entities, cities, and we all pitch a little bit, I know the savings longterm will by far outweigh the initial investment. And like the Visa commercial says, the benefit to our community will be priceless."

Hopefully this project will come to fruition and can help keep some troubled youth out of the juvenile justice system and get them back on the right track.