Mgt 445 - Miami School District

Michelle Davis

Miami School District

MGT/445 Organizational Negotiations

Jerry Tuttle

March 14, 2011

Miami School District

Abstract

The Miami School District has found that it needs the school boarders to be reorganized. There has been an unexpected increase in enrollment among the students, which means the student to teacher ratio has been affected and is need of a change. It is important that the quality of education remains high on the priority list when making changes in the Miami School District. The Miami School District has found it necessary to reorganize to insure a balanced ratio. The community and parents have are not happy with the changes and the school district is faced with the following concerns:

* The quality of the student's education.

* The increased travel time associated with a new school.

* The crossing economic and cultural boundaries that are crossed.

* The impact on property values.

* The social impact the changes will bring to the children.

This paper intends to address the stakeholders that are involved in the change as well as the strategy used to support the decision to redraw the boundaries.

Stakeholders

In every organization there are people who are affected by the success or failure of the organization, the people are the stakeholders. It is important for an organization to carefully map out the stakeholders to ensure all needs are met. According to Industry Canada (2010), "Even people who stakeholders, such as the families of the employees and those who live in the communities in which the business is located" (1, para.1). In the case of the Miami School District the stakeholders are the educational leaders, the educators, the district school board, the parents, the students, the community and the local businesses surrounding each school.

The educational leaders main objective is develop and implement a satisfactory change for all parties concerned with the new boundaries. It is the job of the educational leaders to identify the stakeholders and address the concerns. It is important that the educational leaders identify the concerns of the stakeholders and provide adequate information to all involved. It is also important for the educational leaders to explain in detail why the changes are happening, as well as make a strong case on the benefits of the changes.

The educators are an important asset to the school board as it is their responsibility to ensure the needs of the children are being addressed. Educators are the individuals who have a more detailed understanding on how well the children adjust to change and can offer valuable feedback to the educational leaders. Since the educators are on the front line of the changes, it is important for them to create a personal relationship with the students as well as the parents to develop a sense of trust. The trust factor will help the students and parents believe any questions that may come up will be answered with direct concern.

The district school board members are an important party in the school districts change. It will be the job of the district school board member to address any questions that may arise from the other stakeholders. The district school board members have the influence to the other stakeholders in a positive light. This is important in helping the Miami School District make the transition successfully.

The most impact will fall on the parents and students. It is important that the parents and students fully understand the reasons for the change, as well as the benefits the change will bring to the students. The parents are concerned with the travel expense associated with the change, but it is important for the parents to understand the educational benefits to the students.

The community will also be affected by the Miami School District changes. With more students occupying the schools, the community will see an economic effect. As the students increase, so may the home taxes increase if levies need to be passed. It is important that the community is on board with the changes so the money needed for the schools can be obtained. If the community is not happy with the changes, the schools risk a lack of funding and the student's education would suffer.

The local businesses are considered high priority as stakeholders as the businesses need to know of the increase of any future clients that increase because of the change. The local businesses may also be concerned with how more students, busses and traffic will affect their current clientele. By showing the local businesses