Osceola Changes Gives Hispanics Better Shot at Winning Seat on School Board

The single-member districts will boost the chances for Hispanics to win board election.
Claudia Zequeira Sentinel Staff Writer
April 9, 2008

The Osceola County School Board on Tuesday finalized new voting districts that give Hispanics a better shot at winning election to the board for the first time.

The boundaries for the single-member districts are expected to be effective in time for upcoming elections.

By a 5-0 vote, board members kept boundary lines identical to those of the County Commission for three of the five districts. Two districts -- 1 and 4 -- would change slightly to better distribute the number of schools and students each member represents.

No Hispanic has served on the School Board, even though 40 percent of the county's residents -- and 50 percent of its public-school students -- are Hispanic. Tuesday's decision came after months of negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice.

The department threatened to sue the School Board when it suspected the board would wait too long to put single-member districts in place. But on Tuesday, the vote took place swiftly and with little comment.

Some Board members earlier said they voted for the change to avoid a protracted battle with the Justice Department similar to the one experienced by the county. The department sued successfully over what it considered poor minority representation on the County Commission. The county spent more than $2 million in legal fees before it was eventually forced to craft single-member districts.

"We're not spending millions or millions of dollars . . . so I appreciate everybody's input," said School Board member Jay Wheeler. "We can put this behind us and get on with regular business."

Until now, each School Board member was elected countywide. In a January referendum, voters chose to elect candidates from single-member districts. Board members put the question on the ballot under pressure from the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, a New York-based advocacy group.

Tuesday's decision further fine-tuned that system. From now on, candidates will be forced to run in a specific geographic area and only residents who live in that area may vote for them.

The district lines approved Tuesday may give Hispanics their best chance at winning a voice on the panel in District 2, where they are a majority, and in District 3, where they are a significant demographic presence.

Changes approved Tuesday do not affect board members' residency requirements. Tom Greer and David Stone now reside within what will now be District 4, but Greer has indicated he is not running for office, so the overlap is not an issue, officials said.

U.S. Department of Justice staff did not return an e-mail seeking comment, but School Board attorney Suzanne D'Agresta said the district lines were agreed upon with the department.

D'Agresta said new districts must receive federal court approval but that she expected such an approval to take place quickly.