The Sweetwater Union High School District will hold a public hearing on Monday, Nov. 8 at 6 p.m to discuss the adjustment of redistricting boundaries and map options.
Following each federal census, the board must approve boundaries if necessary to ensure that the population in each trustee area is “equal” and “practicable”. The board must enact any required adjustments to the trustee map by March 1, 2022.
In 2014, the district transitioned to a trustee area elections system in order to ensure compliance with the California Voter Rights Act, which prohibits the use of “at-large” election systems. Delays due to the pandemic halted the release of census data until September 2021 when the California Department of finance approved it’s release.
The intent is to “adjust” the map rather than freshly redraw it’s boundaries. Davis Demographics will prepare three draft versions to ensure population variance. If there is an imbalance in trustee areas, the district demographer will ensure compliance. Any variance within the map must fall below 10 percent.
The district is currently working with Davis Demographics who aided in analyzing census data and Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost Law Firm, experts in voting census and the voting rights act.
The district reports a significant overpopulation in Trustee Area 3 (District C). Populations within that boundary will shift out and into other trustee areas. Currently there are three maps for the board’s consideration demonstrating the possibilities district boundaries may be adjusted.
According to SUHSD Superintendent Dr. Moises Aguirre, the redistricting is specifically for trustee areas and does not impact school, nor student boundaries.
"We invite our communities to voice their perspectives at the public hearing to equalize the trustee maps so that trustees representing voters in our communities are represented in a proportional manner ." said Dr. Aguirre
The district’s deadline for a finalized map is Feb. 28, 2022 for it’s submission to the county for use in 2030 and release in 2031.
