REDISTRICTING
Placer Union High School District Board of Trustee Redistricting Process 2024
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What is Redistricting:
The Placer Union High School District’s Board of Trustees are currently elected in At-large elections. At-large elections are those in which all the voters of the entire jurisdiction elect all the members to the governing board. Under a By-Trustee Area election system, the District is divided into geographic areas - Trustee Areas – and a Board Member residing in each Trustee Area is elected by the registered voters who live in that Trustee Area.
The California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) of 2001 states that “An at-large method of election may not be imposed or applied in a manner that impairs the ability of a protected class to elect candidates of its choice or its ability to influence the outcome of an election.” A protected class is defined as a class of voters who are “members of a race, color, or language minority group.”
Adopting a “By-Trustee Area” election system ensures that our District is compliant with the California Voting Rights Act and protects the District against the threat of costly litigation.
The Board has approved a Resolution to begin a study to determine the necessity of changing election methods and will facilitate the drawing of “By-Trustee Area” options that comply with the CVRA.
Throughout the process, which should take approximately five months, the Board will conduct five public hearings to receive community feedback on the proposed “By-Trustee Areas.” Two public hearings will be held before the release of draft maps, and at these hearings community partners will be asked to provide input on potential “communities of interest” to follow when shaping draft “By-Trustee Area” maps.
(Please keep in mind that this transition does not change attendance boundaries for students/schools, it only changes the Trustee Area maps for election purposes.)
TIMELINE
If the Board chooses to adopt a map and go to “by-trustee area” elections, the Board will consider a range of factors in selecting the final map including (but not limited to) equal population, communities of interest, compactness, contiguity of the areas, and visible boundaries.
Public Hearing Dates - All meetings will be held at the Lynn MacDonald Education Center - 3775 Richardson Boulevard, Auburn, CA 95603
January 16, 2024, Board of Trustees Meeting - Resolution No. 17:23-24 Intent to Initiate a Transition from At-Large to By-Trustee Area Board Elections Commencing with the 2024 Board Election - Passed 3-1
Pre-Map Public Hearing #1 (Board Agenda) - February 20, 2024 ~ Legal Counsel and Demographer presents on CVRA transition process, map development process, criteria, etc. (First hearing prior to drawing maps.)
Workshop - March 5, 2024 ~ PUHSD Staff and Demographer share information on CVRA, mapping process, and how public can participate in process Presentation
Pre-Map Public Hearing #2 - March 19, 2024 ~ PUHSD Staff and Demographer share information on CVRA, mapping process, and how public can participate in the process and confirm criteria for map creation. (Pre-map hearing #2 held prior to drawing maps.)
Map Review Public Hearing #3 - April 16, 2024 ~ Demographer presentation regarding proposed maps as well as sharing information, if any, from public input. (First hearing to consider proposed maps.)
Map Review Public Hearing #4 - May 21, 2024 ~ Second review of proposed maps as well as sharing information, if any, from public input.
Final Public Hearing (#5) to Adopt Map - June 4, 2024 ~ Adopt Resolution that identifies a chosen map with election sequencing and initiates a proposal to the County Committee.
County Committee - June 4 through July 1 ~ Hold meeting to approve or deny District's proposal.
November 2024 - Elections for trustee area seats by-trustee area
November 2026 - Elections for remaining trustee area seats by-trustee area
REDISTRICTING DOES NOT CHANGE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE BOUNDARIES.
MAPS FOR CONSIDERATION
Once created, all maps submitted by the demographers and the public will be shared below.
Public Map 1: C. Cook - https://redistrictingpartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PUHSD-PM1-CC.html
(Please note that this map has a total deviation of over 10%, so the Board cannot consider this map without changes.)
Demographer Map A: 4-16-24
Demographer Map B: 4-16-24
Demographer Map C: 4-16-24
NARRATIVE ABOUT DRAFT MAPS A-C
REDISTRICTING DOES NOT CHANGE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE BOUNDARIES.
WHEN WILL THE NEW TRUSTEE AREA MAPS BE USED?
Because the Board of Trustee elections are staggered every two years, if the transition process is completed 125 days prior to the election, two of the Trustee areas will go into effect during the November 2024 election, and the last three Trustee areas will go into effect during the November 2026 election.
REDISTRICTING DOES NOT CHANGE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE BOUNDARIES.
WHAT CRITERIA ARE USED TO CREATE TRUSTEE AREAS?
Federal and State laws require that the Trustee areas be nearly equal in population using the most recent Census counts. Some deviation is permitted, but the rule of thumb is that the difference between the most- and least-populous election districts should not exceed ten percent of the “ideal” district’s population, which is one third, one fifth, or one seventh of the jurisdiction’s total population (depending on the number of trustee areas). We understand that courts have generally accepted this standard for population equality (in school districts).
Federal law also requires that election districts be drawn to respect protected race/ethnic groups so that their communities are neither divided nor overly concentrated in individual districts. Protected groups are race/ethnic/language groups, including Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans (as well as some others).
In addition, the California Elections Code (Section 21130) lists the following criteria, which the Board is required to consider, in the order listed: (1) Election areas should have geographical contiguity; (2) To the extent practicable, maps should minimize the division of neighborhoods or communities of interest; (3) Maps should respect the integrity of city or census designated places; (4) Election areas should be bounded by natural or artificial boundaries; and (5) Districts should be drawn to encourage geographical compactness.
REDISTRICTING DOES NOT CHANGE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE BOUNDARIES.
WHO CREATES THE MAPS AND HOW CAN THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCESS?
PUHSD has hired professional Demographers, Redistricting Partners, to draft and revise maps for consideration by the public and the Trustees. Revisions of these draft maps will be based on feedback received by the Trustees and from the community during the public hearings, Board meetings, or any feedback sent to the designated District staff member. Members of the public will be able to provide input about boundaries, as well as possible revisions of plans. The Redistricting process will be transparent, and it is important that everyone have the opportunity to suggest draft maps or map revisions.
Members of the public can email redistrict@puhsd.k12.ca.us to provide comments about the redistricting maps, communities of interest, the process, etc. This feedback will be conveyed to the Board and our Demographers.
Steps to submit maps:
Create a map - Map PDF - use to create maps based on PUHSD boundaries.
Submit PDF to redistrict@puhsd.k12.ca.us
Maps will be reviewed by Demographers for compliance
Maps that meet requirements will be shared with the Board of Trustees
REDISTRICTING DOES NOT CHANGE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE BOUNDARIES. (Map of attendance boundaries for reference).
WHAT TYPES OF DATA ARE USED WHEN DRAWING MAPS?
The two most important datasets used to follow Federal law are the 2020 US Census and the Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP) datasets. Plans for election district boundaries will be based on the total population counts from Census 2020, which ensures that the District will draw relatively equal Trustee areas.
The CVAP dataset is used to comply with the Federal Voting Rights Act. This dataset comes from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). When drafting plans for consideration, the demographers use the CVAP data (citizens 18+, by race/ethnicity) to check for Federal Voting Rights Act compliance. Estimates from the ACS survey are also used to help identify communities of interest.
Every map drawn by the demographers will include both Census and CVAP datasets.
While not Federally required, a highly important dataset for the District is the public testimony from residents. All pieces of testimony, whether emailed, spoken, or written, will be carefully reviewed by the District and demographers and used throughout the redistricting process.
REDISTRICTING DOES NOT CHANGE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE BOUNDARIES.
HOW LONG WILL THE BOUNDARIES BE IN PLACE?
By law, election district boundaries must be evaluated after each decennial census. The 2030 U.S. Census redistricting population counts will be released in 2031.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES IF ELECTION DISTRICT BOUNDARIES CHANGE?
Current Board Members will continue in office until the expiration of their terms and their successors are elected. The first elections using the new boundaries will be in November 2024. Because Board elections are staggered (some Trustees elected in 2024 and the rest elected in November 2026), the new plan will be completely implemented in 2026.
REDISTRICTING DOES NOT CHANGE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE BOUNDARIES.