Wilsona adopts Scenario 3 – Trustee Area Map
Lake Los Angeles – ,the Wilsona School District (WSD) Board of Trustees voted to approve the Final Trustee Area Plan, Scenario 3.
Wilsona School District Board of Trustees had scheduled the 2nd public hearing on the Trustee Area election process. Instead of the scheduled public hearing taking place, the board approved a resolution suspending the public hearings related to the District’s transition to a by-trustee area election system. It is felt that because of the COVID-19 crisis and restrictions, the public would be inhibited from attending and taking part in the process.
On March 20, 2020 the Governor enacted Executive Order N-34-20, which suspends the Elections Code timelines associated with transitions from at-large to by-trustee area elections and by extension pauses the public hearing process required by these types of transitions until the state and federal social distancing measures are no longer in place. To comply with that Order, the Board was required to suspend its existing public hearings, until it receives notification that Executive Order N-34-20 and the related social distancing measures are no longer in effect.
Fast forward to November 2021. The Board held its first public hearing on the proposed Trustee Area Scenarios on November 18 at the District’s monthly meeting. The second public hearing and the third public hearing were held and to adopt the final scenario occurred on Thursday, February 17, 2022. In February the choice will be present to the County Registrar of Voters and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (BOS). Sometime in April 2022 the BOS will consider approval of the selected map.
At-large elections are those in which all of the voters of the entire jurisdiction elect all of 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 particular trustee area. The California Voting Rights Act 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 a district is compliant with the California Voting Rights Act. The Antelope Valley High Union School District practices this method.
Demographics were broken down between Total Population (TP) and Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP) and racial considerations. Most if not all school districts took this approach with their consulting firms hired to assess how voter areas are planned and their ideal Trustee Area Size which is 2,167 for Wilsona.
The map depicts the Trustees as it stands today. With the new voter areas, one person from each area will be elected and serve on the Board of Trustees. The next hurdle will be to attract candidates to serve on the Wilsona School Board.
By Shirley Harriman
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