Back in 2012, the Ripon Unified School District realigned the trustee areas based on population from the 2010 U.S. Census.
Trustee Kit Oase and then-colleague Ernie Tyhurst handled the workload on changing the election process, in compliance with the “one person, one vote” principle.
Voters had their say in November 2014, approving Measure H – that’s the proposal to change the method of electing school district trustees – by a 2,486 to 2,127 margin.
That paved the way for school board candidates to run and be elected from each specific Trustee Area.
Enter the 2020 U.S. Census.
Reapportionment could be coming again with possible criteria / factors for redrawing lines.
RUSD elected leaders began talks on this process at their May 10 monthly session.
Some of the criteria and factors that could be considered in the redrawing of trustee boundaries includes:
- Equal population.
- Contiguous territory.
- Communities of interest respected.
- Geographical compactness.
- No special protection provided to incumbents.
- Growth corridors provided to the extent possible to help maintain a population balance over time.
Trustees have already approved the proposed timelines and will look to schedule public meetings to review and gather input from the community on the requirements and factors to be used in the drawing lines.
The tentative new boundary map could be drawn up by August or September.
Public hearings coupled with the posting of the final map could take place later this year.
The newly drawn Trustee Area boundaries could be in place in time for the November 2022 general elections.