Anonymous
Source: Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Trustees
In a unanimous vote (4-0, with one absence), the Santa Barbara Unified School District’s Board of Trustees chose a map on Tuesday night that will maintain a five-member board. The new borders are a part of a redistricting effort in order to transition from at-large elections to trustee-area elections in accordance with the California Voting Rights Act.
The map, commonly referred to as the “equity map” or “Scenario A,” was brought forward by Future Leaders of America and CAUSE. (The map is attached to this release.)
The chosen redistricting map will now move to the Santa Barbara County Committee on School District Organization (CCSDO) on February 28, 2022. The CCSDO will hold a public hearing and consider the approval of the trustee area map.
If approved, the new map will be utilized in November’s board elections, which will feature two races, with the other three board members in place until 2024.
With the original approval of the change to trustee-area elections in 2018, the decision came after five public hearings starting in October 2021 and concluding in February 2022.
Reflecting on the process and ultimate outcome, each board member had the following to say after the board meeting:
Rose Muñoz, President
“The transition to trustee-area elections in accordance with the California Voting Rights Act included five public hearings and five community meetings. In addition, the option for community members to submit a map of their choosing was made available. I am confident that the process was inclusive and thorough. The SBUSD Board voted unanimously in favor of the Equity Map trustee areas. This will ensure that all the voices in the community will be heard.”
Wendy Sims-Moten, Vice President
“While I am glad that we collectively decided on a map that is best for our community, I maintain my overarching concern about how we arrive at proper representation. This process didn’t allow us to address that, so I believe it will take continued work to find the proper accessibility for all. With every decision that I make I think about our students, and how it impacts them. We will have more work to do to make sure this change positively and equitably moves their representation forward.”
Laura Capps, Clerk
“I am grateful to the many people in the community who have engaged in this process working toward the same overarching goal: to create fair boundaries to ensure diverse representation so that our students are served more equitably. I supported the Equity Map put forward by Future Leaders of America and Cause. As organizations that are working on this overarching goal — on the ground, day in and day out — I support their analysis. However, I believe strongly that to maintain diverse representation we should not stop by the creation of districts. We should make the job of school board member more accessible to working people, especially parents.”
Virginia Alvarez, Board Member
“The redistricting process was thorough and inclusive, the public had the opportunity to provide input via various public hearings and also during the Board Meetings. Thank you to all those who reached out to express their opinion or spoke at the meetings, all points of view are important. The decision made tonight to remain with five Trustees and transition to district elections, is in compliance with the Voting Rights Act, and it also reflects the community’s input, and most importantly reflects the students’ voices. Even though future elections will be by district, the Trustees’ obligation does not change, the Trustee represents all students regardless of the district that votes him/her/them in.”
Kate Ford, Board Member
“I really appreciate that so many people engaged in this process, as complicated as it is. Many of our public comments have come from community members who have been with the process from the start. And we should be very proud and grateful that young people, in particular, stepped forward. We certainly must change the fee process for school board candidates.
“I found this process to be thorough and very thought provoking. Our consultants responded to every board and community request for data, there were numerous public hearings as part of board meetings as well as numerous community meetings; and we the board ended up choosing three finalist maps that reflected board priorities, community input, and the guidelines of the California Voting Rights Act. My fellow board members and I worked hard to listen, to study, to reflect, and to decide. I now support Scenario A, and I am proud of the process and the outcome.”
Dawson Kelly, Student Board Member
Note: Mr. Kelly acted in an advisory role throughout this process
“I am thrilled that scenario A was passed. I believe that it represents the community as a whole and will allow for the students to be properly represented by a map that was made by the people and will be for the people. The amount of student and community input on this map makes me optimistic for the future to come. I can not wait to see what is in store with this new map.”
