Board of Trustees Districting
Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District Board of Trustees Districting Process 2024
- What is districting?
- Timeline
- Mapping Tool
- Maps for Consideration
- When will the new trustee area map be used?
- What criteria are used to create trustee areas?
- Who creates the maps and how can the public participate in the process?
- What types of data are used when drawing maps?
- How long will the boundaries be in place?
- What will happen to current member of the Board of Trustees if election district boundaries change?
- Where can I learn more about districting, "Communities of Interest" and other parts of this process?
What is districting?
Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District’s Board of Trustees Members 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 a district is compliant with the CVRA and protects the district against the threat of costly litigation.
On March 10, 2024, the Board received a demand letter from Kevin I. Shenkman of Shenkman & Hughes on behalf of their client, Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and its members residing in the District. 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. The Board will then conduct three public hearings after the release of draft maps. At these hearings, community partners will be asked to provide input on the draft 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.)
Map ID: 241851 (PDF) for county consideration.
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, visible boundaries.
All public meetings, including the County Committee meeting, will be held at the Dry Creek District Education Center Community Room, 8849 Cook Riolo Rd., Roseville, CA.
April 18, 2024, Board of Trustees Meeting - (Resolution #2023-16) Intent to Initiate a Transition from At-Large to By-Trustee Area Board Elections Commencing with the 2026 Board Election - [Passed 5-0 in a roll call vote]
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Pre-Map Public Hearing #1 (Notice of Public Hearing #1) (Board Agenda) - May 2, 2024, at 6 p.m.~ Legal Counsel and Demographer presents on CVRA transition process, map development process, criteria, etc. (First hearing prior to drawing maps.)
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Pre-Map Public Hearing #2 - (Notice of Public Hearing #2) (Board Agenda) May 16, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. ~ Dry Creek 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.)
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May 20, 2024 - deadline for submission of community-drawn maps for the June 4, 2024 meeting.
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Map Review Public Hearing #3 - (Notice of Public Hearing #3) (Board Agenda) June 4, 2024, at 6 p.m. ~ Demographer presentation regarding any proposed maps as well as sharing information, if any, from public input. (First hearing to consider proposed maps.)
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June 6, 2024 - deadline for submission of community-drawn maps for the June 18, 2024 meeting.
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Map Review Public Hearing #4 - (Notice of Public Hearing #4) (Board Agenda) June 18, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. ~ Second review of proposed maps as well as sharing information, if any, from public input.
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June 24, 2024 - deadline for submission of community-drawn maps for the July 16, 2024 meeting.
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Final Public Hearing (#5) (Notice of Public Hearing #5) (Board Agenda) (Resolution #2024-01) to Adopt Map - July 16, 2024, at 6 p.m. ~ Adopt Resolution that identifies a chosen map with election sequencing and initiates a proposal to the County Committee.
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County Committee - August 26, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. - hearing and action to approve or deny District's proposal.
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November 2024 - Elections for trustee seats by at-large election.
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November 2026 - Elections for trustee seats by-trustee area.
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November 2028 - Elections for remaining trustee area seats by-trustee area.
Mapping Tool
The mapping tool (Districtr) can be accessed HERE.
Please refer to the Timeline tab above for specific deadlines maps need to be submitted to the District by for consideration. All submitted maps meeting the CVRA criteria will be posted in the Maps for Consideration tab below.
As a reference, this atlas with demographics outlines the district's outer boundaries. Download here.
Maps for Consideration
Once created, all qualifying maps submitted by the demographers and the public will be shared below. To submit a map, please email your completed document to: districting@dcjesd.us or submit via the Mapping Tool software (see Mapping Tool tab above).
Please note, maps must be posted seven (7) days prior to map review meetings. Please refer to the Timeline tab above for specific map submission deadlines. Additionally, you can review the Potential Election Sequencing Schedule here.
Final Election Sequencing Schedule here.
When will the new trustee area map be used?
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.
Who creates the maps and how can the public participate in the process?
DCJESD 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 districting process will be transparent, and it is important that everyone will have the opportunity to suggest draft maps or map revisions.
Members of the public can email districting@dcjesd.us to provide comments about the districting maps, communities of interest, the process, etc. This feedback will be conveyed to the Board and our demographers.
Steps to submit maps:
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Create a map - use the Mapping Tool to create and submit a map, or create maps based on DCJESD boundaries (Map PDF).
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Submit PDF to districting@dcjesd.us. Please refer to the Timeline tab above for specific map submission deadlines.
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Maps will be reviewed by Demographers for compliance
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Maps that meet requirements will be shared with the Board of Trustees
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 districting process.
How long will the boundaries be in place?
What will happen to current member of the Board of Trustees if election district boundaries change?
Where can I learn more about districting, "Communities of Interest" and other parts of this process?
- The League of Women Voters has a Redistricting Tool Kit,
- Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District Board of Trustees Districting Process
- The Brennan Center for Justice – A Citizen’s Guide to Redistricting