Meeting Tonight On Proposed Changes To School Board Elections

THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz

The Natomas Unified School District tonight will hold the first of two public meetings on planned changes to the way school board members are elected. 

The Natomas Unified board members last week OKd the request for a state waiver from the California Dept. of Education to bypass voters and allow elections based on proposed trustee areas effective November 2012.

Currently, all Natomas area voters elect school board members.

If the state waiver is approved, board members will be elected to represent geographic trustee areas as proposed in the map above. Board members last week appeared to favor electing board members “from” trustee areas as opposed to “by” trustee areas. (Click here for more information on the difference between the two methods.)

At the board March 14 meeting, Trustee B. Teri Burns requested the district “aggressively” seek input from Natomas homeowners, neighborhood groups and the public on proposed trustee-area elections.

“Not just from parents, but the associations,” she said.

The first meeting will be held 6:30 p.m. TODAY, March 22 in the Natomas High School theater, 3301 Fong Ranch Road. The second meeting is planned for Wednesday, March 28 in the Inderkum High School theater, 2500 New Market Drive.

Natomas Unified officials are expected to make a final decision about creating trustee areas for election purposes at the April 11 school board meeting.