County Officials to Hold Public Hearing on Natomas Unified School District Election Proposal

Source: Natomas Unified School District

BY BRANDY TUZON BOYD
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz

The Sacramento County Committee on School District Organization will hold a public hearing this afternoon on the Natomas Unified School District’s proposal to change to by-trustee area elections.

The hearing is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.

To watch the Committee Meeting by computer, tablet, or smart phone, go to https://scoe.zoom.us/j/93979504126. To listen by phone call (669) 900-6833 or (253) 215-8782 and enter meeting ID# 939 1639 3023.

According to Sacramento County Office of Education policy, the Committee on School District Organization may only approve or deny the district’s proposal to change to by-trustee area elections, adopt a trustee areas map and establish an elections sequence. The committee may not select a different proposal.

Under the proposed by-trustee area system, the district would be divided into geographic areas, referred to as trustee areas. On Nov. 17, 2021, Natomas Unified School District unanimously approved a map it plans to use to create geographic areas each of the five school board members will represent.

If the district’s by-trustee election proposal is approved, the map and election sequence will be forwarded to the Sacramento County Registrar of Voters in preparation for the 2022 election. School board members who reside in each trustee area will be elected by only those registered voters who live within that specific geographic area.

Some members of the community support by-trustee area elections, but oppose the approved map.

South Natomas resident Rory Barlew has collected more than 150 signatures for a petition asking county officials to reject Natomas Unified School District’s proposal. The map, said Barlew, is drawn in a way that prevents those who live adjacent to American Lakes School from voting for the school board member who represents the school.

Historically, the five Natomas Unified school board members are elected by all 48,090 registered voters who reside within the district’s boundaries.

The public hearing agenda materials are posted on SCOE’s website at https://www.scoe.net/divisions/board/cocom/.

You might also be interested in:
• Lawsuit Alleges Natomas Unified School District has Violated California Voting Rights Act Timeline (Nov. 17, 2020)
• Natomas Unified Transition to By-Trustee Area Elections website
• Natomas Unified School Board meeting minutes for Sept. 14, 2011, Sept. 27, 2011, Dec. 11, 2011, March 14, 2012 and April 11, 2012
• Meeting Tonight On Proposed Changes To School Board Elections (March 22, 2012)
• Natomas School Board Trustee Areas Topic Of Meeting Tonight (March 28, 2012)