Westside Story Newspaper – Online The News of The Empire – Sharing the Quest for Excellence
SAN BERNARDINO, CA – The San Bernardino County Committee on School District Organization approved changes to the method in which school board members are elected for Bear Valley Unified, Fontana Unified, Mountain View and Rialto Unified school districts during a series of meetings held on April 13.
“I commend these districts for being proactive and engaging the community for input,” said County Superintendent Ted Alejandre. “This level of consistency, dedication and transparency is what makes these districts great.”
Public hearings were held prior to the County Committee’s approval of the district plans for all four districts to transition from an “at-large” to a “by-trustee area” election method. The districts requested County Committee approval in time for the next election in November 2022.
An at-large method allows registered voters of the entire jurisdiction to elect candidates to the governing board.
In a by-trustee area system of election, candidates for the Board must reside within a specific geographic subarea of the district called “trustee area,” and candidates are elected only by the voters of that trustee area.
According to Dennis Mobley, interim acting secretary to the committee, the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA) continues to allow an “at-large” method of election, although it can be challenged as unfair depending on community circumstances. By-trustee area electoral systems are not vulnerable to challenge under the CVRA, which prompted the districts to make the change.
The 11-member committee addresses school district organizational issues including possible changes to the number of district trustees, trustee area boundaries, school district boundary changes and unifications.
The San Bernardino County Committee on School District Organization maintains a webpage at https://www.sbcss.k12.ca.us/index.php/business-services/business-advisory-services/county-committee
For more news and information, visit the SBCSS Newsroom and follow us @SBCountySchools on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. #transforminglives.
