New district map for San Mateo-Foster City schools

Few comments were made during the Board of Trustees meeting held Thursday, Feb. 24. After quickly rattling off their map preferences, trustees came to a consensus on supporting Map 1A, voting 4-1 with Trustee Ken Chin dissenting.

The biggest changes made to the map are seen between areas 3 and 5 with most hillside neighborhoods shifting into Area 3 while much of central San Mateo moves into Area 5. Trustee Ken Chin shared his own concerns about this split given that it creates a focus on Borel Middle School in Area 3 and Abbott Middle School in Area 5.

“1A sort of brings into the fear of what we originally thought, [which] was how do you divide up the city and not make little trustee islands where they only care about their own schools in their own area,” Chin said.

The new trustee area boundaries do share some similarities with the district’s old map, titled Map 209 though. Area 1 and Area 2, which split land in Foster City and San Mateo east of Highway 101, are largely unchanged in both maps. And the configuration of Area 4 is also largely the same, aside from its southern boundaries being extended to 19th Avenue rather than ending at Leslie Creek just south of east 16th Avenue.

Looking at Map 209, Trustee Lisa Warren said the board selected what they thought was the best option at the time but said better maps were presented during the board’s second go at creating districts.

“It was the best of what we were given. That said, I feel we’ve been given better maps and maps that more truly reflect the communities that we all ultimately serve,” Warren said.

By combining the voting power of Black, Latino, Asian, Hawaiian and Pacific Islander residents, the map configurations create three majority minority districts when looking at estimated voting age populations between 2015 and 2019. According to 2020 census data of residents ages 18 and older, four minority-majority districts are created.

After more than half a year working on the district map, Superintendent Diego Ochoa shared his appreciation for the board’s focus on the issue in a statement.

“I am proud of the excellent work done by the school board to ensure that communities of interest have had their voices elevated through this process,” Ochoa said.

The district began its move toward by-trustee elections after receiving a letter last May from attorney Scott Rafferty, which alleged the district could be in violation of the California Voting Rights Act by holding at-large elections. The act disfavors at-large elections and prohibits it when minority voices are overshadowed when attempting to select a candidate.

After stating its intent to move to a by-trustee area model in June, the board was expected to have a map fully adopted by September. But the board had to update its map to accommodate for population growth after the release of the 2020 U.S. Census late last year.

The board also approved the order in which trustee area elections will be held, starting in 2022 with Area 1 which is vacant and Area 2 where Proctor, whose term ends this year, resides. In 2024, voters will cast ballots in Areas 3, where Chin and Warren currently reside, Area 4 where Trustee Noelia Corzo lives and Area 5 where Trustee Shara Watkins lives.

Chin, whose term ends this year, will be unable to run for reelection given that Warren’s term doesn’t end until 2024. Corzo’s seat could also become vacant as she runs for a seat on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in District 2.

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

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