Proposed trustee area maps for the Burlingame School District.

Unlike many jurisdictions in the county, BSD is voluntarily moving to by-trustee elections, avoiding an expensive legal battle. Board President Florence Wong said officials received a handful of public comments in support of that decision but few public comments have rolled in since starting the districting process in June.

“The California Voting Rights Act is something we would have to comply with eventually, so we are proactively making the switch to by-area elections before receiving a letter demanding we switch,” Wong said in an email. “The Board of Trustees can be more confident in the maps we choose with greater community input. Once all the legally mandated steps have been followed in this maps process and we vote on it, the public will have to wait until the next census comes around in 2030 to give input again.”

During a meeting Tuesday, Oct. 11, Superintendent Chris Mount-Benites noted one written public comment was submitted before the meeting and no in-person comments were shared.

Three maps came before the board on Tuesday, all meeting the basic legal requirements under CVRA. But the maps came with their own pros and cons. Scenarios A and C are most similar, having near identical trustee area lines and both containing at least one area with a majority of residents who fall into a minority category.

While Scenario B does not have a minority district, trustees said they liked that most districts included homes on both sides of El Camino Real rather than standing divided by it. Trustees also said they’d like for each district to include more than one school boundary.

Some trustees suggested ruling out Scenario B which Wong said was “not in the spirit” of CVRA given that it didn’t have a minority majority district. But without feedback from the public and strong opinions of their own, trustees opted against ruling out any of the map options.

“It seems all three are legally acceptable,” said Trustee Dan Devoy. “[Scenario B] is the only one that has districts, four of them, on both sides of El Camino which is important historically in this area but there are legitimate concerns so I’m happy to leave all three in this round.”

Mount-Benites, who continually encouraged trustees to provide more input of their own, said he would return with additional information after speaking with the district’s consultants, Davis Demographics. If possible, Mount-Benites said he would also bring back new maps that incorporated all of the board’s priorities.

“I’m trying to get you the information you need because we need to make a decision and if all three are just fine that doesn’t sound like we’re going to be able to make a decision,” Mount-Benites told trustees.

Whichever map is adopted will have a lasting effect. The new map would be in place for more than six years until demographic data is updated following the next U.S. Census cycle in 2030. The first time it’s used will be in the 2024 election.

A second public hearing will be held during a special meeting 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18 and trustees are expected to make a final decision on Thursday, Oct. 20.

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