School district adopts election shift: After lawsuit threat, Sequoia Union High School District moves from at-large system

The move comes months after the Mexican American Legal Educational Foundation, or MALDEF, warned it would sue to force the transition due to concerns raised by East Palo Alto and Redwood City residents regarding a lack of representation of their community on the all-white board.

Trustee Carrie Du Bois said she believed the move was necessary to serve the best interests of all district residents and students.

“It is important to have minority representation, so I think this is a good move for the district to move to district elections,” she said.

MALDEF contended in a letter sent to the district that the racial makeup of the current board did not accurately reflect the diversity of the community it serves, amounting to a violation of state elections law which the foundation intended to prove in court unless officials took the initiative to change the election system.

Approximately 30 percent of the residents served by the district are Latino, according to 2010 census data, but all members of the current board are white. Two unrelated Latina trustees, Laura and Olivia Martinez, have served the board over the past decade, but Trustee Georgia Jack replaced Laura Martinez in the fall election.

During the meeting, a variety of local residents spoke in favor of the shift before the board took action.

“We encourage you to go to district elections so we have a voice,” said Duane Goff, of East Palo Alto.

District officials acknowledged it is often difficult and expensive for elected bodies attempting to defend the right to maintain an at-large system, and some indicated they had no choice but to make the change.

“I don’t really think there is really an alternative to moving forward with this, and moving forward with it in a timely manner,” said board President Alan Sarver.

Looking ahead, officials will work with consultants to design a variety of maps subdividing the communities and cities served by the school system into districts.

The preferred alignment will ultimately serve as boundaries defining where potential trustees must live to run for election, and may only garner support from residents living in their district.

The transition introduces a variety of uncertainties for officials, some of which were addressed during the meeting, such as the potential to move from a five-member board to seven trustees.

Further muddying the waters ahead is the district likely aligning its elections on even years with the state calendar, required under a new law designed to enhance voter turnout, said Sarver.

Sarver said receiving feedback and input from residents as officials proceed will be integral to ensuring the election changes are adequately addressed.

“We have a huge amount of community engagement ahead of us,” he said.

Officials agreed they would need to begin laying the groundwork for adopting new election districts as soon as possible, with the hopes of completing the process by next May. The board is expected to address subsequent steps during its next meeting.

Under the move, the district is set to join 135 other school systems across the state in moving to by-district elections. While the San Mateo County Community College District and South San Francisco Unified School District have considered the change as well, no other local districts have made the move away from the at-large system. The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors moved to by-district elections under threat of lawsuit as well.

Ultimately, as the district faces balancing a variety of competing interests amidst the upcoming shift, Sarver suggested officials work to maintain an open mind to consider a variety of perspectives.

“There is an awful lot that goes up in the air, and we need to be looking at it holistically,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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