CUSD reviewing district elections

CHICO — Chico Unified School District will hold a board meeting Wednesday evening regarding a draft of a trustee area map presentation. Chico is converting to a new election system, along with other government entities in California.

Currently, Chico Unified School District board of trustees are elected through an “at-large” election system. Board candidates may live anywhere in CUSD’s area of service and are elected by registered voters that live within the Chico Unified School District boundaries.

Concerns started bubbling in 2020 regarding the current at-large election process for the Chico City Council when the city was sued. Based on information provided by the California School Boards Association and other sources, Chico Unified School District began researching a possible move to district-based elections.

In February 2020, the board adopted a resolution of intention to convert from at-large to district-based elections to comply with the California Voting Rights Act. However, the shelter in place order due to the COVID-19 pandemic stopped the process in its tracks and with the release of the 2020 Census requiring updated trustee areas, the preparation and adoption of trustee area maps was rescheduled until fall 2021.

The board was required to hold two public hearings over a period of no more than 30 days before any maps of the boundaries for the proposed voting districts were drawn. The district’s demographers used the input received at these meetings, held Sept. 1 and Sept. 15 to prepare a preliminary set of draft trustee area maps.

The draft map presentation starts at 6 p.m. The first hearing of draft trustee area maps will be held Nov. 3.

More information can be found at http://www.chicousd.org.