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Board hears redistricting presentation, approves Scenario 2 to equalize three member districts
Summary
Consultant Rob Schwartz of RSP & Associates told the Paola USD 368 Board that census data show District 2 is overpopulated and District 3 underpopulated; the board voted to approve RSP’s Scenario 2 to bring the three board-member districts into near-equal population.
Rob Schwartz of RSP & Associates presented two redistricting options to the Paola Unified School District 368 Board on Jan. 13, saying the district must adjust its three board-member districts to comply with Kansas law.
Schwartz told the board, “we're mandated, as Matt said, with the Kansas statutes to make sure that our 3 districts are within a 5% population of each other.” He said his analysis showed District 3 had about 3,500 residents while District 2 had more than 4,300, and that the district-level adjustments must follow census blocks.
The presentation included two scenarios. Scenario 1 makes a minimal change (moving a census block bounded roughly by Lone Star Road, 169 and Old KC Road) and would meet the statutory 5% standard. Scenario 2 shifts several census blocks — including a core part of town along Gould Street to Oak Street and Ottawa Street — to achieve near-equal populations “within 5, 3, and 2 persons” across the three districts, Schwartz said.
Board discussion clarified next steps if the board adopts a scenario: the district would prepare a legal description of the new board-member districts, file that description with Miami County, and provide a GIS mapping layer so candidates and voters can determine which district they live in. Schwartz also noted the adjustment is constrained to census blocks and that RSP is providing the work at no additional cost to the district.
After discussion, the board made a motion and a second to approve Scenario 2. The motion passed by voice/hand vote.
Why it matters: Kansas statutes require local governing districts to keep member districts roughly equal in population; the board must act after each decennial census to correct deviations. The board’s approval of Scenario 2 will change which voters fall in each of Paola USD 368’s three board-member districts and will be the legal boundary used for candidate filing and election administration until the next redistricting cycle.
The board’s clerk or superintendent will prepare the formal legal description for filing with Miami County and to generate an official GIS layer for public use and candidate petitions. No additional public hearing or vote on the chosen scenario was recorded during this meeting.
