Southern Kern Unified trustees weigh east'west trustee-area maps and appointment rule when no candidate files
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Summary
Trustees debated whether trustee-area boundaries should be drawn as east'west bands or split north'south, discussed how school locations and low population density affect districting, and heard that if no candidate files in a trustee area the board must appoint a replacement.
Southern Kern Unified trustees and staff spent a meeting segment debating how to draw new trustee-area boundaries and reviewed what happens if no candidate runs in a trustee area.
Trustee B, a member of the Southern Kern Unified Board of Trustees, said an east'west approach would simplify maps: "I would say east to west because, oh, if you live on the South Side or the North Side of Roseman Boulevard, I don't think that really makes a difference to anyone. All the schools are on 1 no. Westside Westpark is on the other side. Yeah." The remark reflected concern about keeping school attendance zones and community identities intact when lines are drawn.
The facilitator and trustees discussed district geography and population density. "It's the way Brooklyn's laid out. It's very I think your population density. Right? I mean, really, you're at 300 square miles, and you're looking for 4,000 people," the facilitator said, noting large undeveloped spaces in parts of the district could make it difficult to put enough residents into a single trustee area.
A resident asked about the consequence if no one runs in a trustee area. The facilitator answered that a lack of candidates is called a "failure of an election," and "the board will be in a position of having to appoint" someone to the seat; the same process would apply if a seat becomes vacant midterm.
Trustees and staff discussed the policy goal of trustee-area elections: to make it easier for residents to run for the board in their communities and to reduce campaign burdens. The facilitator asked Superintendent DeGaines to bring more information about how proposed trustee-area lines would intersect current school attendance zones.
Participants also reviewed the district's current school footprint. Staff said the district currently has six schools and that five of them are north of Roseman Boulevard; a trustee added the district may add a third school but staff did not specify a location.
No formal motion or vote on a final trustee-area map occurred during the recorded discussion. Trustees asked staff for follow-up details and data on attendance zones, population counts by geography, and potential locations for the new school to inform future map-drawing decisions.