Every 10 years, the Sacramento County Board of Education reviews and considers potential adjustments to its trustee area boundaries to reflect population changes reported by the U.S. Census. This helps ensure that constituents have equitable representation, regardless of where they live within the Board’s jurisdiction.
The Board has enlisted the assistance of a demographer to analyze 2020 Census data and provide options for ensuring that the seven trustee areas comply with all legal requirements. The following guidelines are being used as potential adjustments are considered:
- Each area should contain a nearly equal number of inhabitants
- Areas drawn should comply with Voting Rights Act requirements
- Areas should be compact and contiguous, as much as possible
- Communities of common interest should be considered, as much as possible
- Man-made and natural geographic features should be followed, as much as possible
- Incumbency should be considered, if possible
- Other local considerations
The same guidelines were considered in developing the Board’s current trustee areas.
By law, the difference in population between the smallest and largest trustee area must be less than 10%. Based on the demographer’s assessment of 2020 Census data, the variance between the smallest and largest Board trustee areas is 8.3%, which is within the 10% threshold. Therefore, the Board's current trustee area boundaries may be maintained, or adjustments may be made to further balance the population. (An overview map and individual trustee area maps of the current areas are available on the Board of Education webpage.)
Public Hearings and Opportunity to Comment
In public meetings held on July 13 and October 19, 2021, the demographer highlighted the current Board trustee areas, explaining the guidelines for reviewing and adjusting them. On October 19, the demographer also presented potential options for modifying the trustee area boundaries based on the recent census data—including maintaining the current boundaries—and received feedback. Based on the feedback, additional potential trustee area maps are being developed for review and will be published when completed.
The public is invited to submit written comments on the potential adjustment of trustee area boundaries or make comments during the November 16, 2021, meeting of the Sacramento County Committee on School District Organization, which will be held by teleconference. (Instructions for providing public comment at the November 16 meeting are included in the linked meeting agenda.)
For questions, please call (916) 228-2410.