FUSD Moves from At-Large Elections to Trustee-Area Elections

(Above) FUSD Trustee Election Areas Map (Zoomed-in Map and Areas Open for Election in November 2022 Map below)

 

FUSD Moves from At-Large Elections to Trustee Election Areas
At the Board meeting of June 7, 2022, the Board adopted Resolution No. 21-22-17 directing the Superintendent or her designee, among other things, to initiate the process of changing the method of electing members of the Board, from the current at-large system whereby each member of the Board is elected by the registered voters of the entire District (Education Code section 5030(a)), to a method which provides that Board members residing in each trustee area will be elected by the registered voters of that particular trustee area (Education Code 5030(b)), in sufficient time for the new method of electing members of the Board to be in place for the November 2022 election. 

 

Elections Code section 10010(a)(1) requires the District to hold at least two public hearings to invite community input regarding the composition of the trustee areas over a period not to exceed 30 days. “Composition of the trustee areas” includes factors such as visible natural and man-made geographical and topographical features, communities of interest, jurisdictional boundaries and population growth. The District held these hearings on April 5, 2022, and April 19, 2022.

 

Elections Code section 10010(a)(1) encourages political subdivisions to conduct outreach to the public, including to non-English-speaking communities, to explain the districting process and to encourage public participation. The District accomplished this at a recent Community Forum held on May 10, 2022. 

 

To further encourage public participation, the District reached out to the public via social media and added a link to its webpage regarding the transition process. Updates and resources regarding the transition process, as well as draft maps, were posted on the District website. By law, the District must conduct a minimum of two (2) public hearings on the trustee area map plan scenarios prepared by its demographer before the board may select a final plan. The first such hearing was held at the District Board Meeting held on May 3, 2022, followed by May 17, 2022, and June 7, 2022.

 

On June 29, the Ventura County Committee on School District Organization passed Resolution No. 22-13 establishing trustee election areas in the Fillmore Unified School District. 

 

What does this mean for FUSD School Board Elections? 
Registered voters in the school district boundaries will have the opportunity to vote for a candidate for FUSD’s Governing Board that lives in their trustee Area. Registered voters will not be able to vote for Governing Board candidates from trustee areas in which they do not reside.

 

Will all five (5) Board of Education seats be open for election during the next general election?
No, the District’s November 2018 election seated three (3) Governing Board members for four-year terms through 2022. During its first By-Trustee Area Election in 2022, the District will have three (3) governing Board of Education seats available for election. Trustee areas 1, 2, and 5 will be open for election in November of 2022. 

 

Are Fillmore voters allowed to vote for more than one candidate during the general election?
No. Under the By-Trustee Area Election System, voters are permitted to vote for only one candidate (the candidate that runs from the same trustee area in which the voter resides).