PUSD election map workshop planned for Tuesday

The Pleasanton Unified School District Board of Trustees will review three different maps proposed for use in future elections at a special town hall meeting on Tuesday night, starting at 7 p.m.

When the map is finished, the district’s enrollment boundaries will be divided into five separate areas. Each trustee will represent one of those areas, and also be required to live with the area they represent. Voters will also be limited to electing one trustee from among the candidates living in their area every four years, instead of electing from a pool of at-large candidates.

Should no candidate declare for a vacant trustee seat, the board will be responsible for appointing a representative from that trustee area.

An overview of the most recent district demographics and criteria for drafting a new map that would be used in PUSD trustee elections, starting in the November 2022 general election, was given at a Dec. 9 pre-map hearing.

In addition to having communities of interest, such as a large population that speaks another language than the one shared by the broader community, new trustee area maps can include election areas that are “compact,” “contiguous,” “predictable and not jagged,” and also identifiable by using natural boundaries, major roadways, “and other boundaries identified by residents.”

Board members agreed last month to distribute both elementary and secondary schools “in a manner that maximizes election area overlap,” as well as avoid having a single trustee in a secondary school area. Future planned growth was another item of consideration mentioned at the December meeting, with the board also deciding – “to the extent possible” – to “minimize limiting voters’ choice.”

A target population of approximately 16,203 residents has been suggested in each district area, with a total of 963 Census blocks making up the entire district boundary.

The maps share similar boundary shapes, with Trustee Area 1 encompassing west of I-680 and south of I-580, down to the city’s southern limits, in all three versions. Lydiksen and Donlon Elementary as well as Foothill High School would be included in Area 1.

Area 2 would be south of I-580, east of Hopyard Road, north of Pleasanton Sports Park, and run along the Arroyo Mocho, ending at El Charro Road in east Pleasanton. Hart Middle School and Fairlands Elementary would also be within Area 2’s boundaries.

In the center of all three maps is Area 3, which in the district’s preferred Map 1 is west of Santa Rita Road, east of I-680, south of the Arroyo Mocho and Pleasanton Sports Park, and ends south at the Union Pacific railroad tracks. The proposed boundaries for Area 3 include Amador Valley Community Park and would run along parts of Black Avenue, Hopyard and Ridgewood roads, plus Division and St. Mary streets, with both Walnut Grove Elementary and Harvest Park Middle included in the boundaries.

Area 4 would include Amador Valley High plus Mohr and Alisal Elementary, with its boundaries extending east to El Charro Road, south of the Arroyo Mocho, north of Vineyard Avenue and Kottinger Drive, and west to Santa Rita. Area 5 would be just south of Vineyard and Kottinger, west of Vallecitos Road, east of I-680 and north of the city boundaries, with Vintage Hills and Hearst Elementary as well as Pleasanton Middle School included.

PUSD could be ready for the November general election, when both seats currently filled by Board President Mark Miller and Trustee Joan Laursen will be up for grabs. Miller and Laursen have both said they do not plan to seek reelection.

Another community workshop about the remapping process will be held in early March, with regular updates also to be delivered at board meetings. An interactive map and more information about the district’s transition from at-large to by-trustee-area elections can be found here.

The Jan. 11 meeting will be live streamed via Zoom starting at 7:00 p.m., and be available later for replay.