Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) trustee members unanimously approved a final trustee area map April 24 that could determine different trustee election outcomes.
Trustees selected scenario five with a revision made by the Community Trustee Area Districting Committee (CTAD). This scenario will shift representation for residents in the Cupertino, Fremont, Homestead (which includes Los Altos), Lynbrook and Monta Vista high school areas, beginning with the 2024 and 2026 elections.
The arduous decision, arrived at midnight, capped weeks of contentious public discussions. Last week’s meeting was no exception, with participants shouting at trustees and one person led away in handcuffs.
The process to redistrict has been ongoing since the March 7, 2023 board meeting. The district passed a resolution to switch their elections from an at-large to a by-trustee system, hoping to increase representation in Asian and Hispanic communities.
Cities and school districts across the state have been switching from at-large to by-trustee elections under the 2001 California Voting Rights Act. The district felt pressure to change the voting system to avoid legal action. The by-trustee election will allow people who live in a particular district to directly vote for who they want in office instead of having influences from other neighborhoods.
There were three map hearings before April 24, setting time for community members, map committees and the trustees to study how the map can best fit everyone. CTAD, a group of volunteer stakeholders within the district, was involved with 25 hours of group meetings and hosted more than 43 community outreach events to include citizen voting age populations in the process. CTAD presented its final three maps at the meeting, providing three maps with an Asian majority in trustee areas one, three and five and increasing Hispanic representation in trustee area two with a low data variance.
The public opinion of the maps was torn between community members who wanted to postpone the vote or choose between CTAD’s supported scenario five and six.
Many residents and parents whose children attend Homestead High School found their representation being threatened in the maps. They found their school would be split into four different areas, dividing their communities’ shared interests. Some residents chose scenario five because it had the lowest variance of data and supported diverse communities. Others liked scenario six because it would keep some of the original borders intact before the 2020 census.
Rosa Kim, one of the elected trustees, said her priority is to think about the students and communities whose voices are not heard. Kim chose scenario five at the end because the data showed her that it would serve a greater reach of people who are underrepresented.
“My decision is not for a certain area,” Kim said. “There are many community members in a big district, right? And as a public servant, I think I also need to see the people who are not vocalized. So for me, it’s important to see what our impacts are going to make for all school sites and students. So, I think that is the baseline for me.”
Jeff Moe, president of the board, said there are many similarities between scenarios five and six, but after hearing the trustees speak, he voted for scenario five. This allowed for a 3-2 majority, allowing Moe to motion a vote where everyone chose scenario five in the next election.
In the next phase, the county committee on school district organization will make its final approval on the chosen map in May. This will then be followed by the Nov. 5 general election, when trustees Jeff Moe and Rod Sinks will be up for re-election in a new by-trustee voting system.
