FUESD collaborates on redistricting

Rick Monroe

Special to the Village News

On Monday afternoon, Jan. 10, the Fallbrook Union Elementary School District Governing Board met for their regular session and first public discussion of the newly created trustee redistricting scenarios. There are five trustees, each with a geographic area they represent.

With the arrival of the updated 2020 census data, FUESD began work with Cooperative Strategies to adjust the FUESD Trustee Areas to better reflect the community of Fallbrook and ensure demographic equity for each area. Cooperative Strategies and their team of demographers initially provided three possible draft options to the Governing Board to consider but added Scenario 2A at the Jan. 10 meeting.

With the FUESD Board’s goal of ensuring every community member is heard, a public listening session was held as a virtual meeting where any community member in attendance online could speak and provide feedback regarding the draft options and the process of redistricting.

Several community members provided feedback and personal insight on the possible scenarios. This time of discussion was a positive and constructive conversation between the governing board and the community, a spokesman said.

FUESD Board President Suzanne Lundin said she left the meeting encouraged by the community’s participation and support. “From the inception of this endeavor, our primary goal has been to make this a collaborative and equitable process with the community,” she said. “The entire governing board is grateful to all community members that spoke at Monday’s meeting, and we are encouraged by the respectful and productive discussion. We look forward to our next board meeting where we will discuss how we will again work with the community to create trustee areas that further support the voices of all those who call Fallbrook home.”

All information regarding the redistricting process and possible drafts can be found on the district’s website, https://www.fuesd.org/redistricting/. There, community members can find multiple ways to provide feedback via email, written comments, or live discussion at future meetings.

The next FUESD board meeting will be held Monday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m., via Zoom on computer or smartphone. A spokesman said the governing board and district leadership encourage all community members to attend virtually.