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ON? OKAY, Y'ALL READY.[3. Call Meeting to Order]
OKAY.THIS TIME THE BOARD IS GOING TO RECESS.
TIME IS 6:00 PM FOR RECESS FOR THE 5:00 PM CLOSED MEETING.
[8. Convene Public Hearing]
OKAY.AT THIS TIME, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES WILL START A PUBLIC HEARING FOR LANCASTER ISD REDISTRICTING.
AT THIS TIME, I WILL CALL ROLE TO ENSURE THAT A QUORUM IS PRESENT FOR OUR 6:00 PM MEETING.
THAT'S BEING HELD AT THE LANCASTER BALLROOM AUDITORIUM AT 4 22 SOUTH CENTER AVENUE, LANCASTER, TEXAS, MR. STEVENSON, MR. SMITH, MR. JONES, FROZEN MS. MORRIS, MS. DAVIS, MYSELF IS PRESENT.
ABSENT IS MISS LARONDA MAZE AT THIS TIME.
WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED WITH THE RE-DISTRICTING HEARING.
MR. ALFORD, MR. SINES, WOULD YOU ALL LIKE TO GET US STARTED ON REVIEWING THE MAPS DISTRICTS IN TERMS OF ONE PERSON, ONE BOAT? WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT WITH FAIRLY MINIMAL CHANGES, ALTHOUGH THERE WAS SOME SHIFTING IN EACH OF THE DISTRICTS.
UM, WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT, UH, BY, UH, A MINIMUM OF PRE-STATE LINE CUTS, PRECINCT LINE CUTS IN THE MAP, UM, AND DISTRICTS ARE FAIRLY COMPACT.
UH, SO LEGAL PLAN REMEDIES, THE, THE POPULATION VARIATION ISSUES THAT YOU HAVE WITH THE EXISTING PLAN UNDER THE, UNDER THE NEW 2020 CENSUS DATA, UM, PLAN B AS AN ALTERNATE, UH, PLAN, UH, SLIGHTLY LARGER, TALKED ABOUT A DEVIATION, BUT STILL WITHIN, UM, THE LEGAL LIMITS.
UH, SO IT MEETS THE ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE REQUIREMENTS.
IT ALSO, UH, HAS A RELATIVELY LOW NUMBER OF, UH, PRECINCT CUTS.
I THINK FOR PRECINCT CUTS IN THAT PLAN ARE FIVE, SORRY.
UH, CAUSE IN THE OTHER PLAN, UH, IT'S, UH, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE CHANGE TO THE DISTRICTS.
THE IDEA OF THIS PLAN WAS TO, UH, UH, PARTICULARLY TO BRING, UH, DISTRICT SIX MORE IN LINE WITH, UH, THE SORT OF LOCATION THAT DISTRICT IN THE, UM, CITY COUNCIL PLAN.
SO TO MAKE THAT MORE OF A CENTRAL DISTRICT, WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN, UH, PRIOR TO THE LAST REDISTRICTING THAT INVOLVED A LITTLE MORE CHANGE TO THE OTHER DISTRICTS.
SO IT'S NOT A MINIMUM CHANGE PLAN, BUT IT IS, UH, UM, A PLAN THAT WOULD BE, UH, LEGAL, UH, FOR THE BOARD TO ADOPT.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS IN REFERENCE TO MATT A AND B? OKAY.
I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR MS. MORRIS.
SO I JUST KINDA WANT TO BE CLEAR ON YOUR PLAN A AND YOUR PLAN B.
SO YOUR PLAN A, IS THAT THE WAY THE DISTRICT EXISTS NOW? IT'S NOT THE WAY IT EXISTS NOW, SO IT'S NOT THE EXISTING DISTRICT PLAN.
IT CHANGES THE DISTRICT LINES TO BRING THE DISTRICTS WITHIN THE LEGAL RANGE OF POPULATION VARIATION.
SO WITH THE NEW CENSUS DATA UNDER THE EXISTING DISTRICT LINES, THE VARIATION BETWEEN THE LARGEST AND SMALLEST DISTRICT IN POPULATION WAS TOO LARGE FOR THE PLAN TO REMAIN ILLEGAL PLAN A THIS PLAN REALLY DISTRIBUTES POPULATION EQUALIZES POPULATION ACROSS THE DISTRICTS.
DO YOU MIND SHARING YOUR SCREEN WITH US? CAUSE I THINK YOU HAVE THE FORM THAT SHOWS THE DIFFERENT, UM, PERCENTAGE DEVIATIONS BASED ON DISTRICTS.
YOU'LL HAVE TO RELEASE, YOU HAVE TO SHARE, YOU HAVE TO GIVE US PERMISSION TO USE IT.
I'VE GOT THEM UP, JOHN, I'LL PUT THEM UP.
KIMBERLY, CAN YOU SHARE A PERMISSIONS WITH THE SCREENS WITH THEM, WHOEVER THE HOST, YOU HAVE PERMISSION NOW.
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A, THIS IS PLAN A, AND THIS IS THE DEVIATION THAT JOHN TALKED ABOUT AND THE MAP WITH THAT I'LL PUT UP AS WELL.THAT'S PLAN B WHEN A, AND I'M GOING TO SEE IF I CAN SPLIT THE SCREENS.
I DON'T THINK I CAN, BUT DO YOU HAVE THAT? DO YOU HAVE THE EXISTING DEMOGRAPHICS? YEAH, THAT'S I'LL GET THOSE UP.
SO THESE ARE IN TERMS OF THE DISTRICTS AS THEY EXIST TODAY.
THESE ARE THE CURRENT 2020 POPULATION FIGURES FOR, UH, FOR THE DISTRICTS.
THEN YOU CAN SEE THAT THE TOP TO BOTTOM DEVIATION IS ALMOST 25%.
UM, IN PARTICULAR DISTRICT ONE, UH, DISTRICT FOUR AND DISTRICT SIX ARE SUBSTANTIALLY UNDER-POPULATED, UH, DISTRICT THREE AND DISTRICT SEVEN ARE SUBSTANTIALLY OVERPOPULATED.
UH, THE ONLY DISTRICT THAT'S, UH, SORT OF WITHIN A TYPICAL RANGE OF DEVIATION IN THE CURRENT PLAN WITH CURRENT CENSUS, UH, IS DISTRICT FIVE.
THAT'S ONLY ABOUT 80 PERSONS OVER.
SO THIS, UH, LEVEL OF DEVIATION IS A CONSTITUTIONAL, UH, PROBLEM AND REQUIRES THAT, UH, THAT THE DISTRICTS BE SHIFTED IN SIZE.
UM, AND SO SHIFTING TO, UH, PLAY ON A, UH, ACHIEVES THAT, UM, WELL THAT'S PLAN B, UH, I'M GOING TO GET PLANNING.
SO PLAN A ACHIEVES THAT A REQUIREMENT WILL POPULATION DEVIATION.
YOU CAN SEE THAT THE DISTRICTS THAT WERE TOO LARGE HAVE BEEN BROUGHT DOWN DISTRICTS THAT WERE TOO SMALL, HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP.
AND SO IT'S NOW IS, UH, WITHIN, WITHIN LEGAL POPULATION LIMITS.
UM, AND THAT WAS ACHIEVED BY TRYING TO KEEP THE DISTRICTS ESSENTIALLY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, UH, LIKE THEY ARE IN THE EXISTING PLAN SUBJECT TO THE VARIATIONS NECESSARY TO, UM, ACHIEVE POPULATION, UH, POPULATION BALANCE, UH, PLAN B ALSO BRINGS THE DISTRICTS WITHIN, UH, UH, THE LEVEL OF TOP TO BOTTOM 10% POPULATION DEVIATION.
THERE'S A SLIGHTLY MORE DEVIATION, UH, IN THE, IN THE PLAN.
AND THERE IS IN THE PLAN A, BUT IT'S NOT, UH, THE DIFFERENCES IS NOT, UH, LEGALLY SIGNIFICANT IN MY VIEW.
UM, BUT HERE THERE IS MORE CHANGE AS YOU SEE IN THE MAP, UM, BECAUSE OF THE ATTEMPT TO BRING, UH, DISTRICT SIX FROM ITS CURRENT LOCATION TO THE, TO THE EAST, UM, AND PULLING IT AROUND.
SO IT'S, UH, IT HAS A MORE CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL LOCATION, UH, WITH, UH, PARTICULARLY TO THE, IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
THAT CONFIGURATION OF DISTRICT SIX IS VERY MUCH LIKE, UH, FOR SIMILAR DISTRICT IN THE CITY OF LANCASTER, WHICH IS LOCATED IN THAT, UH, IN THAT SAME AREA THERE ALSO, UM, CAN YOU GO BACK TO THOSE, TO THOSE NUMBERS BECAUSE THOSE NUMBERS ARE REALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH TO COURT, TO WHICH PLAN B OR PLAN PLAN A, I THINK THAT IT WAS MINUS 1 63, UM, THIS IS A OKAY.
IT'S 1 62, 1 63, AND THE POPULATION WAS 58 60 AND PLAN.
NOW, COULD YOU GO TO THAT IN PLAN B? THE DEVIATION WAS ONCE YOU WANT TO SEE PLAN B YES.
I WAS JUST TRYING TO SEE THE POPULATION VERSUS THE DEVIATION.
AND SO ON PLAN B IS ACTUALLY REALLY THE LOOK AT IT CAN BALANCE ITSELF OUT.
SO WHEN YOU CAME UP WITH PLAN B THE PORT TO BE MORE, UM, CLEAR TO INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE LOOKING AT THIS, WERE YOU THINKING, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? WERE YOU THINKING IN THE MORE OF KEEPING INDIVIDUALS IN THEIR COMMUNITY OR POPULATION? WELL, WE, WE ALWAYS HAVE TO MEET THE POPULATION REQUIREMENTS, SO WE'RE DEFINITELY DOING TWO THINGS IN THIS PLAN.
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BRINGING THE POPULATION DEVIATION DOWN BELOW 10%.SO WE'RE MAKING THE DISTRICT, UH, MAP LEGAL AGAIN.
UM, BUT IN THIS CASE, WE WERE NOT ATTEMPTING TO DO THAT WITH, UH, WITH, UH, WITH THE LEASE CHANGE TO THE EXISTING DISTRICT FOOTPRINT.
UH, WE WERE TRYING TO DO THAT, UM, PREMISED ON FIRST, UM, BRINGING DISTRICT SIX, UH, INTO A DIFFERENT CONFIGURATION THAN IT IS IN THE EXISTING PLAN.
SO THE SPRINGS DISTRICT SIX UP INTO A TERRITORY IN THE NORTH OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, THAT IT IN THE EXISTING PLAN, IT HAS NO TERRITORY IN THAT NORTHERN AREA THAT TERRITORY TO THE NORTH IS IN, IS IN, UH, DISTRICTS ONE AND THREE.
SO MOVING SIX UP INTO THAT TERRITORY, UH, WHICH IS A FOOTPRINT CLOSER TO ITS FOOTPRINT IN THE CITY MAP.
AND, AND ONE THAT HAS HAD HISTORICALLY DISTRICT SIX HAD SOME TERRITORY IN THAT AREA.
UM, SO DOING THAT FIRST AND THEN MAKING THE NECESSARY CHANGES, UH, TO THE OTHER DISTRICTS TO, UM, TO BRING THINGS INTO POPULATION, TO QUALITY THAT NECESSARILY, UM, ALTERS THE OTHER DISTRICTS IN A FAIRLY LARGE WAY BECAUSE, UM, WE WERE ALTERING, UH, SIX TO THAT EXTENT, UH, REQUIRES ALTERATIONS SOME OF THE OTHER DISTRICTS, UM, BECAUSE OF THE VERY SUBSTANTIAL SHIFT IN THE FOOTPRINT OF DISTRICT SIX, RIGHT.
AND THAT'S WHAT HAD TO HAPPEN, UH, AND THE PAST, UM, SENSES OF REDISTRICTING BECAUSE WHEN THEY ALTERED IT, THAT POINT DISTRICT SAYS IT AFFECTED OTHER DISTRICTS AND THE LINE TO THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE IN THE DISTRICT.
CAUSE I NOTICED ON PLAN A, YOU DON'T HAVE THE RED SPOTS EXACTLY WHERE THE, UH, TRUSTEES LIVED ON PLAN B.
WHY IS THAT? SO IN, BECAUSE PLAN A IS A LEASE CHANGE PLAN.
WE WERE MAKING MODEST CHANGES AROUND THE EDGES.
UM, WE WERE AWARE OF WHERE THE INCUMBENTS WERE LOCATED IN THE PLAN, BUT NONE OF THE SHIFTS THAT WE, UH, NEEDED TO MAKE THOUGH THAT PRODUCED THE LEAST CHANGE, UM, IN ANY WAY, UH, CAME ANY ANYWHERE, CLOSE TO EFFECTING, UH, THE LOCATION THEY'RE GOING TO COME, BUT HERE, BECAUSE THERE'S A SUBSTANTIAL SHIFT IN THE DISTRICTS, WE THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT EVEN THOUGH THE DISTRICTS ARE, UM, SHIFTED MUCH MORE SUBSTANTIALLY, UH, NOBODY HAS MOVED OUT OF THEIR DISTRICT.
UM, NO INCUMBENT HAS MOVED OUT OF THEIR DISTRICT.
THERE, THERE ARE CERTAINLY, UM, VOTERS ARE SHIFTED BETWEEN DISTRICTS BECAUSE THERE'S A SUBSTANTIAL POPULATION SHIFT HERE.
UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S EASY TO THINK, UM, BECAUSE THIS CONFIGURATION IS A DIFFERENT CONFIGURATION THAN THE CURRENT EXISTING CONFIGURATION THAT IT MIGHT IN FACT, UM, MOVE INCUMBENTS, EITHER PAYER IN COMMENTS OR MOVE THEM OUT OF THEIR EXISTING DISTRICTS.
UM, AND SO THE POINTS ARE ON THERE JUST TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THIS IS NOT A CHANGE THAT EITHER PAYERS ANY INCUMBENTS ARE MOZY THE INCUMBENTS OUT OF THEIR EXISTING DISTRICTS.
WELL, I THINK, YOU KNOW THAT, AND MAYBE, UH, SOME INDIVIDUALS THAT'S ON THE BOARD KNOW THAT, BUT YOU CAN'T SEE THE SCREEN ON PLAN A.
SO IF SOMEONE ACTUALLY WANTED TO USE PLANT AID CAN SAY, WHERE IS MY TRUSTEE? THEY WOULD KNOW THAT, ESPECIALLY IF THEY NEW TO THIS AREA.
SO IS THAT FAIR TO THE PUBLIC? BECAUSE IF YOU'RE GOING TO IDENTIFY THEM ON ONE AND INTO THE PUBLIC HEARING, IT NEEDS TO BE IDENTIFIED ON BOTH OF THEM.
SO INDIVIDUALS WILL HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO SEE WHERE THEIR TRUSTEE LIVES.
WELL, THE PURPOSE OF PLAN B WAS NOT TO INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT WHERE THEIR TRUSTEE LIVES.
UM, THE TRUSTEES WITHIN THE DISTRICTS LIVE WITHIN THE DISTRICTS.
CURRENTLY, THEY LIVE WITHIN THE DISTRICTS IN PLAN A THEY'LL LIVE WITHIN THE DISTRICTS.
AND IN PLAN B AGAIN, WE WERE CONCERNED BECAUSE OF THE DEGREE OF CHANGE IN PLAN B.
UM, BUT PEOPLE MIGHT JUST ASSUME THAT THIS WAS, UH, THE SORT OF CHANGE THAT, THAT ACTUALLY, UM, DISTURBED, UH, MORE BROADLY THE REPRESENTATIONAL RELATIONSHIP.
AND FOR EXAMPLE, PAIRED AND COMMON SWITCH CAN EASILY HAPPEN WHEN YOU'RE MAKING CHANGES OF THIS MAGNITUDE.
UM, SO WE FELT IT WAS, UH, UH, IMPORTANT TO, TO PUT THAT INFORMATION IN, UH, SIMPLY SO THAT, UH, PEOPLE WOULD BE COMFORTABLE WITH THE FACT THAT THIS DOES NOT IN FACT, UM, EITHER MOVE ANY INCUMBENTS OUT OF THEIR DISTRICTS OR PARITY INCUMBENTS.
SO, AND I DO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT YOU LOOK AT OUR AUDITORS AND WE LOOK AT THE INDIVIDUALS
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THAT MAY WOULD LIKE TO QUESTION IT WAS GOOD FOR YOU TO PUT IT ON B, BUT IT WOULD ALSO BE NICE TO PUT IT ON A, SO MY NEXT QUESTION TO YOU IS A AND B BOTH LEGAL.WELL, WHEN YOU'VE GOT A LAWYER, SO YOU MIGHT WANNA, YOU MIGHT WANT TO POSE THAT TO THE LAWYER.
I CAN JUST SAY THAT IT'S, IT'S IN OUR VIEW, AS IT MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS THAT THE BOARD SET OUT AND THAT WE TYPICALLY MEET IN DRAWING A DISTRICT PLAN.
SO, UM, I BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE BOTH APPROPRIATE PLANS.
UM, BUT I DEFER TO THE LAWYER ABOUT WHETHER THEY'RE BOTH LEGAL PLANS.
WELL, LET ME TAKE THE WORD LEGAL APP.
AND YOU ANSWERED THE QUESTION ABOUT REQUIREMENTS BECAUSE IT WAS A PLAN THAT YOU ALL DO, OR WITH ANY BOARD MEMBERS INVOLVED IN ANY OF THE DRAWINGS OF THESE PLANS.
WE WEREN'T GIVEN BY THE BOARD GUIDELINES AND, UM, AMONG THOSE GUIDELINES, BESIDES THE ONE PERSON ONE VOTE, THE BALANCE WAS TO HAVE, UH, RETAIN INCUMBENTS IN THEIR CURRENT DISTRICTS, NOT TO PAIR THEM UP AND TO MAINTAIN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, THE CURRENT BOUNDARIES.
UM, I THINK, UM, PLAN A, DOES THAT PLAN B COMES AWFULLY CLOSE TO DOING THAT? SO WHETHER THEY'RE ILLEGAL, AS DON SAID, LAWYERS SHOULD TELL YOU THAT, BUT WE FULFILLED THE BOARDS GUIDELINES TO US, UM, IN DRAWING THESE, AND OF COURSE WE MET WITH AT LEAST ONE BOARD MEMBER, UM, ON, I THINK MORE THAN ONE OCCASION.
UM, WE COULDN'T ALWAYS FULFILL THAT BOARD MEMBERS WOULD REQUESTS, BUT THESE TWO MAPS SEEM TO FILL, UM, FULFILL THE, THE GUIDELINES THAT THE BOARD GAVE US.
AND, UM, I CONSOLIDATE, UH, NOT IN PERSON, BUT, UH, IN, IN ZOOM MEETINGS, UH, CONSULTED WITH, UH, THE MAJORITY OF BOARD MEMBERS, UM, ABOUT THE, UH, PLANT BOTH PLANS AND THE, UH, SHAPES OF THEIR DISTRICTS WITHIN THE PLAN.
SO THERE WAS, UM, THERE WAS DISCUSSION, UH, WITH, WITH MOST OF THE BOARD MEMBERS ON THE DETAILS OF BOTH MAPS.
HEY BOARD, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? OKAY.
HEARING NOTHING FROM THE BOARD.
ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FOR THE DEMOGRAPHERS? OKAY.
WE'VE COME TO THE END OF OUR PUBLIC HEARING.
MR. STEIN, MR. ALBERT, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION TO HELP US WITH THE REDISTRICTING OF OUR MAPS.
WE DEFINITELY APPRECIATE WE'RE GOING TO CLOSE THE I'M HEARING.
THEN WE NEED TO VOTE ON CLOSING IT AT THIS TIME.
IS THERE A MOTION FOR A GARMENT? SO MOVE.
CAN I HAVE A MOTION? IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND? CAN I HAVE A SECOND ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE.