Beginning with the November 2022 election, Natomas Unified School District will elect its Trustees with By-Trustee Areas instead of At-Large. The final approval came last night, January 11, 2022, with a 6-1 vote by the County Committee on School District Organization. The approval also included adoption of Map Scenario F and an election sequencing schedule for 2022 and 2024.
This was the final step in the process that began over a year ago. Throughout the process, the district engaged stakeholders by requesting input on boundaries for the designing of draft maps and the reviewing and feedback on the proposed draft maps. After months of significant stakeholder engagement, on November 17, 2021, the NUSD Board of Trustees unaminously voted to approve and recommend the adoption of Map F.
The new By-Trustee Areas include five separate Trustee areas. These areas require future Board candidates to live in a specific Trustee area to be elected to the Board. Candidates will be elected by only those registered voters who live within that specific geographic area. Trustees will still represent all students in Natomas Unified; however, they will also represent the schools and Natomas communities they live-in and near. With the new By-Trustee Areas, two current board members, who currently live in the same area, will be required to vacate their seats in 2022. Accepting that their map choice would require them to vacate their seats, they voted in the best interest of students and the Natomas community. This required courageous leadership. Now with the new areas, there will be two predominantly South Natomas focused Trustee areas, guaranteeing South Natomas representation.
As far as the approval of the election sequencing schedule, voters will elect Trustees for Areas 1 and 4 this November in which there are no incumbents. Voters will elect Trustees for Areas 2, 3, and 5 in November 2024. For more information on our transition to By-Trustee Area elections, please visit our dedicated webpage at https://natomasunified.org/board-of-trustees/transition-to-by-trustee-area-elections/.
