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LEE COUNTY NAACP REDISTRICTING PLAN Opportunities for improving representation of students and parents on the expanded Lee County School Board A presentation of the Lee County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice Slide 2 WHY REDISTRICT NOW? Part I Slide 3 Why redistrict now? Under Florida Statute: 1. Changes to school board district boundaries may be made only in odd-numbered years. 2. Any change in district boundaries must be made by school board resolution. Fla. Stat. 1001.36(b)(2), (3). Slide 4 Countdown to the expanded Board June 2014: School Board passes a resolution to expand to seven members: five elected from single-member districts, and two at-large. November 2014: Lee County voters approve the School Board expansion in a public referendum. December 2015: Deadline to draw new districts in time for the 2016 election. November 2016: Election for the two at-large seats and Districts 2 and 3. November 2018: Election for one at-large seat and Districts 1, 4, and 5. Slide 5 Nov. 4, 2014: Voters approve the expansion A referendum to expand the School Board and move from residency districts to single-member districts passed with 55 percent of the vote. Slide 6 "I hope it means a better candidate pool and brings broader representation to the board." Chairwoman Cathleen Morgan, as quoted in The News- Press in November 2014 in an article noting that more than 55 percent of Lee County students are minorities. Slide 7 REDISTRICTING 101 Part II Slide 8 Equal population Under the Constitution, election districts are required to have similar numbers of residents, with no more than 10 percent overall deviation. This prevents one persons vote from being worth more than anothers. The overall deviation in the NAACPs plan is 4.4 percent, well under 10 percent: District 1: +2.05% District 2: +0.71% District 3: -2.35% District 4: +0.4% District 5: -0.77% Slide 9 Contiguity and compactness Districts should be drawn tightly, in natural, contiguous shapes, rather than drawn with odd offshoots or disconnected pieces. The NAACPs plan connects all districts, with the exception of those naturally separated by water, and is drawn with natural shaping. Slide 10 Respecting elected incumbents When new district lines are drawn, care should be taken to keep duly elected representatives in separate districts rather than forcing them to run against one another. Under the NAACPs plan, no incumbent School Board member would run against another incumbent. Slide 11 Keeping communities intact To maximize their voting strength and protect their ability to have their voices heard, communities with common interests should be kept intact rather than divided. Slide 12 A changing community Lee County students, 2009-10 Lee County students, 2013-14 More than 55 percent of Lee County students are minorities, and the minority student population in Lee County is increasing. Slide 13 DRAWING A BETTER MAP Part III Slide 14 Boards former election districts Before the 2014 referendum, school board members were elected from residency districts. Each member lived in a different district but ran in a countywide, at-large election. Slide 15 NAACPs proposed election districts Starting in 2016, five school board members will be elected from single-member districts. Each member must live in a different district and will be elected by voters in that district. Slide 16 Keeping communities intact Districts 1, 2, and 3 keep communities of interest and general shaping intact from the previous plan. District 4 keeps communities of interest in the North Fort Myers area intact, where they were split in the previous plan. District 5 combines communities of interest in greater Fort Myers and Lehigh Acres, which were previously split. Slide 17 Questions? A presentation of the Lee County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice