Public Gets First Look at CUSD Proposed Boundaries

Proposed boundary changes for school board elections in the Capistrano Unified School District will be available for public comment Monday.

The school board hired hired National Demographics of Glendale to come up with . In a presentation to the board scheduled for Monday’s meeting, company reps will present five possible maps.

The current proposals represent “starting points on the road to a final plan,” a  report states. “Each plan has a significantly different focus. [The] plans [were] drawn by the consultant, using the board’s criteria, to stimulate discussion, ideas and direction.”

The five plans represent different approaches that can be best described as:

• Plan A – the “least-change” plan that closely mimics current trustee areas
• Plan B – a “city-focused” proposal that follows the boundaries of the seven cities in Capo Unified
• Plan C – aligns itself closely with attendance areas of elementary schools in the district
• Plan D – lines up with the attendance areas of the district’s high schools
• Plan E – a hybrid that combines city and high-school boundaries

Two of the plans, B and D, would place two current trustees in the same area while leaving another area without a representative on the board.

Plan B, the city-focused version, would put two trustees in Area 4, mostly Dana Point. Under this plan, there would be no current trustees representing Area 2, which includes Ladera Ranch, Rancho Santa Margarita and Coto de Caza.

Plan D, based on high-school boundaries, would have two current trustees living in Area 7 (Mission Viejo) and none in Area 6 (Ladera Ranch, Rancho Santa Margarita and Coto de Caza).

The areas are more important now that voters will no longer elect their trustees at large. Voters approved the change to individual district voting in the 2010 elections by passing .

Before Measure H, trustees needed to live in one of seven districts, but voters could cast ballots for a candidate from any of the areas.

Using , National Demographics determined that the voting population in the large school district is 15.1 percent Hispanic, 73.1 percent non-Hispanic and 11.8 percent “other.” Because of this, no majority-Hispanic trustee area is possible.

After soliciting input from the public and trustees Monday, National Demographic will present an update at the board’s Jan. 9 meeting. A decision may come as early as Jan. 25. Members of the public who cannot attend Monday's meeting can send comments via email to redistricting@capousd.org.

The board meets at 7 p.m. Monday at the district headquarters in San Juan Capistrano, 33122 Valle Road.