What you need to know
Trustees engaged board counsel Jan. 18 about whether they should further explore the impact of single-member districts. These discussions included the financial impact of holding workshops with the constituents to gain a sense of their appetite for a ballot measure that would see some or all of the seven board seats be tied to a geographic area rather than at-large, as well as how the switch might impact students. Determining that single-member districts are not currently a priority for the board, trustees chose to take no vote on the measure.
What they're saying
In talks with board council, the seven trustees learned more about the process of becoming a single-member district board, which would require workshops, public hearings and a vote of the board for the measure to go to voters.
A majority of trustees expressed some doubts about the effectiveness of single-member districts. Place 1 trustee Chuy Zárate and board President Amber Landrum expressed concern about smaller districts potentially inviting more division to the RRISD community, doing more harm than good. Similarly, places 2 and 7 trustees Mary Bone and Danielle Weston shared doubts about whether single-member districts would bring any benefit for students, as well as to where it falls on the board's list of priorities.
Vice President Tiffanie Harrison, who brought the measure to the board again in December, said she had no strong feelings either way, but wanted to provide the board an opportunity to learn more about what it means to have single-member districts. Board Secretary Alicia Markum said she struggled with the idea of boundaries not necessarily falling along the district's learning communities, and how that might affect representation on the board.
Place 5 trustee Amy Weir expressed interest in holding public hearings and workshops to gain a sense of public opinion on the matter, but did not make a motion regarding the matter, citing statements from other trustees indicating they would not be in favor.
