EL MONTE – The El Monte Union High School District will launch a series of public meetings to gather community input as the process of shifting from at-large elections to by-trustee area elections begins.

The shift means that instead of residents voting for any board candidate on the ballot within the District’s boundaries, residents will vote for a single candidate residing in their newly drawn trustee-area, usually one-fifth of the entire District. The change will go into effect November 2022.

“El Monte Union is a community united in our mission to prepare students for college and careers, and this redistricting process is a part of that mission.” Dr. Edward Zuniga said. “This change is not only a reflection of our commitment to being transparent and fair but is a welcome addition to the many other historic events that have shaped our diverse community.”

The District will discuss districting criteria during public hearings on Wednesday, Aug. 18 and Wednesday, Sept. 1. These public hearings will be held in advance of the demographer’s drafting of the plans for trustee voting areas. Issues to be discussed could include creating compact, contiguous districts, preserving existing political communities and equal population sizes, and ensuring each high school attendance areas are represented by multiple board members.

A professional demographer will draw possible trustee area maps based on those criteria and present the maps during a public hearing at the regular board meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 6. El Monte Union community members will be able to provide input and testimony regarding the proposed trustee areas.

The District will subsequently host a series of open houses/workshops in the fall. Residents will review and provide input regarding maps and corresponding election plans and learn about the process for selecting a map. More information on these specific dates will be forthcoming.

Revised and additional maps will be reviewed during regular board meetings on Nov. 3 and Dec. 8. The board anticipates narrowing the number of maps for review on or by Jan. 5.

Once the public has provided input, the school board expects to select a final trustee map on Wednesday, Feb. 2. The approved map would then be presented to the Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization for approval.