Clark County School Board “chasing its own tail” with redistricting efforts

The Clark County School Board's effort to draw a new electoral map resembles a dog “chasing its own tail,” said frustrated trustee Deanna Wright Wednesday.

After a four-hour workshop, the school district’s demographics staff was asked to produce two new maps that Wright worries will be similar to the nine maps board members have already rejected.

Redistricting according to the 2010 census has been complicated by the effort to keep trustees in their home districts, maintain voting blocs and keep the seven electoral districts roughly equal in size.

Plus, trustees have tacked on specific requests for schools, neighborhoods and their appointees to special committees to remain in their home districts.

Trustees appeared close to reaching consensus on Wednesday until the Hispanic populations were announced for District D, which would be 42 percent Hispanic, and District G, which would be 38 percent Hispanic.

Jose Solorio, a community member, complained that potential majority Hispanic districts were “diluted” under the proposal.

Hispanics have been calling for stronger Hispanic districts since no School Board candidate with a Spanish surname has ever been elected.

Former state senator and local NAACP representative Joe Neal believes the federal voting laws have been misinterpreted so that trustee districts must be organized to ensure the election of a minority candidate. Rather, he said, it is more accurate to say that districts cannot be drawn to intentionally keep minorities from electing a candidate of their choice.

Map proposals 10 and 11 are expected to reviewed by the School Board on June 7.