What is Redistricting?
Find out what redistricting is, and how the APS Board of Education is affected by redistricting.
What is Redistricting?
Redistricting is the process of redrawing the boundaries of election districts and is required by law to be done every 10 years to coincide with the results of federal census data collected. Redistricting is a process to ensure that political districts have as close as possible equal population in each district.
If you would like more information on redistricting in New Mexico, go to the 2021 New Mexico Redistricting website to find a variety of information related to redrawing legislative and congressional district boundaries and other redistricting resources. A glossary and other useful information are located in a Guide to State and Congressional Redistricting in New Mexico 2011.
How is the APS Board of Education Affected by Redistricting?
The APS Board of Education is a political body that oversees the district’s budget, creates policies, and is charged with the employment of the superintendent. As a political body, its members are elected by the public.
If board member voting boundaries change due to census results, those changes will take effect in 2023. Boundary changes in the school board voting districts might affect current board members, the schools they represent, and their constituents. This boundary movement does not affect attendance zone boundaries for any school. For instance, school board voter boundary line movement could result in a school or neighborhood area being represented by a different board member.
Professional researchers have provided the APS Board of Education with concept maps of potential changes. These maps are determined by certain legal principles used by the researchers. When considering the map concepts, the Board of Education needs to look at these goals:
- Equal population
- Minority voting rights
- Compactness
- Contiguity
- Communities of interests
To help the Board of Education obtain as much community input as possible, its members have selected two representatives from their respective districts to serve on a citizen’s committee. The work of the APS Redistricting Committee is to:
- Evaluate redistricting concepts
- Gather public input
- Recommend a concept or concepts to the APS Board of Education
- Follow redistricting guidelines
- Be transparent
The APS Redistricting Committee will gather community input in community meetings, through email to boarded@aps.edu, and through committee members’ local efforts in meeting with community members.