Introduction
Fillmore Unified School District Governing Board members are currently elected by registered voters using an At-Large Election System where candidates campaigning for the FUSD Governing Board are permitted to reside anywhere in FUSD’s area of service.
Only districts that elect by-trustee areas are immune from California Voting Rights Act ("CVRA") liability. The CVRA defines at-large elections as a methodology where candidates must simply reside in the District and are voted on by all of the District's voters. Ed. Code § 5030(a). The District currently uses an at-large system of electing its Board members.
At the March 1, 2022 School Board meeting, the Board adopted Resolution No. 21-22-8 directing the Superintendent or their designee, among other things, to initiate the process of changing the method of electing members of the Board, from the current at-large system whereby each member of the Board is elected by the registered voters of the entire District (Education Code section 5030(a)), to a method which provides that Board members residing in each trustee area will be elected by the registered voters of that particular trustee area (Education Code 5030(b)), in sufficient time for the new method of electing members of the Board to be in place for the November 2022 election.
If approved, registered voters in the school district boundaries will have the opportunity to vote for a candidate for FUSD’s Governing Board that lives in their trustee Area. Registered voters will not be able to vote for Governing Board candidates from trustee areas in which they do not reside.