It will take me some time to write a more thoughtful post about the actions of the EBR School Board at the Redistricting Special Meeting which took place on Thursday, April 7th, and quite frankly, I don’t know when I’m going to find the time in the next few days, so I wanted to at least provide a short and sweet update.
Did the School Board adopt a map which increases the number of single member districts to mitigate the influence of campaign contributions in our elections and which also increases the number of majority-Black districts in order to reflect the overall demographics of our school system?
Unfortunately, no.
Two maps were nominated: the EBRSB Public Plan 22 and the Ware-Collins Plan 1/11.
Once again the vote was split along racial and political party lines.
Mark Bellue, District 1 School Board Member, nominated EBRSB Public Plan 22, a 9-member plan with too few majority-Black districts. According to Tony Fairfax, the independent demographer who evaluated all 19 plans, the EBRSP Plan 22 has only three majority-Black districts. According to Mike Hefner, the school board’s demographer, the map has four majority-Black districts. Oddly, Hefner’s own data doesn’t appear to consistently support his claim. But for the moment, let’s ignore that inconsistency and just note that even 4 majority-Black districts means that there are too few majority-Black districts. Ideally, there should be 5 majority-Black districts or at the very least 4 majority-Black districts, 4 majority-White districts, and one competitive district. Even according to the most forgiving interpretation of Hefner’s numbers, Plan 22 has 4 majority-Black districts and 5 solid majority-White districts. It maintains the number of majority-White districts even though the current Census indicates there are more Black people than White people in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System boundaries.
Tramelle Howard, District 3 School Board Member, nominated the Ware-Collins Plan 1/11. The Ware-Collins Plan would increase the number of single-member districts from nine to eleven and creates six majority-Black districts and five majority-White districts, which more accurately reflects the overall population of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System.
Every person in attendance who testified—approximately 24 people—expressed support for the Ware-Collins Plan. No one testified in opposition to the Ware-Collins or in favor of the EBRSB Plan 22.
The four African American Democrats voted for the Ware-Collins Plan.
The five white Republicans voted for the EBRSB Plan 22. They offered no testimony to explain their support for the EBRSB Plan 22 or for their opposition to the Ware-Collins.
The Plan 22 map will now be published in the Advocate. The public has at least 20 days to review it. On Thursday, May 5th at 5pm, the School Board will vote to formally ratify the plan. It’s likely that over the next 20 days the business community and our local media will focus the narrative solely around the question of the number of majority-Black districts. That will distract the discussion from the unjust reapportionment of 2014 and the need to increase the number of single-member districts in order to restore some integrity to our school board elections.
That could very well explain why the five white Republicans voted to support a blatantly illegal 9-member plan. They know EBRSB Plan 22 will be challenged, but it provides the pro-charter business groups and tacitly pro-charter community groups with the opportunity to reframe the discussion solely around a racially proportional 9-member plan.
Please take notice of which community groups did not meaningfully support the Ware-Collins 11-member plan in the previous weeks or at last night’s meeting. Please remember that the number of majority-Black districts in a 9-member plan will not prohibit the proliferation of charter schools and the further erosion of our voting rights. Question the intentions of any group that chose to be silent on the Ware-Collins 11 but suddenly becomes vocal on the question of EBRSB Plan 22.
Most of all, please continue to raise awareness about the unjust reapportionment of the EBR School Board in 2014.
Please continue to raise awareness about the need to increase the number of single-member districts.
Please remember there is no acceptable 9-member plan.
To read my testimony, follow this link: There is no acceptable 9-member plan