Wake releases 3 potential new school board election maps

Wake County residents can weigh in on proposed new school board district boundaries at three meetings this month, in addition to making public comments the board.

The Wake County Board of Education will hold two in-person meetings and one virtual meeting, to be scheduled later, going over three possible election maps for the board’s nine seats.

All nine school board districts would be affected by the proposed maps. Those most affected would be Districts 1 and 8, in the easternmost and westernmost parts of the county, because of population growth. Those districts would shrink, sending as many as 40,000 residents to other districts.

Districts including Raleigh now have smaller populations than those farther away and would gain residents to represent. In particular District 9, which includes northwest Raleigh, would grow the most by population in each of the plans, by at least 20,000 residents. District 4, which includes southeast Raleigh, would grow the most geographically in each of the plans.

The maps were created by Mapfigure Consulting, working with Tharrington Smith law firm, and partly take into account expected growth.

All nine board seats are up for election in November. Filing runs July 1 through July 15.

Board Member Jim Martin said Tuesday he doesn’t plan to run again for District 5. He was first elected in 2011.

The three proposed maps are required by the 2020 Census.

The target population for each district is 125,490 people. Three districts are currently above that and six are below that.

The public can view interactive versions of the maps online.

The school system considers several factors when creating the maps. That includes preserving “cores” of districts, considering municipalities in them, not splitting precincts, expected population growth and other governmental jurisdictions contained in the districts. The school system also considers the current board members’ ability to run for re-election.

The maps proposed are:

• “Option A” sends a portion of District 1 in east Wake County to District 4, which includes part of Raleigh, and to District 3, which encompasses the county’s northernmost part. It moves portions of District 8 in westernmost Wake County to three districts adjacent to the north and east (Districts 5, 7 and 9). It moves additional smaller areas into and out of districts.
• “Option B” moves different parts of District 1 into Districts 3 and 4. It also moves different parts of District 8 into the same three other districts. It moves additional smaller areas into and out of districts.
• “Option C” makes the most sweeping changes, moving the southernmost part of District 8 into Districts 5 and 2. It also exchanges parts of Districts 2 and 5 with each other. It expands District 4 into Districts 2 and 1, from downtown Raleigh to the border with Johnston County. It moves additional smaller areas into and out of districts.

Martin objected to the third of three maps proposed, arguing that District 5 would be “ungovernable” under that map. That map turns the district into a long, winding district from downtown Raleigh to the border with Harnett County.

Ultimately, the board opted not to remove Option C from consideration because board members wanted to hear public opinion first.

“We may hear that consensus around map three that District 5 is not viable,” Board Chairwoman Lindsay Mahaffey said. But the public should weigh in, she said.