School Board Reapportionment Opportunity Missed

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah.  August 5, 2015. Approval of the new local school board district boundaries was delayed yet again because it had been left off the agenda by mistake.  Next month it should be approved.  This process has taken since March 6, 2014, when the first representative of the citizen's committee notified the county that reapportionment was necessary according to state law.  At that time Commissioner Bill Cox said, "We hope this will be taken care of in approximately 4 weeks." 

After several months passed, Bryce Huefner, who is now elected to the Rich School Board, presented a carefully drawn map as an example of how the redistricting could happen.  Several months later when nothing had been done, some of the citizen's committee called and wrote to the Lt. Governor's office and the Attorney General who strongly stated that redistricting must take place immediately or they would redistrict for the county. The commissioners then appointed a large redistricting committee (14 members) to work on the effort. Tom Weston thanked the committee.

Norm Weston stated, at this meeting, that all the citizens of Garden City needed to do was to tell the commissioners (it might be asked why the citizens' group needed to notify the commissioners of the law) and it would have happened.  But almost no action occurred for nearly a year. Indeed this process has taken 18 months,

Commissioners had tried to fight the ruling that U.S. census numbers were the determinate for redistricting.  Tom Weston said that he does not believe now that there will be many voters in the Garden City areas voting for school board members because he still does not believe the 2010 U.S. Federal Census.

Redistricting  map school district approximate boundaries (5 districts as required by law)  Precinct 1: Woodruff  and a small part of Randolph, (447 people)  Precinct 2: Randolph, (459)  Precinct 3: Laketown and  Meadowville, (488)  Precinct 5: Garden City north of Logan road and east side of lake, including Azure Cove, (437) Precinct 4: Garden City south of Logan road to north boundary of Meadowville (433).  When the map is approved it will be on the Rich County website.

There will be a new board member appointed from the South Garden City precinct.  Until the next election all existing school board members will continue and complete their terms.  In districts with two elected members by lot one will be chosen the district representative and one will be at large.  With the new board member from Garden City north, there will be for some time  6 or 7 school board members.