A snipped of one new school board map.
By State Rep. Sam Park
Chair, Gwinnett Legislative Delegation
NORCROSS, Ga., | As the 2022 legislative sessions begins on Monday, January 1, one of the first major tasks we will work on is local redistricting. As members of the Gwinnett State House and Senate Delegations, our shared goal is to have a fair process to produce fair maps for the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners and Board of Education.
Park
At a minimum, a fair process should be transparent and inclusive. To ensure transparency, we will hold multiple public committee hearings on the proposed maps over the coming weeks. To be inclusive, we are working to make certain that local elected officials, state legislators, and the public have an opportunity to engage and participate in the local redistricting process.
Over the past few weeks, the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners and Gwinnett Board of Education drafted their proposed maps for consideration by Georgia state legislators. These maps are publicly available online for public input and consideration.
Commission map
The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners’ proposed map was created based on public input that prioritizes and values keeping together voting precincts, cities, residential neighborhoods, school zones, and overlay districts such as community improvement districts. Their proposal improves the integrity of each of these facets from the existing map.
For example, the proposed map has no splits in voting precincts per the State of Georgia’s analysis, and preserves the integrity and character area of Gwinnett’s cities accommodating for their growth over the past decade. This proposed map also represents the demographic makeup of Gwinnett County, whereby each proposed district closely represents the demographics of the county in its entirety.
The Gwinnett Board of Education proposed two maps for consideration by the State Legislature and public. Map 1 provides minimal changes to the existing school board district boundaries established in 2010 and focuses more on reapportionment or making sure each district is equal in population. Map 2 presents school board districts that are more compact and provides closer alignment to school cluster boundaries.
As required by state law, these proposed maps must now go through the state legislative process and be signed by the Governor. These maps must also comply with the U.S. Constitution, Georgia State Constitution, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, applicable state law, the rules of the Georgia House and Senate, and the bylaws of the Gwinnett State House and Senate Delegations.
On Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 7 p.m., the Gwinnett State House and Senate Delegations will convene its first public committee meeting on the proposed maps for the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners and Board of Education. We will have a hybrid (in-person/ virtual) meeting at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center (GJAC) located at 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville. Please come or watch online, and share your thoughts.
As your elected representatives and your voice in your government, please let us know what you think about these maps that will shape our future for the next 10 years.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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