Big Spring school board redistricting plans underway

In a special meeting Thursday evening, the Big Spring ISD school board laid the groundwork for realigning its seven singlemember districts based on results of the 2020 Census.

The meeting began with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a time for public comment. City Councilman Nick Ornelas tried to address the school board, but was informed that, since Thursday evening's occasion was a special meeting, members of the public could only address the board on topics relating to the meeting's business. Superintendent Jay McWilliams invited Ornelas to return at the next regular meeting to address the board.

Following the public comment section of the meeting, the board adjourned into executive session to meeet with attorney Fred Stormer of the Underwood

Law Firm “...to receive advice concerning compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 regarding redistricting of single-member districts,” according to the meeting's agenda. The closed session lasted approximately an hour.

Upon returning to open session, the Stormer offered a review of the 2020 Redistricting Report prepared by the Underwood firm.

Stormer reported that, since 2010, Big Spring has grown by about 1,600, from 23,813 to 25,447.

“You've also had an increase in your Hispanic population to 12,385 and a decrease in the Anglo population to 10,668,” he said. “What we see here is really about a flip from the 2010 Census. Those percentages between Anglo and Hispanic were really the inverse. We had slightly more Anglos in 2010, and now we have slightly more Hispanics.”

Stormer said that populations are shifting in different parts of