Panel OKs school districts’ rezoning plans

FORT SMITH — Two Sebastian County school districts were given the green light to proceed with rezoning efforts that sprang out of the 2020 census.

The Sebastian County Election Commission on Tuesday approved new school district zones the Fort Smith and Lavaca school boards previously adopted.

The Fort Smith School Board learned Sept. 13 that Arkansas law could require a school district with a minority population of 10% or more to elect members from five or seven single-member zones or from five single-member zones and two at-large. The School Board currently has members from four zones as well as three at-large positions, all of whom have threeyear terms.

The board unanimously passed a resolution Oct. 25 approving a plan and map establishing five single-member zones and two at-large zones. The resolution states these items would be brought back to the board for final approval and filed with the Sebastian County Clerk’s Office should the Election Commission approve them. Elections for School Board members to represent the seven new zones would take place during the 2022 annual school election.

Steve Rose, superintendent of the Lavaca School District, said Tuesday the district’s plan would see its board go from five at-large positions to five zoned positions.

The commission also discussed rezoning Quorum Court districts for Sebastian County.

Sebastian County has 13 districts, each of which is represented by a single justice of the peace on the Quorum Court. County Election Coordinator Meghan Hassler said the Election Commission is tasked with drawing the Quorum Court districts, which depends on the populations of the current districts from the most recent census. These populations must be within a certain range of each other.

David Damron, commission chairman, said he worked with outside assistance on a new map for the commission to consider. However, he did not specify who drew this map when Commissioner Lee Webb asked him about it.

Webb said he wanted the commission to work on drawing a map together, citing Arkansas Code Annotated §1414-403. This states a county’s election commission, rather than an individual commissioner, is responsible for dividing a county into Quorum Court districts, which Webb said could happen only in an open meeting.

“In the past, we’ve always worked together as an Election Commission, not as a single member or an outside party, which is what I think happened here,” Webb said after the meeting.

Damron said he would give Webb time to come up with his own redistricting map. Webb said after the meeting he would do so in conjunction with the Fort Smith-based Western Arkansas Planning and Development District.

Shannon Scott, geographic information systems analyst for the Planning and Development District, who was present at the meeting, said the district was not involved in producing Damron’s map.

The Election Commission’s next meeting is set for Nov. 17.