Keppel school District will move to by-trustee system

PEARBLOSSOM — The Keppel Union School District will transition to a by-trustee area election system after attorney Kevin Shenkman sent the District a letter alleging their at-large election system is racially polarized and dilutes the minority vote, and therefore violates the California Voting Rights Act.

“The CVRA disfavors the use of so-called ‘at-large’ voting — an election method that permits voters of an entire jurisdiction to elect candidates to each open seat,” Shenkman wrote.

He added that at-large elections “often result in vote dilution or the impairment of minority groups’ ability to elect their preferred candidates or influence the outcome of elections.”

Shenkman sent the letter, dated, Sept. 26, on behalf of his clients, the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and its members who live within the District’s boundaries.

Keppel’s Board of Education voted 4-0, with Clerk Dominique Ballante absent, during a special Wednesday evening meeting to adopt a resolution to initiate the transition to a by-trustee area election system.

“While the District did receive a demand letter from Mr. Shenkman, the Board has been and remains committed to ensuring a fair and lawful voice for the District’s entire community as to who serves as its elected officials,” Keppel Superintendent Jacqueline Cardenas wrote in an email. “As a result, the Board looks forward to this process and invites the media and District constituents to participate in the Board’s November 15, 2022, meeting regarding the transition process. The District’s legal counsel and demographer will discuss the transition process timeline and requirements. We will also hold a public hearing to take input from our constituents about how the maps should be drawn to best serve and represent the District’s constituency.”

The new system will be in place for the November 2024 election when the seats of Ballante and Board President Waunette Cullors will be up for election.

The law allows Shenkman to collect $30,000 for each letter he sends. He sent a similar letter, dated Sept. 15, to the Palmdale School District. That district is in the process of implementing the change. A second public hearing, is scheduled for Tuesday.