Census data from Grant County that was recently released will change how the Sheridan School District will conduct school board elections.
According to the Sheridan Headlight Newspaper, the data showed that the minority population of Grant County is 13 percent and under a law adopted in 1993, districts with more than 10 percent minority population are required to hold an election for every seat on the school board.
The newspaper said the idea behind the law is to ensure that school districts are in compliance with the 1965 Federal Voting Rights Act.
The law also requires that the district will have to be divided into zones and Grant County Clerk Geral Harrison said the only question is how many zones will be drawn. He said there are two options. The first is to divide the district into seven zones of equal population with one board member elected from each zone.
The second option is to divide the district into five zones of equal population and elect a board member from each zone and elect two board members from the district as a whole. Harrison also said the current population of the Sheridan School District is over 26,000, including the part of the district in East End.
Incumbent board members will be allowed to run for their seats in 2022 and state law also specifies that the newly elected board would draw lots to stagger terms so that no more than two members are up for reelection at any given time.
