Richland One seeking public input on redrawing school board single-member election districts

Richland One is redrawing the boundary lines for the school board’s four single-member election districts. The proposed changes will not affect attendance zone boundaries for any school within Richland One.

Three members of the Richland One Board of School Commissioners are elected at-large and four members are elected from single-member election districts. According to the U.S. Census, Richland One’s population only grew by approximately 1,508 people over the last decade. Because population growth did not occur evenly throughout the district, it is necessary to redraw election district lines to ensure compliance with the constitutional requirement of “one person, one vote.”

The proposed plan, which is outlined below, makes few changes to the current election district lines. All four incumbents remain in their current election districts.

• Seat 1 – By adding one precinct that is currently in Seat 2, Seat 1 gains sufficient population to bring the district’s election lines into compliance. The proposed plan adds Ward 30 (Arsenal Hill neighborhood) to Seat 1.
• Seat 2 – Seat 2 experiences the most change in the proposed plan even though its current population is within the correct range because it is located between Seat 1 (which needs to gain population) and Seat 3 (which needs to lose population). Seat 2 loses Ward 30 (Arsenal Hill), a highly populated precinct, and gains Fairwold and the western portion of Ward 1, which corresponds to the State House area and most of the University of South Carolina campus not located in the University Hills neighborhood. There are no other changes.
• Seat 3 – Seat 3 loses the western portion of Ward 1 but has no other changes. Seat 3 keeps all of the University Hills neighborhood located in the eastern portion of Ward 1.
• Seat 4 – Seat 4 does not change at all because it does not need to gain or lose population.

In completing the redistricting process, the Board of School Commissioners is inviting public comment on the proposed plan. The proposed election district maps are posted on the district’s website (www.richlandone.org), and they may be viewed at the Stevenson Administration Building, 1616 Richland Street.

Public hearings are scheduled for June 7 at 6 p.m. and June 14 at 4:30 p.m. Both public hearings will be held at the Stevenson Administration Building. The Board will vote on the plan during its June 14 meeting, which will begin at 7 p.m.

Comments on the proposed plan should be sent to Eva Wilson, special assistant to the Board of School Commissioners, at [email protected].