Lincoln County School District No. 2 School Board voted unanimously in their November meeting tonight to maintain five districts of trustee representation on the board. The five-area option also includes two at-large seats. A separate districting option to implement a map with two areas and three at-large members failed to garner a single vote. The new area map maintains five districts with slightly adjusted boundaries to accommodate population fluctuations within the school district.
“We had a great discussion,” commented Wade Hirschi, LCSD No. 2 School Board Chairman in an interview with SVI Media immediately following the meeting. “We had a couple of good options that we were considering. Ultimately, we ended up voting for the five-district areas, which is essentially maintaining what we have, just shifting the boundaries around to cover the changes in population. Speaking for myself, both options were good options. They were just different. There was definitely significantly higher support from the public for maintaining the five areas. Speaking for myself, that’s what decided it for me.”
Following extensive research and invitation for public comment, all board members shared perspectives and opinions in the meeting that reflected the pros and cons for each option. They also mentioned repeatedly that their primary purpose as board members is to make decisions that support student and family needs and opinions.
With a concern that two areas might foster a climate of division within the district, members leaned toward maintaining the five areas early in the discussion. When invited to vote, each board member confidently spoke for the five-area option.
Several constituents in attendance expressed satisfaction with the decision.
“I really appreciate the way that the board members were able to discuss different opinions and different options,” added Matt Erickson. “They unified in the end with a determination that represented what the public desired. Stakeholders had compelling reasons for both the 2-area and 5-area options. Those that attended and spoke at the board meeting overwhelmingly favored the 5-area proposal.”