Page 29 - Florida Sentinel 11-12-21

Local
Community Meetings Scheduled For Review Of School Board Member Electoral Redistricting Maps
Tampa Housing Authority Board Meeting
At last Tuesday’s Special Called School Board Meeting, the Board discussed the process and timeline for School Board Member Electoral Redistricting.
The majority of the Board voted to move forward with the timeline to complete redistrict- ing by the end of December 2021.
Redistricting is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries every ten years fol- lowing the U. S. Census to ac- count for changes in population during the previous decade.
Board member redistricting does not, in any way, impact school attendance zones and will not affect where a child at- tends school. However, it may change which Board Members represent specific voting precincts.
The district will hold several Community Connection Meet- ings to update constituents on
the new 5-Year Strategic Plan, discuss the academic state of the district, and identify areas to improve our practice. In addi- tion, district staff will discuss school board redistricting, allow the public to review proposed maps, and capture community feedback.
The format of the community meetings will be as follows:
• 6-7 p. m.- Superintendent Davis to share information on 5- year Strategic Plan;
• 7-7:30 p. m.- Redistricting – District staff to discuss redis- tricting, allow the public to re- view proposed maps, and capture feedback.
Florida law allows School Board boundaries to be redrawn in an odd-numbered year, and it is best practice to redraw the boundaries when there is a ten percent or greater disparity in population between Board Member districts.
The District 1 meeting was held on Tuesday, November 9th, at Sickles High School. Other meetings are: Monday, November 15th, District 3, Wharton High School, 20150 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.; Wednes- day, November 17th, District 2, Lennard high School, 2342 Shell Point Rd., Ruskin; Monday, No- vember 29th, District 4, Durant High School, 4748 Cougar Path, Plant City; and Thursday, De- cember 9th, District 5, Middle- ton High School, 4801 N. 22ND St., Tampa.
The 2020 Census data indi- cates that School Board Member districts have grown dispropor- tionately over the past decade, thereby requiring redistricting in 2021 to achieve greater equal- ity between districts.
For more information, please go to the website, https://www.hillsborough- schools.org.
The Annual Meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the Housing Authority of the City of Tampa is scheduled for Wednesday, November 17, 2021, at 8:30 a. m., virtually.
To join the meeting: • Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://meetings.ringcentral.co m/j/1483744723?pwd=Qkd5V EMrZmJhQythSG1tcUdTVG 1PUT09 Password: 423827 • Or Telephone: Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1(470)8692200 Meeting ID: 148 374 4723
Any person, who might wish to appeal any decision made by
the Board of Commissioners, with respect to any matter con- sidered at this meeting, is ad- vised that he/she will need a record of the proceedings; for such purpose, he/she may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings be made, which will include the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be asked.
All Board Meetings are open to the public.
James A. Cloar is the Board Chair, and Jerome Ryans is President/CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Tampa.
For inquiries, please contact the Department of Public Rela- tions at (813) 341-9101.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 13-A