Sunnyside School District to change how it elects school board members

The Sunnyside School District will change how it elects school board members. The move came after an agreement between the school district, the nonprofit Empowering Latina Leaders and Action (ELLA) and the ACLU of Washington to avoid diluting the Hispanic or Latino/e/x vote.

The majority of the district’s student population are identified as Hispanic or Latino/x/e.

The school district will change from an “at-large” election system to a district election system.

An at-large election system allows all voters within school district boundaries to cast ballots for all school board candidates, regardless of the district voters live in.

With the new system, people in each district will be able to elect the board representative for their district.

In April, ELLA and the ACLU notified the sdistrict that the current election system could be violating the Washington Voting Rights Act.

In a press release, Maria Fernandez, ELLA’s executive director, said the agreement is a “victory for our community that has felt unheard by the Sunnyside School District, as we will finally have a meaningful say in school board elections.”

In the same press release, Ryan Maxwell, Sunnyside School District’s superintendent, said that as soon as the district heard the concerns, “we agreed that the best course of action for the community would be to move to a district-based voting system.”

Maxwell said they hope it “will increase voter turnout and input on issues critical to supporting our students and staff.”

According to the agreement, the parties will redraw the five districts in accordance with the state’s Voting Rights Act.

The document also notes there will be three majority Hispanic or Latino/x/e voters’ districts, and each current board member is assigned to their individual district.

A demographer has already been selected to redraw the maps and find the best way to comply with the Washington Voting Rights Act.

The school district also agreed to seek Superior Court approval of the new district map.

The new map and election model should be ready before Jan. 15. It should be implemented for the 2025 primary and general elections.