Seattle School Board approves new district boundaries for board members

Next year, Seattle voters may be voting for candidates in different Seattle School Board districts, the result of a monthslong redrawing of board member districts this fall.

The Seattle Public Schools board unanimously approved the new district elections map last week. The new geographical boundaries do not affect student attendance boundaries; their purpose is to make sure each region within the city is represented by a board member who lives in that region.

SPS board members wrestled with the district boundary lines over the course of various public and community meetings, and debated how race played a role in the redistricting process. Some board members thought historic redlining maps should have been taken into consideration.

The district elections map only affects who can run for school board (candidates must live in the district they run for) and which board members people vote for. All current board members still reside in the districts they represent under the new map.

In 2023, voters will choose board members for districts 1, 2, 3, and 6. Currently, Liza Rankin holds the district 1 spot, Lisa Rivera Smith represents district 2, Chandra Hampson represents district 3, and Leslie Harris represents district 6. The remaining seats will open up in 2025. 

SPS contracted FLO Analytics, a consulting company with expertise in data analysis and redistricting, to draw new district election maps. The company, which has offices in the Pacific Northwest and New England, created various maps based on legal requirements, community and board member input. 

Some of the biggest changes: District 2, which incorporates Green Lake and Phinney Ridge, has expanded west to include Ballard and Magnolia. District 5 now stretches from the Central Area all the way to the Montlake Cut, and includes Madison Park, Montlake, Eastlake and all of Capitol Hill. And District 6 in West Seattle now stretches to the other side of the Duwamish Waterway and includes Georgetown and South Park.

Redistricting is required by law. Every 10 years, in accordance with the U.S. census count, Seattle Public Schools board members have the task of approving a new district election map. Other government bodies, like the City Council, also have to redistrict every decade per the Washington Voting Rights Act, which requires redistricting after each new census count. 

Population and demographic changes in Seattle cause district boundaries to fluctuate. Each district needs to meet certain criteria set by state law: having nearly the same population size, being as compact as possible and not favoring or disfavoring a political party or racial group.

There’s also a federal law, the 1965 Voting Rights Act, with similar requirements that prohibit discriminatory practices when redistricting. The law targets boundary lines drawn with the intention of diluting votes based on race or political party — a tactic known as gerrymandering.