Orange County Public Schools

The goal of the reapportionment process is to rebalance the population between school board districts so that no school board member is representing substantially more individual citizens than the other school board members. Reapportionment is accomplished by adjusting the boundaries of the seven (7) school board districts to account for population growth. Decennial reapportionment occurs every ten (10) years and is based on the population data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent decennial census.

No. The proposed school board reapportioned district map will NOT impact school attendance zones. It will NOT impact where your child attends school. It may, however, impact in which school board district you may vote. After several public meetings, the School Board will approve a revised school board district map. You can view the entire process and find additional information on this website (see the links on the left) and we encourage you to attend the meetings held throughout the district. You can also provide comments throughout the process in person or online.

Section 1001.36, Florida Statutes, titled District school board member residence areas, requires the School Board to make changes that it “deems necessary in the boundaries of any district school board member residence area at a meeting of the school board, provided that such changes shall be made only in odd-numbered years” and that no boundary change that “would affect the residence qualifications of any incumbent member shall disqualify such incumbent member during the term for which he or she is elected.”

Accordingly, the School Board is legally required to review, formulate, and approve a redistricting plan and to adopt a resolution setting forth the boundaries for that plan prior to the end of 2021.  The School Board must redraw the residence area boundaries to achieve board member residence areas that are reflective of the population changes that have occurred since the 2010 Census. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the Census Bureau’s Timeline for Releasing Redistricting Data, the PL 94-171 Redistricting Data was not released until September 30, 2021.

Yes.  The Orange County Board of County Commissioners has established the Advisory Committee for Redistricting (ACR) to rebalance the population between commission districts so that no commissioner is representing substantially more individual citizens than the other commissioners.  Redistricting in Orange County is accomplished by adjusting the boundaries of the County’s six (6) commission districts to account for population growth.

Though the School Board is committed to following the laws and fundamental principles during its reapportionment process, the average citizen is the most informed to the unique character and concerns of their community and how a shift in commission district boundaries may impact them. “Cracking,” “packing,” and “gerrymandering” are all words used in reapportionment to describe how map lines can decrease the political voice of particular communities while artificially raising the influence of others. Participation in the reapportionment process by Orange County citizens will assist the School Board in meeting its goal of adopting adjusted boundaries that are fair and equitable for all.

After each decennial Census, the Legislature redraws the districts from which Florida voters elect their state representatives, state senators, and members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Because the latest census was completed by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2020, the School Board must complete its decennial reapportionment process by December 31, 2021, in time for the next election in 2022.

To avoid confusion between the County’s “redistricting” of its six (6) commission districts, the School Board has historically used the term “reapportionment” when rebalancing its seven (7) school board districts since the boundaries are not the same. In addition, the School Board’s process of “rezoning” its district schools (redrawing the school attendance zones/boundaries has sometimes been referred to as “redistricting.”).

The “reapportionment” process will NOT impact school attendance zones and will NOT impact where your child attends school. It may, however, impact in which school board district you may vote. After several public meetings, the School Board will approve a revised school board district map. You can view the entire process and find additional information on this website (see the links on the left) and we encourage you to attend the meetings held throughout the district. You can also provide comments throughout the process in person or online.

Yes. COVID-19 created a substantial delay in the Census 2020 campaign and subsequent release of the redistricting data by the U.S. Census Bureau. While the School Board initially anticipated receiving the requisite redistricting data by the end of March 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau only released its initial “legacy format” redistricting data on August 12, 2021, and released its final redistricting data on September 30, 2021.

On September 28, 2021, the 2021 Orange County School Board Reapportionment Advisory Committee (2021 RAC) was created by the School Board (see link to Resolution on the left). This citizen-led group is charged with reviewing the decennial census data and then proposing and analyzing maps reflecting various possibilities for adjustments to the school board member district boundaries that are compliant with the redistricting criteria.  The 2021 RAC will then recommend maps reflecting proposed school board member district boundary adjustments to the School Board for their consideration and eventual adoption.

The 2021 RAC will review the data and begin proposing and analyzing possible changes to the school board district boundaries over a series of public meetings.  Toward the beginning of December 2021, the 2021 RAC will hold a public hearing during which it will vote on which reapportionment map(s) it will recommended to the School Board for its consideration and eventual adoption.

Presently, the School Board is anticipating that the 2021 RAC will hold no fewer than ten (10) public meetings, most on Wednesday and/or Thursday evenings, before adopting its recommendations. The initial two (2) meetings will be held at the Ronald Blocker Educational Leadership Center (RBELC), followed by one (1) public meeting held within the geographic boundaries of each of the seven (7) current school board districts, and then one (1) or (2) more public meetings and/or public hearings at the RBELC to vote on which redistricting map(s) the 2021 RAC will recommend to the School Board for its consideration and eventual adoption. This will be followed by a School Board work session and a public hearing where the School Board will review the 2021 RAC’s recommended reapportionment map(s) and vote to adopt a reapportionment map that best meets the redistricting criteria and serves the best interests of the School Board.  The current targeted date of School Board approval is December 14, 2021.

The School Board has placed a high priority on community input and public engagement. Citizens will be able to voice their opinions about how the lines are drawn in various manners. Citizens have three (3) different methods by which they can participate and provide public input.

First, citizens can attend the 2021 RAC meetings in person where they will be able to submit physical public comment forms that will be supplied by staff on-site. Each individual desiring to address the Committee may have up to three (3) minutes to speak.

Second, citizens can submit public comments electronically. Those who wish to submit public comments electronically must fill out the form on this website (see links on the left).

Third, citizens have access to a web-based software tool that permits them to try adjusting the school board district boundaries themselves. Once an individual has created a map that he/she wishes to submit to the Committee for consideration, he/she should reach out to a 2021 RAC member to request that the member submit a Sponsored Map to the Committee. Only Committee members can submit Sponsored Maps to the Committee for consideration.

To see the 2011 Reapportionment Map, please click here. 

To see the 2020 Census Data, please click here.

To see the growth from 2010 to 2020, please click here.

To see the school board member district demographic comparisons, please click here.

According to the United States Census Bureau, census designated places (CDPs) are statistical geographic entities representing closely settled, unincorporated communities that are locally recognized and identified by name. They are the statistical equivalents of incorporated places, with the primary differences being the lack of a legally defined boundary and an active, functioning governmental structure, chartered by the state and administered by elected officials.

To see the attached summary of CDPs, cities, and towns by each school board member district, please click here.  

In accordance with the 2021 RAC Governing Rules of Procedure, Committee members shall submit maps that they are sponsoring for consideration (hereinafter, “Sponsored Maps”) by the Committee in the manner provided by district staff. Sponsored Maps shall be submitted to district staff by the Committee member no later than the Sunday prior to the next scheduled Committee meeting by 11:59 p.m. (EST), which is three (3) business days prior to the next scheduled meeting. The public will have access to all of the same data the Committee uses to make plans, and the ability to create and submit their own proposed maps. The online mapping tool is available by clicking here.

All Sponsored Maps submitted that are consistent with the Governing Rules of Procedure and submitted in a timely manner will be reviewed by district staff and then placed on the agenda as a discussion item. The only maps that the Committee will consider are those created through the software provided by district staff and sponsored by a Committee member.

Yes. In order to preserve the integrity and transparency of the process, the Committee will not consider a Sponsored Map unless the following information has been submitted along with the map and provided to the Committee:

1. The submitter of the map's name and address;

2. Whether the map was created on behalf of the submitter or another individual;

3. Whether the submitter represents an organization or a policy established by an organization or governing body;

4. Whether the submitter is being compensated by the organization or person(s) for whom the submitter authored the map; and

5. Whether the submitter or any member of his/her immediate family has a personal interest in the Committee's consideration of the map.

Yes. In accordance with the 2021 RAC Governing Rules of Procedure, maps on the discussion agenda shall be considered by the Committee in the order in which they were placed on the agenda.

The most important principle in redistricting is ensuring that the populations between the school board districts are as nearly equal as practicable. There are then additional redistricting principles and criteria that the School Board must balance, some having more legal weight than others. Ultimately, the School Board needs to develop and adopt a revised school board district map that properly considers and prioritizes the principles and criteria provided and permitted by law.

There are three (3) main redistricting criteria: Equal Population, Federal Anti-Discrimination Law, and Consideration of the “Traditional Redistricting Principles.”

Equal population is the most important of the redistricting criteria and is based on the constitutional concept of “One Person, One Vote” derived by the U.S. Supreme Court from the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Also, pursuant to Florida law, districts must be divided so they are contiguous and as nearly equal in population as practicable.

Because equal population favors districts that are as nearly equal in population as practicable, the ideal district population is the total population of Orange County divided by the seven (7) school board districts. After calculating the ideal district population, the “relative deviation” of each school board district can be calculated by dividing the population of the school board district by the ideal school board district population.

According to U.S. Supreme Court case law, a redistricting plan presumptively meets the “One Person, One Vote” mandate so long as the “maximum deviation” does not exceed ten percent (10%). The maximum deviation is calculated by adding the absolute values of the relative deviations of both the highest and the lowest populated districts.

The Federal Anti-Discrimination Law criteria comes from both the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. In sum, the school board is prohibited from using race as a predominate factor when drawing its district lines unless it has a strong basis of evidence that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act demands it.

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act prohibits the School Board from denying or abridging the right to vote on account of an individual’s race, color, or status as a member of a language minority group.  “Language minority group” is defined by Congress to specifically mean persons who are American Indian, Asian American, Alaskan Natives, or of Spanish heritage.

A voting practice or procedure violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act if, based on the “totality of the circumstances”, it provides a minority population with less opportunity than other members of the electorate to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice.

The courts go through a three (3) factor test and several other considerations in order to determine whether a plaintiff could make a successful claim that a government’s district boundaries violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act occurred. The three (3) factor test asks:

• Whether the minority population is sufficiently large and geographically compact enough to constitute a majority in a reasonably configured district;

• Whether the minority population is politically cohesive; and

• Whether the white majority votes sufficiently as a block to usually defeat the minority population’s preferred candidate.

Traditional redistricting principles should be considered important criteria for the School Board to consider because they establish that the plan was adopted for reasons that typically withstand judicial challenges. They can also be substantiated in future litigation by tangible evidence in the record such as testimony at public hearings or discussion recorded in the Reapportionment Advisory Committee’s minutes (more information on this committee can be found below).
Since the Supreme Court decided Shaw v. Reno in 1993, six (6) factors have been judicially recognized as traditional redistricting principles:

1. Compactness
2. Contiguity
3. Preservation of political subdivisions
4. Preservation of communities of interest
5. Preservation of corers of prior districts
6. Avoiding pairing incumbents

The first three (3) categories are considered objective principles that are measured by geographical or natural boundaries. Shaw v. Reno, 509 U.S. 630, 647 (1993). Districts should be drawn in compact shapes, contain citizens who relate to each other, and should avoid “bizarrely shaped” configurations. Bush v. Vera, 517 U.S. 952, 979 (1996).

Legal challenges to the redistricting process can be filed by any resident in the challenged district or any non-resident who can prove the adopted decennial redistricting map causes them irreparable injury. In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice also has legal standing to file a complaint against the school board regarding the results of its redistricting process. These challenges are filed for the following reasons:

1. Unequal representation
2. Lack of compliance with Federal Anti-Discrimination Law
3. Perceived gerrymandering (“Gerrymandering” is the “deliberate and arbitrary distortion of district boundaries for racial purposes.” Shaw v. Reno, 509 U.S. 630, 640 (1993))
4. Dividing of neighborhoods or communities of interest

Any resident in the challenged district, any non-resident who can prove the adopted decennial redistricting map causes them irreparable injury, and the U.S. Department of Justice all have legal standing to file a complaint against the School Board regarding the results of its reapportionment process.

In 2011, as part of the redistricting process, the School Board established a Reapportionment Advisory Committee which met from early spring through the fall of 2011. There were many lengthy meetings and public hearings.  The Reapportionment Advisory Committee (RAC) ultimately recommended maps reflecting proposed school board member district boundary adjustments to the School Board for their consideration and eventual adoption.

For further information, please email [email protected].