Regional Educational Attendance Area (REAA) Reapportionment
State law requires the Commissioner of Education & Early Development to determine whether school board members within each regional educational attendance area (REAA) represent an equal number of people to the extent practicable. This process, known as reapportionment, occurs shortly after each 10-year federal census.
In this process, the state analyzed population data and considered options for reapportionment within REAAs. The options included changing the boundaries of school board sections or the number of seats within sections, or both. The proposals for each REAA, including the state’s suggested option, were sent out for public comment in May. For some REAAs, the state suggested no changes to seats or sections.
Staff at the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development and the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development reviewed each public comment. In some cases, staff recommended changing the state’s suggested option based on public comments.
In June, Commissioner of Education Mike Hanley made his determinations based on each REAA’s demographic, socio-economic, linguistic, transportation, cultural, and communication characteristics. He carefully considered public comments.
This web page displays the state’s final determinations for REAAs whose apportionment of school board sections will change. These changes will first take effect for elections in 2012.
For each affected REAA, this web page provides a chart and a map showing which communities are represented by each school board section. The charts use the term “deviation.” It refers to the degree to which school board sections do not represent the same number of people. For example, a deviation of 15% means that the school board section with the largest population represents 15 percent more people than the school board section with the smallest population.
The following REAAs will have NO CHANGES to the apportionment of school board seats: Aleutian Region, Annette Island, Copper River, Delta/Greely, Kashunamiut, Pribilof Islands, Southeast Island, and Yukon-Koyukuk. This web page, therefore, will provide no further information about their apportionments.
Next steps: By August, the state will submit the reapportionments to the U.S. Department of Justice, which will review them to ensure there are no discriminatory features that could result in the denial or abridgement of the right to vote because of membership in a racial or language minority group. Once the Department of Justice has approved the reapportionments in a process called “preclearance,” the Alaska Division of Elections will move forward with the changes.
The Alaska Division of Elections will notify each affected REAA of any changes in sections, seats and terms. These changes will be in effect for the 2012 elections.
For more information about this year’s reapportionment process, see commerce.alaska.gov/dca/reaa_reapp.html. The website contains the relevant state statutes, demographic information about the REAAs, and the original options for reapportionment.
Note: The website you are now viewing contains the FINAL DETERMINATIONS.
For more information: Courtney Preziosi, 907-465-2891 or courtney.preziosi@alaska.gov
