Voter districts approved for Clark County School Board

After a contentious summer and 22 versions of electoral maps, the Clark County School Board and minority group representatives came to a consensus on the dividing lines Monday.

Version 22 would do best at keeping minority neighborhoods intact within voting districts, they agreed. That way, blacks and Hispanics have a concentrated influence come voting day in selecting board representatives.

“We have to make it work for all of us,” said Constance Geffinger-Clifton, president of the Las Vegas Alliance of Black School Educators.

The Clark County School District’s board has six white trustees and one black member. Its student enrollment is 42.1 percent Hispanic, 31.9 percent white and 12.4 percent black.

The unanimously approved map makes Hispanics a majority of the population in District D — roughly the central Las Vegas Valley – at 53 percent. Blacks make up 20 percent of the population in District C — which includes West Las Vegas, an area bordered by Carey Avenue to the north, Bonanza Road to the south, Interstate 15 to the east and Rancho Drive to the west.

Much has changed in the county since the map was last updated a decade ago — the legally required time between updates after a census — said Rick Baldwin, chief demographer for the Clark County School District. His team drew 22 map options at the school board’s request, accommodating concerns for keeping ethnic groups autonomous, though state law simply requires that the 1.95 million people be equally divided into seven zones.

“Although it took a little longer, we listened. We not only heard you, we listened,” said John Cole, trustee for District E, to members of Si Se Puede (Yes we can) Latino Democratic Caucus, the Black Democratic Caucus, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Nevada Youth Coalition.

“It’s been tiring,” resident Vicenta Montoya said, “but the product is outstanding. With patience, you can get the best.”