Hart district officials are set to shape the future of its school board elections Wednesday at its board meeting.

The William S. Hart Union High School District‘s Governing Board approved a move to districts in July, in reaction to concern from officials about the district’s vulnerability to a California Voting Rights Act lawsuit.

Two educational boards and the city have already come to terms in similar suits, rather than take part in a lengthy, costly legal battle.

Hart district officials are set to shape the future of its school board elections Wednesday at its board meeting.

The basis for the lawsuits aimed at those governing boards were allegations the Hispanic vote was being disenfranchised by racially polarized voting — meaning that because races historically voted in blocs in those districts, Hispanic voters were not able to select their candidate of choice.

The district’s legal counsel hired the Dolinka Group to create two maps, and after public input and concern, a third map was created.

While the school district’s staff has yet to formally endorse an option — leaving it completely to the board’s discretion — but the third map was created after officials cited incumbency as a reason, then were told that could not be a factor in the district’s voting areas.

All three maps place each board member in a different district.

Hart district officials voted in July to approve a proposal to initiate the process for the district to transition from an “at-Large” election system to a “by-trustee area” election system, commencing with the 2015 board elections in November.

The district conducted a half-dozen outreach meetings in order to solicit input from the community.

Board members disagreed on whether the board received much input.

However, board member Joe Messina said officials “took all that (public input) into consideration when we were laying out the areas.”

There were five meetings, one in each of the proposed voting districts.

“(The third map) gives us the highest Hispanic population in a district,” Messina said, “and some good suggestions from the public helped make that happen.”

Board member Gloria Mercado-Fortine expressed her ardent opposition to a move to district-based elections, saying other school districts didn’t and the move would weaken residents’ overall representation.

She did say option No. 1 appeared to be the least divisive choice as far as keeping the school communities together as much as possible.

“I oppose breaking up into districts — I think it’s everyone’s right to vote for everybody, so I have some problems (with the maps),” she said, “but anyways, we’re heading into districts.”

The William S. Hart Union High School District’s Governing Board approved a move to districts in July, in reaction to concern from officials about the district’s vulnerability to a California Voting Rights Act lawsuit.