Spartanburg's current school board representation unfair, groups say in proposing change

An effort is underway by single-member school district supporters to review the current districts to ensure equal representation on school boards in Spartanburg County.

The groups with the Local Redistricting Advisory Committee are asking lawmakers to approve new maps that would create new single-member districts in Spartanburg School Districts 5 and 7.

Organizers say the current makeup of the nine-member school boards is outdated, leaving some neighborhoods under-represented.

"We believe (the current) multi-member districts create situations where taxpayers are less likely to have a representative on the school board from their own neighborhood," said Marilyn Varner of the West Spartanburg NAACP and Local Redistricting Advisory Committee.

Redistricting for cities and counties takes place every 10 years following a census. Local governments are charged with redrawing district lines to reflect population shifts.

Last year, Spartanburg County approved its redistricting plan maintaining a Black population majority in the district encompassing most of the city of Spartanburg. The County Council has seven members, with just one African-American, who represents District 1 in Spartanburg.

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In the city, Spartanburg City Council already has begun the process of redrawing its maps by holding public meetings to gather input.

State Legislature must approve any changes for single-member districts

Local activist Charles Mann, founder and president of the Upstate Action Alliance, said the local legislative delegation can endorse new maps, with the S.C. Legislature approving or rejecting them.

Mann said in 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the preclearance requirement of the 1965 Voting Rights Act in its Shelby County v. Holder decision. In a 5-4 vote, the Court said Congress cannot subject a state to preclearance based simply on past discrimination.

"So, if the Legislative Delegation does not want to create all single-member districts, they can do that," Mann said. "But if they do decide to create all single-member districts, they have to maintain the current minority-majority districts. If they do not, that would be a violation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act."

State Rep. Max Hyde of Spartanburg, chairman of the Spartanburg County Legislative Delegation, did not say if the delegation supports the realignment.

This legislative issue is presently under review and consideration by the Spartanburg County Legislative Delegation,' he said. "The delegation intends to proceed with transparency and with regard to relevant law."

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One group that has been advocating for changing the makeup of elected bodies is Spartanburg Initiative for Racial Equity Now (SIREN).

SIREN and several other local groups were brought under the umbrella of the local Redistricting Advisory Committee, organized by Mann.

Current single-member districts are around 30 years old

The current configurations of School Districts 5 and 7 were created in the 1990s.

District 5 encompasses Duncan, Lyman, Reidville, Moore, Startex, Wellford and parts of Greer. District 7 encompasses the City of Spartanburg and areas south to Croft State Park, east to Glendale and Converse, and northward from Drayton to Valley Falls.

School District 5 has one single-member district, one district that elects two members and one that elects six members. Board members are elected to four-year terms. Elections are held every other year (odd-numbered calendar years) with four seats being contested during one election cycle and five being contested during the following cycle.

School District 5 Board Chairman Jeff Boland said the board has not yet seen or heard a presentation on the proposed redistricting plan.

School District 7 has four single-member districts in predominantly Black neighborhoods, and one large, predominantly white, multi-member district that elects five members.

District 7 spokeswoman Beth Lancaster said the school board has not taken a stance on the proposed nine single-member district plan.

"This function lies with the South Carolina Legislature," she said. "The District 7 Board does not have an official role in the process."

Board members in School District 7 are elected the same way as board members in District 5. District 7 board members are elected to four-year terms. Elections are held every other year (odd-numbered calendar years) with four seats being contested during one election cycle and five being contested during the following cycle.

Jason Spencer, chairman of SIREN, said some District 7 board decisions end up in 5-4 votes.

"Not only does this contribute to ... 5-4 votes ..., because it is a multi-member district we end up with several school board members who all live in practically the same neighborhood," Spencer said.

Lancaster said of the 186 total votes taken by the board in the past six and a half years, 90% have been unanimous; only five votes were split 5-4; and six votes were split either 4-4 or 4-3 because either one board member abstained or one was absent.

Varner said one of the sub-districts in School District 5 has six board members who live near each other in the southern part of that district, leaving residents in the northern part without fair representation.

If a nine single-member district map is approved, she said all school district residents will be fairly represented.

"Some incumbents will feel uncomfortable … that discomfort will emanate from wanting to protect their chances of being re-elected and minimizing competition," Varner said. (But) trustees are not United States Supreme Court justices appointed for life. School board positions are not entitlements."

The Herald-Journal reached out to all school board members in Districts 5 and 7 to get their reactions to the proposed nine-member, single-district maps.

"I support the plan because it provides for more areas to be represented," said School District 7 board member Vernon Beatty, who represents the minority 7-2 sub-district in Spartanburg's northside.

District 7 Trustee Griffin Lynch, who represents the majority 7-5 sub-district, declined to comment on the plan. She referred questions to Board Chairwoman Sharon Porter, who represents minority sub-district 7-3. Porter could not be reached for comment.

In addition, board members Meg Clayton, Hallie Hurst, Clay Mahaffey and Jeff Mason – all of whom represent the majority 7-5 sub-district – could not be reached for comment.

Single-member district maps are proposed to ensure fair representation

Will Roberts of the state Senate Judiciary Committee research staff has drafted possible maps for Districts 5 and 7 that splits the districts into nine single-member districts.

"Mr. Roberts' maps minimize pitting incumbents against one another, which we believe is more politically tenable than some of the earlier options we presented," Spencer said.

Spencer said the Roberts maps show the most promise yet, and he, Mann and Varner have asked members of the Spartanburg County Legislative Delegation to support them. To date, the Delegation has not taken a position on the maps.

Spencer said the maps have also garnered the support of the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina.

Among local residents supporting the maps are retired School District 7 educators Ed Epps and Sevi Alvarez.

"I strongly believe that in a time like ours all students and families and neighborhoods in every district deserve at least an equal shot at representation in those groups that decide policies that affect their everyday lives and futures," Epps said at the February meeting of the Delegation.

Alvarez said he is the parent of a future School District 7 student.

"Soon enough he will attend classes and I want to ensure his school board representative is looking out for him and all the other kids in the neighborhood," Alvarez said.

Meanwhile, Time is of the essence, Spencer said. The deadline for school board candidates to gather petition signatures to be on this year's ballot is July 17.

"Candidates are now able to collect signatures without knowing if the names they are collecting will ultimately be in the district in which they are running," Spencer said. "Some candidates may find they end up in another district completely.

"So in that light, we would urge the Delegation and the General Assembly to move quickly on approving the single-member maps," Spencer said.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Spartanburg groups support single-member school districts