By-Trustee Area Elections

CUSD BOARD OF TRUSTEES ELECTION – NOVEMBER 3, 2026

Dear Coast Unified Families and Community Members,

As of July 21, no candidates have yet filed to run for the two Coast Unified School District Board of Trustees seats that will appear on the November 3, 2026 ballot. There is still time, and we hope members of our community will consider this meaningful opportunity to serve.

Have you ever considered serving your community as a School Board Trustee? Or do you know someone who would be a great advocate for students and public education?

Two seats on the Coast Unified School District Board of Trustees will be on the ballot in the November 3, 2026 General Election:

Trustee Area 2
Trustee Area 3

Serving on the Board of Trustees is a meaningful opportunity to help shape the future of our schools by making decisions that support student success, educational programs, school facilities, fiscal responsibility, and the overall direction of our district.

Candidate Filing Period

July 13, 2026 – August 7, 2026 (5:00 p.m.)

Interested candidates must file nomination paperwork with the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder / Registrar of Voters.

Prospective candidates may contact the SLO County Elections Office at (805) 781-5228 to obtain information about the filing process and schedule an appointment if needed.

Trustee Areas

Coast Unified uses by-trustee area elections, meaning:

Trustees must reside within the trustee area they represent.
Only voters living within that trustee area vote for that seat.
Area-based elections help ensure local representation across the district.

To determine whether you live in Trustee Area 2 or Trustee Area 3, please us this link: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/2702eafcf6ac45ab84a92e12d15fe7f0

Learn More

Attached are resources that include:

If you have questions about serving on the Board of Trustees, please contact:

Jill Southern, Superintendent
jsouthern@coastusd.org

Erin Moses Wierman, Executive Assistant / HR Coordinator
emoseswierman@coastusd.org

Thank you for considering this important opportunity to serve Coast Unified School District and the students, families, and communities we proudly support.

ELECCIÓN DE LA MESA DIRECTIVA DE CUSD – 3 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 2026

Estimadas familias y miembros de la comunidad de Coast Unified:

Al día 21 de julio, aún no se ha presentado ningún candidato para postularse a los dos puestos de la Mesa Directiva del Distrito Escolar Unificado Coast Unified que aparecerán en la boleta electoral del 3 de noviembre de 2026. Todavía hay tiempo, y esperamos que los miembros de nuestra comunidad consideren esta valiosa oportunidad de servir a nuestros estudiantes, escuelas y comunidad.

¿Ha considerado servir a su comunidad como miembro de la Mesa Directiva Escolar? ¿Conoce a alguien que sería un excelente representante de los estudiantes y la educación pública?

Dos puestos en la Mesa Directiva del Distrito Escolar Unificado Coast Unified estarán en la boleta electoral de las Elecciones Generales del 3 de noviembre de 2026:

Área de Fideicomisario (Trustee Area) 2
Área de Fideicomisario (Trustee Area) 3

Ser miembro de la Mesa Directiva es una oportunidad significativa para ayudar a orientar el futuro de nuestras escuelas, apoyando el éxito de los estudiantes, la responsabilidad fiscal, las instalaciones escolares y las prioridades educativas del distrito.

Período para Presentar la Candidatura

Del 13 de julio de 2026 al 7 de agosto de 2026, a las 5:00 p.m.

Las personas interesadas deberán presentar la documentación correspondiente ante la Oficina del Secretario-Registrador/Registro Electoral del Condado de San Luis Obispo.

Para obtener información sobre el proceso de candidatura o programar una cita, comuníquese con la Oficina Electoral del Condado al (805) 781-5228.

Áreas de Fideicomisarios

Coast Unified utiliza elecciones por áreas de fideicomisarios:

Los candidatos deben residir en el área que desean representar.
Solo los votantes que viven en esa área pueden votar por ese puesto.
Este sistema garantiza representación local en todo el distrito.

Para verificar si vive en el Área 2 o Área 3, visite : https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/2702eafcf6ac45ab84a92e12d15fe7f0

Más Información

Se adjuntan documentos con:

Si tiene preguntas sobre cómo postularse o servir en la Mesa Directiva, comuníquese con:

Jill Southern, Superintendente
jsouthern@coastusd.org

Erin Moses Wierman, Asistente Ejecutiva / Coordinadora de Recursos Humanos
emoseswierman@coastusd.org

¡Gracias por considerar esta importante oportunidad para servir a los estudiantes, las familias y la comunidad de Coast Unified!

FAQ

Trustee Area Information (Elections/Voting)
Transition to By-Trustee Elections Information

Trustee Area Information (Elections/Voting)

What is the CVRA?

The California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) was passed in California in 2001 with the intent of ensuring that minorities and other members of protected classes are not denied the opportunity of equal representation at the local level because of the representation issues associated with at-large elections. The CVRA prohibits the use of any at-large or hybrid election system “that impairs the ability of a protected class to elect candidates of its choice or its ability to influence the outcome of an election.”

California Law allows the Coast Unified School District (“District”) to transition to a by-trustee area election model which is the only election method guaranteed not to violate the CVRA. At the February 10, 2021 Board meeting, the Board adopted Resolution 2020-21 No. 10 establishing five (5) trustee area boundaries in compliance with the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). The District began the process to transition to by-trustee area elections in February 2021. The sequencing election cycle schedule indicates which seats are up for election in 2022 and 2024, and every general election thereafter.
The Coast Unified School District Board seats are 4 year terms and coincide with a general election.

The District has five (5) geographic trustee areas within the District’s boundaries, each assigned to one seat on the Board. Voters within each trustee area vote only for candidates for the seat on the Board assigned to their trustee area.

How were Trustees to the District elected prior to November 2022?

At-Large: All voters elect all trustees.

How are Trustees to the District currently elected?

By-Trustee Areas (“By-District or District-Based Voting”): Board members must live in trustee areas and are elected only by voters in those trustee areas.

Have other school districts made this change?
More than 200 school districts and many cities across the state have made this change in large part due to the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). Other school districts in the San Luis Obispo County that have transitioned to by-trustee area elections include: San Luis Coast Unified School District, Lucia Mar Unified School District, Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, Shandon Joint Unified School District, and Cayucos Elementary School District.

Can the trustee areas take into account future growth?

Development of trustee areas must rely on the most recent Federal Census. Each trustee area adopted has substantially equal population based on the most recent census data. The legality of the map meets the substantially equal population requirements. Projected growth was taken into account as one of a number of criteria considered by the Board in determining where trustee area boundaries were drawn, and independent of any projected growth, the adopted trustee areas still meet the “substantially equal population” standard using the most recent Census data. Coast Unified School District trustee areas do not anticipate any substantial population growth that would affect the boundaries established.

The Education Code requires that the terms of board members be staggered so that, as nearly as practicable, one half of the members shall be elected in each year in which the Board's elections are regularly held.

Here, given the District’s five-member Board, there are two (2) whose term runs will 2022-2026, and three (3) whose terms will run 2024 – 2028.

Due to the timing of the transition of the California Voting Rights Act, any school board term that began prior to the passage of this Act, will remain seated until their term expires, regardless of the Trustee area of their residence.

2022 Election (Held November 8, 2022)

Area 2

Lee McFarland (re-elected 2022) Term expires 12/2026 By- Trustee Area starting 12/2022

Area 3

Joe Prian (unopposed Nov 2022) Term expires 12/2026 By-Trustee Area starting 12/2022

2024 Election

Area 1 Christine Amato Quinn (unopposed Nov 2024) By-Trustee Area starting 12/2024

Area 4 Lisa Weseman (unopposed Nov 2024) By-Trustee Area starting 12/2024

Area 5 Nick Johnson (unopposed Nov 2024) By-Trustee Area starting 12/2024

Transition to By-Trustee Elections Information

California Voting Rights Act (CVRA): Coast Unified School District has transitioned from at-large trustee area elections to by-trustee area elections.

CVRA Board Meeting Dates

August 12, 2021
- Agenda
- Recording
September 9, 2021
- Agenda
- Recording
January 13, 2022
- Agenda
- Recording
February 10, 2022
- Agenda
- Recording

Public Comment: To submit public comments or if you have questions for upcoming board meetings, please email district@coastusd.org

On February 10, 2022 National Demographics demographer presented the Coast Unified School District Introduction to Districting, click HERE to view the slide presentation.

Purple Plan

Resolution #9

On August 12, 2021 Board meeting, the first of four public hearing was held to receive feedback and set criteria for the demographers to design the trustee area maps. The Board identified criteria for which the demographer will incorporate into drafts of trustee areas maps for Board and public consideration. Public Hearing # 2 will be held to continue to receive feedback from the trustees and the public. During Public Hearing #3 and #4 the District’s demographer, National Demographics Corporation, will present drafts of trustee area maps for the Board consideration and final approval.The CUSD Board of Trustees is currently elected under an “at-large” election system, where trustees are elected by voters of the entire District in even-numbered years and serve staggered, four-year terms. Recently, however, public entities have had their at-large election systems challenged under the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) which resulted in expensive and divisive litigation.

On February 10, 2021 the Board adopted Resolution #10 2020-21 to initiate a transition to a By-Trustee Area Election System commencing with the 2022 Election. The Board intended to wait until the release of the 2020 Census data, scheduled for March 2021, and then immediately begin the transition process. However, due to COVID-19-related delays, the 2020 Census data is not expected to be available until September 30, 2021 or later which would create an incredibly tight timeline to complete the process in time for the 2022 elections.

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