Trustees weigh maps splitting Mansfield ISD board into 5 geographic, 2 districtwide seats

In almost 30 years of political mapmaking, demographer Thomas Bryan could not recall a school board hiring him to change how voters elect its members without a lawsuit forcing it.

Until Mansfield ISD.

“This is unique,” Bryan said.

No one has sued the district, and no court has ordered the change. But trustees are weighing two maps Bryan drew that would split the board into five geographic seats and two districtwide seats. 

Trustees will hold a public hearing about the switch at 6 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Dr. Jim Vaszauskas Center for the Performing Arts, 1110 W. Debbie Lane.

Four trustees said Oct. 27 they preferred the map that gives the Grand Prairie side of the district its own seat, splits the area near Arlington between two seats and places Rendon and the district’s southern stretch into one large seat.

The other map features a more evenly distributed population, but slices the Arlington side into three seats instead of two.

Trustees are expected to decide before the end of the year whether they will make the switch. If they do, the new map will be introduced for the May 1, 2027, election. No decisions have been made.

Board Secretary Jason Thomas preferred the first map because it reaches into Arlington. The other map too closely follows high school attendance boundaries and could cause trustees to focus only on that campus, he said.

“I know that’s something that we hate — to create silos,” Thomas said.

Bryan said his directive was to cover multiple cities when possible and that at least one district falls entirely outside Mansfield.

Trustee Michelle Newsom said Bryan’s directive from the school board’s attorneys didn’t make sense to her.

“Right now, each board member gets to represent all of these cities, all of these areas, all of these groups of people,” she said.

Bryan boiled down the benefits of switching to single-member districts. Individual candidates run for one-fifth of Mansfield ISD so the cost is lower and accountability is closer to neighborhoods and schools, he said.

The trustees’ preferred map places Newsom and board Vice President Ana-Alicia Horn in the proposed District 2. Trustee Benita Reed and Thomas are in the proposed District 1.

Horn and Thomas backed single-member districts, while Newsom and Reed have opposed the move. 

Supporters and trustees who want the switch have said the change would give communities outside Mansfield ISD’s namesake city, including parts of Arlington, a stronger voice on the board because some residents say they are not represented.

“The two maps do not address the issue that you all brought to us,” Reed said.

Board President Jandel Crutchfield said trustees will decide which two members will serve as at-large members.

Crutchfield said she wanted residents to know the maps came from an expert and that trustees did not grab a crayon and draw the lines.

“At the very least, hopefully, the community is aware that we have had an expert to present these to us and that we came to a consensus for the community to be able to know what we’re talking about when we talk about a map,” she said.

Tina Hanson, an Arlington resident who lives in Mansfield ISD, said the maps don’t fix the problem.

“You’ve split us up once again with not one representative,” Hanson said.

Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected] or @_jacob_sanchez.

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