Courtesy of LGSUHSD board

The official map, decided during the April 14 public hearing.

In the first board meeting of 2025, the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District (LGSUHSD) board unanimously voted to switch to By-Trustee Area elections in order to align with the California Legal Voting Rights Act (CLVRA) and safeguard the district from potential litigation. 

After five public hearings, an official map creating those districts, called 106c was approved in a board meeting on April 14 and later signed off by the Santa Clara County Committee on School District Organization on May 12. It will be officially implemented starting in the 2025-2026 school year.

Previously, LGSUHSD used at-large elections, meaning that the board of trustees was elected by votes throughout the whole district, regardless of where candidates live. The new system divides the district into five equal population areas; each smaller district will then elect one board member to represent them.

In accordance with the CLVRA, each district must have an equal number of residents — in this case, about 11,300. As a result, some districts are remarkably large in terms of area. District 3 is twice the size of all the other districts combined and covers the majority of the hills in Saratoga and Los Gatos. 

The at-large voting system was put in place to ensure that the least populous regions in the school district are allowed an equal representation in the community whereas in previous years, most trustees tended to come from the most populated areas of Saratoga and Los Gatos.

The process of selecting a new district map consisted of five public hearings between Jan. 14 and April 14 in order to garner community feedback on the decision. After polling the community, the board decided on five different map options: 101, 103, 106a, 106b and 106c. 

During the final hearing on April 14, the board ultimately decided on map 106c for its adherence to community boundaries and local demographics, meaning that each trustee would be able to represent a cohesive district and best project their voices.

The five districts on the map each represent different communities. Districts 1 and 2 include Saratoga and even reach into small parts of Cupertino and Palo Alto, as well as parts of Monte Serreno. The region is about 52% Asian or Pacific Islander and includes a large population of senior citizens.

Districts 4 and 5 represent Los Gatos and have a 70% white population, with 20% Asian and Pacific Islander. Geographically, District 3 is nearly twice the size of other districts combined. The area consists primarily of hills and is thus sparsely populated.

By November 2026, voters will be able to elect new trustees within the district, and boundaries will be updated based on census data every decade starting in 2030. As the new system is phased in, trustees Katherine Tseng and Theresa Bond will remain on the board as at-large members until 2028, the end of their original terms. 

The next election will occur in November 2026 and will decide the representatives of Districts 2, 3 and 4. The trustee seats from Districts 1 and 5 will be decided starting with the 2028 election.

As a result of the gradual transition, none of the other current trustees — Steve Chen, Misty Davies and Shawn Mortensen — will be pitted against one another next year if they choose to run for re-election.