Local residents can comment during a public hearing next week on a proposal for the local school board to adopt elections by trustee area.

The hearing, run by the Stanislaus County Committee on School District Organization, begins at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, at 510 Keystone Blvd.

The Patterson Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees voted during a Feb. 4 special meeting to change the way members are elected.

The board decided to keep a panel of seven trustees and divide the school district into seven corresponding geographical areas.

The California Voting Rights Act of 2001 made at-large elections in school districts and cities open to legal attacks. In response, many cities and school districts have adopted a by-trustee style of election, meaning voters must choose from candidates who live in the same geographical area.

Making changes to election processes normally requires voter approval, but having an election to get that approval can be costly, so many school districts seek waivers from the state board of education.

To do so, Patterson Unified must first get approval to adopt the change from the Stanislaus County Committee on School District Organization.

The district received a letter in January from the Latino Community Roundtable, a Stanislaus County-wide organization, that threatened a lawsuit based on how trustees are elected.