The Fayette County Board of Education on Jan. 9 unanimously approved a new map to be used for the coming school board voting districts, and it shows the county’s first-ever district where minorities outnumber white residents, comprising northern Fayette County and parts of Fayetteville and Tyrone. [Click on the file link beneath this story to see the redrawn map of school board voting districts.]
Based on the previous map that required re-drawing after the 2010 Census, the new map will also lay out the boundaries for the new district voting methodology that will be used as a result of the lawsuit settlement with the Fayette County Branch of the NAACP.
As for the map itself, it shows only a small change from the look of the five districts during the past 10 years. The change was in the shrinking of the District 3 area that encompasses much of Peachtree City and followed the increase in the area’s population.
Fayette’s population in 2000 was 91,263. That number had increased by 16.8 percent in 2010 to 106,567.
The new map provided on the school system’s website was accompanied by a population summary report that accounted for a district-by-district population breakdown that tallied the population in terms of black, all or part black and Hispanic.
The District 1 area includes most of Tyrone, the northern portion of Peachtree City and a portion of unincorporated Fayette County east of Tyrone. A breakdown by district shows District 1 with a population of 20,530. That number includes black residents totaling 1,929 or 9.4 percent, with all or part black residents totaling 2,114 or 10.3 percent and Hispanic residents total 1,266, or 6.17 percent. The white population in District 1 totals 83.33 percent.
The District 2 area includes Brooks, Woolsey and the large unincorporated area east of Peachtree City and south of Fayetteville and has a population totaling 21,789 residents. A small portion of the extreme south side of Peachtree City and portion of unincorporated Fayette immediately to the east of Peachtree City and south of Ga. Highway 54 have both been added to District 2 as a result of the census.
The District 2 population count is 21,789. Of that the white population totals 87.84 percent of residents while blacks make up 7.92 or 1,726 persons and all or part black total 1,822 residents or 8.36 percent. Hispanic residents in District 2 total 829 or 3.8 percent.
District 3 includes the majority of Peachtree City excluding some of the northern portions of the city and is home to 21,745 residents. The population count in the district shows white residents at 83.1 percent of the population, the black population at 1,723 residents or 7.92 percent, the all or part black population at 1,946 or 8.95 percent and the Hispanic population at 1,728 or 7.95 percent.
District 4 includes Fayetteville and portions of the unincorporated areas to the northeast, east, south and west. The district’s population count shows white residents at 65.23 percent, the black population at 6,170 residents or 28.51 percent, the all or part black population at 6,458 residents or 29.85 percent and the Hispanic population at 1,064 residents or 4.92 percent.
District 5 includes the north portion of unincorporated Fayette County, a portion of the north side of Tyrone and a portion of the north side of Fayetteville. The population in District 5 totals 20,865 and includes white residents at 42.34 percent, the black population at 9,847 residents or 47.19 percent, the all or part black population at 10,158 residents or 48.68 percent and the Hispanic population at 1,873 residents or 8.98 percent.
