William Penn School District - both maps
The 2021 Preliminary Reapportionment Plan lacks necessary representation for the residents of the William Penn School District (WPSD). This district, located in Delaware County in southeast PA, consists of seven boroughs: Aldan, Colwyn, Darby, East Lansdowne, Lansdowne, Millbourne, and Yeadon. With a total population of around 43,000, these boroughs could, and should, all be assigned to the same legislative district, and same senatorial district. My husband and I have resided in Lansdowne since 1990 and witnessed the effects of under-representation due to the assignment of these districts. WPSD is carved up like a turkey on Thanksgiving Day, leaving us vulnerable and many times our voices are not heard in Harrisburg. Although the districts cut in the preliminary legislative plan do not actually split any of the seven boroughs, the plan ignores the commonality of need within the school district. WPSD is split amongst four legislative districts, two of which are shared with parts of Philadelphia County. Although our culture, commerce, and legislative needs are unified, the children and parents in the WPSD lack a focal point for communicating with or petitioning the state regarding educational or other issues. Our needs are diluted or minimized because of sharing four representatives with many other communities. No one representative can truly prioritize the needs of WPSD as a whole. This situation is not new, as it existed in the adopted 2012 plane, and this has disadvantaged us long enough. It is time to correct this situation, actually long overdue. With regard to the senatorial districts, WPSD is cut into two different districts, one of which is shared with Philadelphia County. Of all of the public comments that I heard on the Zoom session last week, none are as dire as our situation. We implore you to rectify this situation, now that it is brought to the forefront, to finally provide WPSD the representation that we need.