Community of Interest
Communities of interest should be preserved within a single House District where possible. School Districts are vital Communities of Interest. Whenever possible, a School District should be within a single House District. An example of where this would not be preserved but should is the Harrisburg School District, presently in a single House District (103) but would be split into 2 House Districts under the Preliminary Map. An example where this should be reformed is Lower Dauphin School District, presently in 2 House Districts (105 & 106) which preferably would be in a single House District. Each School District has its own needs that can best be represented by a "single voice" in the House--splitting a School District dilutes its voting power. I share this from my experience as a former public School Director (Elizabethtown Area School District, all of which was in a single House District).