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Texas school board elections draw large number of challengers
May 8, 2014
By Nick Katers
A total of 44 school districts among the largest districts by enrollment in Texas will hold elections on May 10, 2014 for 116 seats. These races feature 224 candidates including 77 incumbents seeking new terms on their respective boards. Early voting took place across the state from April 28, 2014 through May 6, 2014. Polls will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central Time. There are an additional 10 districts that canceled their elections due to a lack of opposition for filed candidates: Birdville, Deer Park, Denton, Frisco, Galena Park, Harlingen, Leander, Pflugerville, Spring Branch and Victoria.
School board elections throughout Texas have addressed a wide variety of issues. Fort Bend Independent School District has three competitive races that attracted more than $45,000 in campaign contributions and sparked a Facebook feud between Position 4 candidate Kristin K. Tassin and her opponents. Candidates for the Garland Board of Trustees addressed an ongoing federal investigation of the district's use of temporary worker visas for foreign teachers. The Richardson board election is the district's first election since 2004 without an incumbent on the ballot. Board members in San Benito Consolidated Independent School District will be tasked with choosing a replacement for Superintendent Antonio G. Limón, who was suspended in 2013 due to mismanagement of district resources.
Spotlight: Dallas Independent School District
The school board election in Dallas features two competitive seats including a rematch of a special election in November 2013. The District 6 race features five candidates including Bertha Bailey Whatley, an attorney who has garnered endorsements from local political action committees Educate Dallas and Dallas Kids First, and Lew Blackburn, Jr., the son of current District 5 trustee Lew Blackburn. D. Marcus Ranger is seeking to replace his wife, Carla, who is the current District 6 trustee. Candidates for District 6 have raised a total of $21,710 prior to the general election with Whatley raising $15,000 and Joyce Foreman in second with $3,650. The District 8 race features challenger Kristi Lara and incumbent Miguel Solis, who competed for an unexpired term for the same seat in November 2013. Solis defeated Lara by 32 percent in the special election and raised $20,098 prior to this election compared to Lara's $1,523 in contributions. Incumbent Mike Morath faces no opposition in the District 2 race after two challengers withdrew by early March 2014.
The upcoming board election coincides with a petition drive to turn Dallas Independent School District into a home-rule district. A state law passed in 1995 allows school districts to create home-rule charters if they gain enough support from local voters. A home-rule charter provides more local control for a district and allows a district to develop its own curriculum standards, school calendars and teacher salaries. Support Our Public Schools is a local group currently gathering petitions necessary to get the home-rule charter on the ballot in November 2014. The group is supported by Morath, led by current board member Wilton Hollins and receives funds from former hedge fund manager John Arnold. Supporters need to gather 24,459 petitions, develop a 15-member charter commission and receive a simple majority of votes if the charter reaches the ballot to achieve their goal. The drive has been opposed by Superintendent Mike Miles along with board members Lew Blackburn, Carla Ranger and Bernadette Nutall, who are concerned about the motivations for changing the district's structure.[1][2]
Candidates
Note: An (i) next to a candidate's name indicates incumbent status.
See also
Footnotes
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