Harvin Moore
Harvin Moore, one of the Houston school board’s longest-serving members, said Thursday that he is resigning his seat.
Moore, who has served on the board since late 2003, has asked the board to call an election for November, a year before his term is set to expire. Moore said he expects voter turnout to be high with the presidential election. The board could decide to appoint someone to the post, but Moore said he supports the democratic process and intends to serve until a replacement takes office.
“I wanted to stay on until we had a new superintendent named, and I’m pleased with the choice,” Moore said in a message to the Houston Chronicle.
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“After serving for 13 years, I’ve decided to resign to spend more time on my business and family,” Moore said in a statement. “I’m proud of the significant improvement in teaching and quality of principals and district leadership HISD has achieved over those years, and also the huge increase in the number and quality of magnet and neighborhood schools, including some of the most innovative and successful in the nation.”
I’ve chatted with Moore a few times, and interviewed him in 2013, when he was last on the ballot. He always struck me as a good guy, knowledgeable and caring about Houston’s schools. I wish him all the best in whatever comes next. If he gets his wish and there’s an election this November to replace him, it could be interesting. His district leans Republican, but it includes some usually low-turnout Democratic turf. In a Presidential year, especially with Donald Trump on the ballot, who knows what effect that could have? That said, this would be a non-partisan race, very likely with multiple candidates and a strong chance of a runoff, which would then be held in a much lower turnout environment. Plus, whoever wins that race would have to run again for a full four-year term in 2017, and that as things stand now would happen with n citywide races on the ballot, though possibly a bond issue and revenue cap referendum. So again, who knows? Be that as it may, my thanks to Harvin Moore for his service. The Press has more.