Tag Archives: HISD Board of Trustees

Harvey and the elections

Labor Day weekend of odd-numbered years is considered to be the opening weekend of Houston election season. The filing deadline has passed, so the fields are set and people (supposedly, at least) begin to pay attention. Candidate forums are held, … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2017, Election 2018, Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

No charter amendments on the fall ballot

Just bonds, school board and HCC races, and the mostly boring constitutional amendments. Oh, and Heights Alcohol 2.0, if you live there. Houston voters will face $1.5 billion in city bonds and nine community college or school board races this … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

HISD board fills Manuel Rodriguez’s seat

The HISD Board of Trustees is back to full strength. The Houston ISD Board of Education voted to appoint José Leal to fill the seat left vacant after the death of longtime District III Trustee Manuel Rodríguez Jr last month. … Continue reading

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

HISD and the TEA

Still catching up on things. Texas education officials are warning that Houston ISD could be placed under the jurisdiction of state-appointed managers as early as next year if 13 district schools don’t show improvement. The warning was issued during a … Continue reading

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

July 2017 campaign finance reports – HISD

We still don’t know what’s happening with city of Houston elections this fall, but there’s plenty of action with HISD Trustee races. You can see all of the candidates who have filed so far and their July finance reports here. … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

RIP, Manuel Rodriguez

Sad news. Every Tuesday at 8 a.m., Houston ISD Trustee Manuel “Manny” Rodriguez, Jr., would roll his maroon mobility scooter up to his favorite table at the Tel-Wink Restaurant & Grill in Southeast Houston. Rodriguez always left the seat across … Continue reading

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June CEC meeting candidate update report

The June County Executive Committee meeting for the Harris County Democratic Party was a few days ago. There was some official business to take care of, mostly swearing in new precinct chairs, but in addition to the good crowd in … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mike Lunceford announces he is not running for re-election

Two-term HISD Trustee in District V Mike Lunceford posted the following on Facebook yesterday: Sometimes when you are passionate about something it is very hard to walk away from it. After 8 years on the Houston ISD School Board and … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Mike Lunceford announces he is not running for re-election

Interview with Anna Eastman

Anna Eastman has served two terms as HISD Trustee in District I, which is where I live. She has been a leading advocate for having strong accountability measures in place for schools, she was a frequent critic of former Superintendent … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments

One last look at the recapture re-vote

There’s a lot at stake here, and not a whole lot of people voting on it. For the second time in seven months, voters within the Houston Independent School District will determine how – and if – it should pay … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reintroducing recapture

The tune has changed, and it’s time we make sure everyone knows it. It felt like déjà vu to many of the 150 people who packed into Tinsley Elementary School’s auditorium Wednesday evening. Facing another controversial Houston ISD school finance … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Two for HISD V

In the past week or so, I have become aware of two candidates for HISD Board of Trustees, District V, which is the seat that is now held by Trustee Mike Lunceford but will be open in November as Lunceford … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The updated bill for recapture and detachment

Here are the numbers as we now face them. Houston ISD voters will face a choice of either paying the state’s $77.5 million recapture fee, or risk losing $98.4 million in tax revenue over the next fiscal year, according to … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Recapture re-vote will happen

Mark your calendars for May 6. On Thursday, the board voted 5-3, with one abstention, to put another referendum on recapture on the May 6 ballot. Placing a second referendum on the May ballot will cost the district $800,000, according … Continue reading

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HISD Board to discuss recapture re-vote today

We should find out today if a re-vote on recapture is in our future. At their monthly meeting Thursday, trustees for the Houston Independent School Board will consider putting recapture back on the ballot. […] In November, HISD voters rejected … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A re-vote on recapture?

This is very interesting. After reconsideration of an 18-year-old law, state education officials are adjusting their school finance calculations in a way that could save several dozen school districts roughly $100 million — while costing the state the same amount … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2017, School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sung and Vilaseca sworn in at HISD

The HISD Board is back at full strength. As Anne Sung and Holly Flynn Vilaseca took their oaths of office and became Houston ISD’s newest Board of Education trustees on Thursday, their husbands swaddled their months-old babies in one hand … Continue reading

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

HISD Board appoints Meyers replacement

Meet your new Trustee. Houston ISD’s Board of Education voted unanimously Monday night to name former Teach for America staffer Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca as its new District VI trustee. Flynn Vilaseca, who will replace outgoing Trustee Greg Meyers, will … Continue reading

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A look ahead to Houston’s 2017 elections

I want to return to something in that story about Mayor Turner’s 2017 agenda, which was near the bottom but which is a very big deal for the coming year: A lawsuit over the ballot language used last year to … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Who wants to be an HISD Trustee?

Here’s your chance, to fill in for Greg Meyers, whose resignation took effect on Friday. Board members plan to appoint a new trustee to fill the vacancy by its Jan. 12 meeting. To qualify, one must live within the boundaries … Continue reading

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Luman will request recount

John Luman posted the following on Facebook yesterday: Talk about close races! As of last night’s “unofficial” results, only 27 votes separate Anne Sung and me. Given the tightness of the race, I feel compelled on behalf of all of … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sung nips Luman in HISD runoff

By twenty-seven votes. Anne Sung narrowly defeated John Luman in a runoff election Saturday to take a seat on the Houston Independent School District board of trustees. Sung, who turns 38 Sunday, had the backing of the Houston Federation of … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Runoff Day for HISD special election

From the inbox: Saturday, Dec. 10, is Election Day for voters in HISD Trustee District VII and City of Baytown Council District 3. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There are 178,717 registered voters in HISD … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Runoff early voting: Light turnout

Hey, remember that there’s a runoff for the special election to fill the HISD Trustee position in District VII? Well, early voting for it ended on Tuesday, and turnout so far is about what you’d expect for such an election. … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Re-Endorsement watch: Sung in the special

The Chron reiterates their choice of Anne Sung for the HISD VII special election runoff. Anne Sung will bring a wealth of educational experience to this position, representing a district with boundaries encompassing a broad swath of near-southwest to near-northwest … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

HISD special election runoff will be December 10

I don’t believe I’ve seen a news story about this. The runoff election for the top two candidates to fill the unexpired term of outgoing HISD District VII Trustee Harvin Moore has been set for Dec. 10. Candidates competing in … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Former HISD Trustee Marshall found liable in civil bribery lawsuit

Ouch. A bribery lawsuit that kept a cloud of suspicion over the Houston school district for six years ended Wednesday with a jury finding that former board president Larry Marshall participated in a kickback scheme that caused millions of dollars … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters, Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

HISD: Meyers resigns, Lunceford un-resigns

Round and round we go. HISD Trustee Greg Meyers, who has served on the school board since 2004, has resigned. Meyers, who represents District VI for HISD and also served as board president in 2010, announced Thursday that he will … Continue reading

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Precinct analysis: Hillary in Harris County

Let’s get started with the precinct data, shall we? Here’s a Chron story from the day after the election about how things looked overall in the county. The country’s most populous swing county turned a shade bluer Tuesday, when Hillary … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Pasadena voting rights trial begins

The Chron’s Mike Snyder provides an update. [This] week in a Houston federal courtroom, [the Voting Rights Act] will again be invoked in a challenge to an allegedly discriminatory council system, this time in a suburban city that’s undergone a … Continue reading

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Initial thoughts: Harris County

I’m still not quite ready to resume regular blogging. I’ve got a few things drafted from before the election, several of which are non-political, that I’ll begin to put in the queue, and a couple of ones that were political … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Initial thoughts: Harris County

Races I’ll be watching today, non-Legislative edition

This is my companion to yesterday’s piece. 1. SBOE district 5 I’ve discussed the SBOE races before. This particular race, between incumbent Ken Mercer and repeat challenger Rebecca Bell-Metereau, is the one that has the closest spread based on past … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Still talking about recapture

This Chron story from Monday adds a bit more to the recapture discussion. As one Houston school board member sees it, the district’s November ballot measure regarding the state-mandated forfeiture of local tax dollars offers no good choice for voters. … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2016, School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Still talking about recapture

Interview with John Luman

My final interview for the special election in HISD District VII to fill the remainder of outgoing Trustee Harvin Moore’s term is with John Luman. Luman is an intellectual property attorney with engineering degrees from George Washington University and the … Continue reading

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