Tag Archives: HISD Board of Trustees

HISD Board to discuss recapture re-vote today

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

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?

Posted on February 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

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

Posted on January 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

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

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on HISD Board appoints Meyers replacement

A look ahead to Houston’s 2017 elections

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

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?

Posted on December 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Who wants to be an HISD Trustee?

Luman will request recount

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

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

Posted on December 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

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

Posted on December 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

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

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

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

Posted on November 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

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

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

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

Posted on November 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

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

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on HISD: Meyers resigns, Lunceford un-resigns

Precinct analysis: Hillary in Harris County

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

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

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Pasadena voting rights trial begins

Initial thoughts: Harris County

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

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

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

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

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

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

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with John Luman

Interview with Victoria Bryant

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

As noted, one of the more interesting races on the ballot this year is the special election to fill the remainder of outgoing HISD Trustee Harvin Moore’s term. There are four candidates running for this seat, and today I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Victoria Bryant

Interview with Anne Sung

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

One of the more interesting races on the ballot this year is the special election to fill the remainder of outgoing HISD Trustee Harvin Moore’s term. There are four candidates running for this seat, and I will have interviews with … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

HISD Trustee Mike Lunceford to resign

Posted on October 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This came as a surprise. Mike Lunceford — who has represented Bellaire on the Houston ISD Board of Education for seven years — made a surprise announcement at Thursday night’s board meeting that he is resigning, effective immediately. He had … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on HISD Trustee Mike Lunceford to resign

KHSPVA

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

That will be the new acronym for the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. After impassioned debate, the Houston school board voted 7-2 Thursday to accept a $7.5 million gift for the district’s renowned arts high school and … Continue reading →

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

Interview with Jay Aiyer

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

On Monday, I published an interview with David Thompson, the general counsel for the HISD Board of Trustees, about the forthcoming recapture referendum. Thompson, who said in the interview that he would vote against the referendum, joins a long list … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Jay Aiyer

Interview with David Thompson

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

You’re probably aware of the HISD referendum on the ballot this fall, which authorizes the Board of Trustees to pay $162 million to the state of Texas to comply with recapture, a/k/a Robin Hood laws. There’s a lot of opposition … Continue reading →

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

Endorsement watch: In case you didn’t hear us the first time

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron reiterates its opposition to the HISD recapture referendum. Statewide property taxes are unconstitutional in Texas, but don’t tell that to the legislators in Austin. For decades, the Legislature has been shifting its obligation to fund public education to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Endorsement watch: Sung in the special

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Anne Sung in the HISD special election. Out of the four names on the ballot, Anne Sung is the only candidate who will be prepared to do a good job immediately. Sung, 38, a product of HISD … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: Sung in the special

Endorsement watch: Against recapture

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron recommends a No vote on the forthcoming HISD referendum to authorize recapture. Voters will face a test on Election Day, and whether they answer correctly will determine the future of the Houston Independent School District. It should be … Continue reading →

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

HISD board members against the HISD ballot item

Posted on September 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I missed this when it first appeared. Three Houston school board members on Thursday evening publicly urged voters to oppose a measure that would authorize the district to forfeit $162 million to the state. Trustees Jolanda Jones, Harvin Moore and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Precinct analysis: HISD Trustee district VII in a Presidential year

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, we have a special election for HISD Trustee in district VII on the ballot this November. There’s one Democratic candidate in that race and three Republicans. These races are normally held in odd-numbered years, in which turnout … Continue reading →

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

Field set for HISD special election

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Four candidates have filed, so no one else got in since my last post. Four candidates have applied to run in a special election to be a trustee for the Houston Independent School District. The filing deadline was Aug. 25. … Continue reading →

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

No injunction against HISD school name changes

Posted on August 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The changes can remain, at least for now. A civil court judge has declined to stop the Houston school district from changing the names of eight campuses that were named after Confederate loyalists. Judge John Wooldridge this week denied a … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, School days | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on No injunction against HISD school name changes

Three more candidates announce campaigns for open HISD Trustee seat

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, candidate number 1: Victoria Bryant, an entrepreneur and businesswoman, announced her candidacy today, August 15, for Houston ISD Trustee in District VII. The position is up for election this November with the resignation of Harvin Moore, one … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Three more candidates announce campaigns for open HISD Trustee seat