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December runoffs could reshape Houston ISD board

From the Houston Chronicle:

by Alejandro Serrano, staff writer

Four of five Houston ISD trustees up for re-election Tuesday have been pushed into runoffs, perhaps as much for their incumbency as their stances on district issues.

Three incumbents — Elizabeth Santos in District 1, Sue Deigaard in District 5, Holly Flynn Vilaseca in District 6 — all were the leading vote-getters in their races, but failed to garner at least 50 percent of the ballots cast. Trustee Anne Sung in District 7 finished about 4 percentage points, or 631 votes, behind challenger Bridget Wade in unofficial returns. Neither passed the 50 percent threshold.

...

In 2019, state investigators determined five trustees — including Santos, Vilaseca and Sung — had met with former HISD Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra to coordinate installing him as the district’s leader and ousting interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan months earlier.

The arrangement constituted a “walking quorum,” a violation of state law requiring trustees to conduct district business in public, the probe found.

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Sung in District 7 faces Bridget Wade, who has served as president of Briargrove Elementary PTO.

While the candidates challenging the incumbents have campaigned by sharing what they want to address in the district, some have brushed on or been affiliated with the hot political topics of the last six months.

In a statement issued in August about the district’s mask mandate, Wade said parents, not trustees, should decide whether their children wear masks. She urged the board “to get back to the business it was elected to do and stay out of these partisan political battles.”

House implemented the mask mandate once he learned he did not need the board’s approval, and the board voted unanimously to express support for his decision.

Wade said Wednesday she stood “firmly” by her previous statements on the mask mandate and regarding critical race theory: “I renounce any attempt by our public schools, whether formal or informal, to teach our children that one race is better than the other.”

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  • December runoffs could reshape Houston ISD board

    From the Houston Chronicle:

    by Alejandro Serrano, staff writer

    Four of five Houston ISD trustees up for re-election Tuesday have been pushed into runoffs, perhaps as much for their incumbency as their stances on district issues.

    Three incumbents — Elizabeth Santos in District 1, Sue Deigaard in District 5, Holly Flynn Vilaseca in District 6 — all were the leading vote-getters in their races, but failed to garner at least 50 percent of the ballots cast. Trustee Anne Sung in District 7 finished about 4 percentage points, or 631 votes, behind challenger Bridget Wade in unofficial returns. Neither passed the 50 percent threshold.

    ...

    In 2019, state investigators determined five trustees — including Santos, Vilaseca and Sung — had met with former HISD Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra to coordinate installing him as the district’s leader and ousting interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan months earlier.

    The arrangement constituted a “walking quorum,” a violation of state law requiring trustees to conduct district business in public, the probe found.

    ...

    Sung in District 7 faces Bridget Wade, who has served as president of Briargrove Elementary PTO.

    While the candidates challenging the incumbents have campaigned by sharing what they want to address in the district, some have brushed on or been affiliated with the hot political topics of the last six months.

    In a statement issued in August about the district’s mask mandate, Wade said parents, not trustees, should decide whether their children wear masks. She urged the board “to get back to the business it was elected to do and stay out of these partisan political battles.”

    House implemented the mask mandate once he learned he did not need the board’s approval, and the board voted unanimously to express support for his decision.

    Wade said Wednesday she stood “firmly” by her previous statements on the mask mandate and regarding critical race theory: “I renounce any attempt by our public schools, whether formal or informal, to teach our children that one race is better than the other.”

    READ MORE

  • In HISD Position 7 race, Bridget Wade received more votes than incumbent Anne Sung

    From Patch Houston:

    Houston School Election Results 2021: Runoff For 4 HISD Races

    HOUSTON, TX — Four Houston ISD Board of Trustee races are heading to a runoff, and Alief ISD voters approved three of four bond propositions in Tuesday's school district elections.

    With 100 percent of Harris County precincts reporting, Houston ISD Position 9 Trustee Myrna Guidry won re-election, but four incumbents are headed to runoffs after stiff competition from challengers.

    In the Position 7 race, Bridget Wade received more votes than incumbent Anne Sung but didn't reach the required majority. Other runoffs include incumbent Elizabeth Santos against Janette Garza Lindner for Position 1, incumbent Sue Deigaard against Caroline Walter for Position 5 and incumbent Holly Flynn Vilaseca against Kendall Baker for Position 6.

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  • Bridget Wade Campaign Raises Over $140,000.00 in 2nd Quarter Reporting Period.  Files for November Ballot.

    Contact: [email protected]                                                                      July 20, 2021

    On July 15th, Bridget Wade Campaign for HISD Trustee, District VII announced it had raised over $140,000.00 for the period ending June 30th.  The campaign has over $120,000.00 cash on hand and has just gotten started.

    Additionally, yesterday, Bridget officially filed as a candidate to be placed on the November ballot.

    “I am beyond humbled for the generosity of the donors to my campaign”, Bridget stated.  She continued, “Our “For the Kids” message is resonating, and I will continue my efforts to get that message out all over District VII.  We can and must do better for the children of HISD.”

    Download the Press Release

  • Welcome to Houston! HISD Superintendent Finalist Millard House II

    From the Houston Chronicle, May 21, 2021:

    Houston ISD trustees unanimously voted Friday to name Millard House II as their lone superintendent finalist, tapping the leader of Tennessee’s Clarksville-Montgomery County School System to guide the district past a tumultuous period of instability.

    House will arrive in Houston after spending four years as superintendent of Clarksville-Montgomery , a public school district home to about 37,000 students near the Tennessee-Kentucky border. House previously worked as chief operating officer of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina, deputy superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools in Oklahoma and as a school leadership consultant.

    “Mr. House is a dynamic leader, he’s a visionary and his heart is for the students, teachers and staff,” said Jimmie Garland, a 19-year member of Clarksville-Montgomery County’s school board. “If anyone could get him, we would be losing a jewel.”

    ...