For HISD, part 1
Monica Flores Richart and Sergio Lira are prepared to help the district move forward.
Is this the end of the Houston Independent School District? That all depends on your vote. HISD is facing a possible takeover by the state for failure to improve about a dozen schools. This drastic step would mean that Houston voters would lose the right to elect officials to govern the school system for which they pay local property taxes. Apparently “no taxation without representation” is just a recommendation.
Thankfully, many qualified candidates are running for six seats on Nov. 7, and their election and subsequent service on the board could help the district maintain local control.
The candidates we’ve endorsed below all vowed to do better than the dissension, grandstanding and lack of respect that characterizes the current board. They understand that increased focus on schools on the state’s “improvement required” list is vital. They decried the district’s budgetary process, which got started too late and resulted in a $106 million shortfall last year. They gave us hope that the governance of the board could improve and that the district could set policies to improve student achievement. Houston ISD, Trustee, District I: Monica Flores Richart
In this heated race between three passionate candidates to represent Garden Oaks, the Heights and Near Northside, we endorse Monica Flores Richart.
No other candidate in this race or others has demonstrated such a clarity of vision about the problems vexing HISD’s complicated school-funding system, with specific ire reserved for magnet programs and gifted and talented programs that divert funds toward alreadywealthy schools.
“We have never really had a cohesive set of priorities and goals for our magnet program,” Richart told the editorial board while rattling off the statistical specifics with ease. Also on her agenda is a thorough auditing of the school budget, zero-based budgeting and a dedication to equity.
“What bothers me most about HISD is the disparate educational opportunities among the communities.”
A regular presence at board meetings, Richart, 43, received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University and law degree from Columbia University. She has served on the Houston Heights Association Education Committee and as a member of the HISD Hispanic Advisory Committee.
We were also impressed with Gretchen Himsl, who works at the nonprofit Children At Risk and spent two years as president of the parent-teacher association at Travis Elementary. Himsl has experience working in the state Legislature and is a policy wonk with a firm grasp of the key challenges facing HISD. She would make for a thoughtful and calming influence on the HISD board.
HISD teacher Elizabeth Santos is running as a passionate advocate for community schools. She has the joy and care that parents should want to see in teachers, but board members should be expected to demonstrate a greater depth of policy knowledge. Houston ISD, Trustee, District III: Sergio Lira
Longtime trustee Manuel Rodriguez, Jr. passed away in July and four candidates have stepped up to fill his seat.
Two stand out: Sergio Lira, an assistant principal at Bellaire High School, and Rodolfo “Rudy” Reyes, a former League City council member and courtappointed child advocate.
Lira, 56, has a record as an outstanding educator and has spent virtually his entire career in the district he is seeking to govern. An educational background is a plus for a trustee, but in a perfect world, a trustee should have experience beyond the immediate classroom.
Reyes has a broad professional background that ranges from employment as a contract specialist for the National Cancer Institute to teaching English to 4-year-olds in public school. He currently serves as a court-appointed child advocate.
While his budgetary expertise would be useful, this accomplished candidate seems to equate service on this board with his experience on City Council. School trustees need to understand that principals aren’t their primary constituents.
Undoubtedly Reyes would be a quick study, but we’re tipping our hat to Lira, as he seems to be in a better position to govern immediately.
Lira has earned significant academic credentials in the field of education: a master’s in education management, a certificate from the Superintendent Certification program and a doctorate of education in educational leadership from the University of Houston-Clear Lake College of Education. The educator also has hands-on experience turning around low-performing schools.
Prior to serving as assistant principal, he was an elementary school teacher and was 1996 Southeast District “Teacher of the Year.”
If elected, Lira said that he intends to be a “strong advocate for students who have been marginalized.”
The other two candidates, Carlos Perrett and Jesse A. Rodriguez, bring passion but lack appropriate credentials or a full understanding of the board’s role.