Three of the four community members who were finalists for the North East Independent School District board of trustees District 2 seat last year have now filed to run for the office, after the board decided to turn the decision over to voters.
The seat was vacated last August when board Vice President Terri Williams died following a long illness, starting a fraught process to appoint a replacement. After repeated deadlock, the board decided to send the seat to a special election in May, the same time four other school board seats are up.
Among the candidates running in District 2 are consultant Jacqueline Klein and longtime educator Rhonda Rowland, who both ran against Williams in the last election. Klein lost by a small margin and Rowland trailed further behind.
Business adviser Tracie Shelton, who also applied last year to fill the seat, has also thrown her hat into the ring.
The pivotal election will chart the path forward for a board that has been gripped by dysfunction for months, with trustees splintering into political factions over a host of issues. With five seats up for grabs in May, the makeup of the board could shift dramatically.
Candidate orientation
The three candidates running in the special election received a crash course on election rules and board member responsibilities during a board candidate orientation Wednesday night. A similar orientation took place last month for candidates running for other seats.
NEISD Board President Shannon Grona, who is not running for reelection, described the responsibilities of the board.
“The board has three main jobs; adopt policy, adopt the budget and oversee the superintendents contract and evaluation,” she said.
She cautioned board candidates against using partisan language and making promises about policy changes during the campaign.
“One board member cannot change the district’s purpose,” she said. “It is critical for candidates to understand that individual trustees have no official authority outside of a legally called board meeting, and the board cannot commit to actions which are not passed by a majority of those present.”
Promises that appear to commit the entire board to a change are unethical, she added. She also reminded candidates that school board races are nonpartisan by design.
“We should not impart our own political or personal beliefs or agendas as trustees,” she said. “Instead, we’re expected to come to the table to make decisions that are best for all children.”
School boards across the state have become embroiled in partisan politics, with issues such as the content in school libraries and sex education acting as flashpoints in political debates at the local, state and national level. Locally, North East ISD trustees have locked horns over such issues more than any other district.
Each candidate was given several minutes during Wednesday’s meeting to describe why they were running. Klein said she had three main priorities: school safety, financial stewardship and academic success.
“I want to ensure that both our teachers and our students are safe inside of their classrooms and from external campus threats,” she said.
She pledged not to raise the tax rate, instead advocating for more funding “from the state’s rainy day fund.”
Legislators failed to increase school funding beyond rates set in 2019 in recent regular and special sessions.
Shelton said she would have more to share at a later time, but stressed the important role schools had in the state of Texas.
“I’m running because I believe that educating all of our children is both a moral and an economic imperative,” she said.
Rowland, who arrived late to the meeting, cited her 33 years in educational experience at multiple levels as well as her doctorate in educational leadership as qualifications for the role.
“I’m running because I believe that my experience in my education could be used to help further the community to bring together the community, the parents and the students to help further the good things that North East is doing for our community and our students,” she said. “I believe that I have a lot to give to this entity has a lot more years in me to provide some ideas and some leadership in this area.”
At the end of the orientation, Grona said that despite differences in opinion, the board must find ways to come together for the district.
“We all come to the table with different ideas and viewpoints,” she said. “But we need to be unified in purpose to do what is best for all kids.”
