Updates
June 2, 2023, 10:30p
The State of Texas has officially taken over the local Houston Independent School District, appointing a new superintendent for the district, as well as a state-appointed Board of Managers whose authority now supersedes the locally elected HISD Board of Trustees.1
Original Post
HISD Board of Trustees
These gorgeous devils set policy for the Houston Independent School District (HISD)
The HISD Board is a locally elected body of nine trustees who set policy for the state’s largest school district. Trustees currently serve in staggered four-year terms2:
- Elizabeth Santos serves her second term as District I Trustee. Santos was re-elected in a December 2021 runoff.
- Kathy Blueford-Daniels serves her first term as Assistant Secretary and District II Trustee. Bluford-Daniels was elected in a December 2019 runoff.
- Dani Hernandez serves her first term as President and District III Trustee. Hernandez was elected in November 2019.
- Dr. Patricia K. Allen serves her first term as District IV Trustee. Dr. Allen was elected in a December 2019 runoff.
- Sue Deigaard serves her second term as District V Trustee. Diegaard was re-elected in a December 2021 runoff.
- Kendall Baker serves his first term as Secretary and District VI Trustee. Baker was elected in a December 2021 runoff.
- Bridget Wade serves her first term as Second Vice President and District VII Trustee. Wade was elected in a December 2021 runoff.
- Judith Cruz serves her first term as District VIII Trustee. Cruz was elected in November 2019.
- Myrna Guidry, Esq. serves her first term as First Vice President and District IX Trustee. Guidry was elected in November 2021.
November 2023 Elections
Houstonians will still elect people to HISD board positions in an advisory capacity, to assist the TEA and represent their respective districts in a diminished capacity.3:
- District II - Kathy Bluford-Daniels up for re-election to 2nd term, representing parts of North Houston in the Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens area
- District III - Dani Hernandez up for re-election to 2nd term, representing southeast Houston
- District IV - Dr. Patricia Allen up for re-election to 2nd term, representing Third Ward, Midtown, and other neighborhoods in the lower inner loop
- District VIII - Judith Cruz up for re-election to 2nd term, representing downtown and East End
If you live in any of the golden areas, you’ll be picking a Trustee for HISD at the ballot box in November. But don’t worry, your sample ballot from HarrisVotes.org will tell you too:
Gold-colored districts will elect (or re-elect) their Trustee to the HISD Board in November 2023
We’ll learn more about these races, but with tomorrow’s state takeover of the school district, and the election filing deadline three months away, that’s it for now!