RISD district map
I was fascinated Monday by Sharon Grigsby’s Dallas Morning News analysis of the Brewer Storefront Voting Rights Act lawsuit against Frisco ISD. Bill Brewer is the attorney – and Brewer Storefront is the firm – who filed a similar suit against Richardson ISD in January 2018 on behalf of David Tyson, the former RISD trustee and only minority ever elected to the district’s school board.
Tyson, a Lake Highlands resident, was introduced at last Tuesday’s Community Town Hall to moderate applause, and he has received warm welcomes at Lake Highlands Chamber and Exchange Club events around town – even by folks who preferred the status quo. Frisco ISD parent Suresh Kumar, on the other hand, has been “held in contempt in the court of public opinion,” Grigsby wrote.
Frisco ISD’s minority students are mostly Asian, while RISD’s are largely Hispanic and African-American. Other than that, the lawsuits are much the same.
So why has the response of Frisco residents been different from that of Lake Highlands and other RISD folks?
Grigsby wrote that Kumar, an Indian-American, is taking a “public shellacking” on social media, with commenters angry that “the race card is being played.”
“This is the wrong road for our district,” another grumbled. “How about if Kumar focuses on getting out the vote rather than complaining?”
Grigsby cites a case filed in Coppell by Brewer in 2017 that was later withdrawn. The parent, Pankaj Pain, couldn’t withstand the pressure from community members and other district parents.
Brewer was successful in similar suits against Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, Grand Prairie ISD, Irving ISD, the City of Farmers Branch and the City of Irving. His February suit against Lewisville ISD is still pending. It’s not clear whether Brewer will win in court, be asked to withdraw the suit as he did in Coppell or settle with Frisco ISD as he did with RISD.
As a result of the Tyson suit, RISD will create five single-member districts and elect two members at large beginning in November. In the new District 2, incumbent Eron Linn is running in a mostly-Berkner area. In the new District 5, incumbent Karen Clardy is running in the mostly-Lake Highlands area. In the new District 4, Richardson High School PTA President Regina Harris and Young Generation Leader Taler Jefferson are running in the mostly-Hamilton Park area. (If you also plan to run for any of these seats, please email me at ctoler@advocatemag.com.) Other trustees will be elected in 2020 and 2021.
