August 23, 2023 – NBC DFW reported on Brewer Storefront reaching a positive outcome with the Lewisville Independent School District (LISD) in a voting rights lawsuit against the district. NBC interviewed Dallas Morning News education reporter Talia Richman about the case and its importance to the community.
Richman noted that the lawsuit alleged the school board’s at large elections resulted in a primarily white Lewisville ISD school board and denied some people of color the opportunity to elect candidates of their choosing. Richman stated that, “The law firm, the Brewer Storefront, has been taking these cases on in suburban districts across North Texas.” She mentioned how the Storefront has brought Voting Rights Act lawsuits against the Richardson and Irving school districts and, “a whole host of districts, that all employed this at large system saying instead of having everyone elect each seat you should have districts based on where you live.” Those school districts and others adopted election systems that included single member districts and minority “opportunity” districts in which a majority of voters are people of color. As a result, minorities have been elected to the school boards in those communities.
Speaking of school boards across North Texas and the importance of their composition, Richman said, “These are the people who are making huge decisions, they’re hiring the superintendent, and they’re setting the budget. We’ve seen how much political infighting has taken place on school boards when it comes to these education culture wars. So they’re saying we really have to make sure that representatives match the makeup of the student body in Texas, which is increasingly becoming more diverse.”
Learn more about the Brewer Storefront’s voting rights work here.
