May 9, 2024 – Houston Landing reports on a Voting Rights Act lawsuit filed by Brewer Storefront on behalf of plaintiff Judith Bautista against the Humble Independent School District on Thursday, alleging the election system violates the VRA by preventing Hispanic voters from electing their preferred school board candidates. The lawsuit was filed as part of the Storefront’s recently announced Texas Voting Rights Initiative (TVRI).
Houston Landing reports that the lawsuit was brought by Bautista, a former Spanish teacher in the district. There are currently no Hispanic trustees on the board.
“Regrettably, the diverse ethnic and racial makeup of Humble ISD is not reflected in its elected Board of Trustees — who live in a cluster in the predominantly white (and higher income) areas within Humble ISD,” the lawsuit states.
The Landing reports that the suit seeks as a remedy for the court to mandate that Humble ISD adopted “single member districts.” The article mentions that the lack of Hispanic representation contributes to the district’s “achievement gap” between students of color and white students.
Read the Houston Landing report here.