On July 27, 2020, The Lake Highlands Advocate reported that Debbie Rentería was sworn in as the first ever Hispanic trustee on the Richardson Independent School District (RISD) Board of Trustees in May.
Rentería represents majority-minority District 3, which was created after a Brewer Storefront Voting Rights Act lawsuit was brought on behalf of plaintiff and former RISD board member David Tyson. The Storefront is the community service legal affiliate of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors.
A settlement reached with RISD established a new election system including five single member districts, of which two districts are minority “opportunity” districts. Regina Harris, who is African American, was elected to the District 4 opportunity district in November 2019.
“When I saw that Debbie Rentería didn’t draw an opponent – and I don’t mean this to sound biblical – I said, ‘It is finished. My part is finished. We’ve achieved what we sought,” Tyson told the Advocate. “What we wanted was opportunity for people of color to feel comfortable running.”