The Chron makes their endorsements in the three contested HISD trustee races.
It’s an odd election. It could even seem pointless. Right now, elected HISD trustees have little power, no vote and just a few minutes prioritized at the start of each board meeting to talk ahead of general public comment. But eventually, the state will select some of them — three at a time — to take their seats at the table. The end of the takeover will presumably rely in part on the ability of elected and appointed board members to govern productively together. Will HISD schools and voters be best served by a candidate that’s part of the End the Takeover slate endorsed by the Harris County Democratic Party? Or would it be smarter to pick incumbents who have played nice and promise to continue doing so when Morath comes looking?
Many parents have been frustrated with the state takeover of HISD, and understandably so. A takeover originally intended to target a handful of consistently failing schools was unexpectedly expanded to cover additional campuses. State-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles has often demonstrated an antagonistic attitude toward teachers’ and families’ articulable concerns. Despite those problems, the last thing anyone should want is a return to the old HISD ways, with a board that tolerated poor performance and failed to function as an effective governing unit. Voters should look for candidates who have the insight and disposition to build on the real improvements Miles has brought to HISD while sunsetting his least effective moves.
Along with experience and priorities, that balance is what we focused on when screening candidates for Districts V, VI and VII, which together cover much of the west and southwest parts of the city. They include some of the wealthiest and some of the most underserved campuses in the district.
Long story short, they picked Maria Benzon over Robbie McDonough in District V, Michael McDonough over incumbent Kendall Baker in VI, and incumbent Bridget Wade over Audrey Nath in VII. By their star rating system, that was two close calls – Benzon and Wade both rated as three and a half stars to R. McDonough and Nath’s three – and one blowout – M. McDonough got four stars to Baker’s two. I would certainly vote for Audrey Nath if I lived in that district, but McDonough over Baker may be the easiest call of any race outside of Cy-Fair ISD. Which reminds me to point you to the ever-useful Book-Loving Texans’ Guide to the November 2025 school board elections, brought to you by Franklin Strong. Read his analyses and share them with your friends.
Elsewhere, the Chron also has the 30 day campaign finance reports for the HISD races; note this is just for the contested races, as unopposed candidates are not required to file 30 day or 8 day reports. Again to sum up, no one has raised or spent a huge amount. With the exception of Baker, who had no fundraising activity to report, everyone raised between $14K and $31K, and with the exception of Wade, who dropped $17K in the period, spent less than $10K. Check that out, check out the July reports, and check out my interviews with these candidates:
Felicity Pereyra, HISD District I
Maria Benzon, HISD District V
Robbie McDonough, HISD District V
Michael McDonough, HISD District VI
Bridget Wade, HISD District VII
Audrey Nath, HISD District VIIRelated Posts:
This entry was posted in Election 2025 and tagged Audrey Nath, Board of Managers, Bridget Wade, campaign finance reports, Cy-Fair ISD, Election 2025, endorsements, Felicity Pererya, HISD, HISD Board of Trustees, Houston, Kendall Baker, Maria Benzon, Michael McDonough, Mike Miles, Robbie McDonough. Bookmark the permalink.
In my opinion, sometimes the Chronicle endorses an R candidate so they won’t be labeled a Democratic rag. Too late…they already have that label.
Audrey is a great candidate. She’s a psychiatrist working with children. She understands the needs of kids in Special Ed who are so often ignored by the district. She was endorsed by the LGBTQ+ Political Caucus because she will support and advocate for the rights of LGBT youth. So please, Chronicle, help understand your decision. Your reasoning seems weak to me.