by Don Sumners
At last week’s board meeting, without a single vote being made, the Republicans lost control of the Harris County Department of Education Board. With a supposed five to two board majority at the first of 2019, how could this have been possible?
It all began in January when Eric Dick, the sitting vice president was passed over for promotion to president when the prior president did not run for re-election. Instead, the newly elected Josh Flynn, upon his assurance to be actively involved in directing the department, was selected as president.
Eric Dick, as the committee chairman, had been involved in a discredited effort to replace the department’s attorney, who was thought to favor the superintendent over the board. The controversy lead to the abandonment of the effort.
Needless to say this action did not sit well with Eric who had been anxiously anticipating becoming president. Throughout the balance of 2019 he often displayed his resentment through displaying uncivil behavior and sometimes siding with the two Democrats at board meetings.
Everything began falling apart when George Moore, a soft, often compromising Republican board member, resigned because he moved out of his district. Under the rules George Moore continued to serve on the board until his replacement, which he was not allowed to vote on. With Eric Dick now openly siding with the Democrats, the three Republicans were unable to appoint George Moore’s replacement.
The standoff continued until Josh Flynn, having served on the board for less than a year, made the fateful decision to run for state representative in 2020. This brought about the controversy as to whether Josh Flynn had to resign from the board and whether he was even eligible to run for the legislature. He later resigned from the board, but would continue to serve on the board until his replacement.
Fearing the worst many Republicans urged Josh Flynn to rescind his resignation, which he had the ability to do for eight days. Josh Flynn subsequently submitted a rescission to George Moore the acting officer, but George Moore explained he had made it conditional on his attending Wednesday’s board meeting.
Josh Flynn did not show up for Wednesday’s board meeting where replacement of resigning board members was on the agenda. The department’s attorney ruled that Josh Flynn’s rescission was ineffective because he had made it conditional upon his attending the meeting. This left only two Republican board members capable of voting on George Moore’s replacement. The two Democrats, together with Eric Dick, first voted to replace George Moore with a Democrat applicant. Then the three proceeded to replace Josh Flynn with his Democrat opponent in the 2018 election, who now can serve out Josh Flynn’s remaining five years without election.
George Moore, being the compliant member that he was, elected to call a recess so the two new board members could be sworn in. Upon reconvening the new board proceeded to elect Eric Dick president.
Thus, the coup was complete. The Democrats were in complete control and the two Republicans both of which terms expire in 2020 are left totally ineffective. And, the Republican defeat was totally self inflicted by the irresponsible self indulgent actions of its own board members.
It was a sad day.
About the author:
Don Sumners serves as trustee for Harris County Department of Education Position 7.
Sumners is a certified public accountant and the former Harris County Tax Assessor/Collector.
He serves on the Audit and Budget Board committees for HCDE and is the Board representative to the Head Start Policy Council.
Sumners began his term January 2015 with the term expiring December 2020.
Related:
Lump of coal for Harris County Rs. Rep majority HCDE Board flips to the Dems due to Rep Trustees Dick and Moore voting with Dems and former Pres Flynn a no show. New D majority immediately gives 25% raise to Superintendent. #txlege @ValoreeforTexas @paulfsimpson @HarrisCountyRP
— Team Bettencourt (@TeamBettencourt) December 20, 2019
I am not surprised at all what our Republican side did. I am dissapointed in Eric and the path he takes on self gratification on what he thinks is owed to him as a political representation. He is not for the childrens educational progress development and social educaion but how he can climb his success…in my personal opinion. Sounds like others we now too, Democract once, then Republican next then they try as a libertarian to run for ANY type of office that can pay better and have great beneficial outcomes.
I saw this several times, and my political friends decided to walk away feeling used in trying to bring in the votes to have them win then find out they are not truly for the people.
Josh Flynn currently will not even appear on the ballot as he is ineligible. He is running for the wrong reasons. Support Lacey Hull.
Thank God we only have to deal with Eric Dick on this low profile organization. Given his actions to date on the HCDE, I hate to think what it would have been like if he had been elected to the City Council.
Harris Country is heading if not already in the sewer along with Houston. AS we see with commie control areas throughout the nation crime and high taxes are destroying the ponce great cities. The educational system has been destroyed by the madness of the feel good, no testing portfolio, pass them along and give them a diploma crowd. Can’t dumb down K-12 and impact the colleges and universities.
yep
Had Josh Flynn been present at the Board Meeting instead of running off to Austin to protect his
bid for HIGHER Office, He could have stopped this action. Moore resigned in May of 2019. He should have been replaced months earlier. I know that Flynn was warned about the potential of this to happen be cause I warned him in September.He flagrantly abandoned his responsibility as Board President. Matthew 25:26. You wicked servant.
How can I trust you with more when you cannot be trusted with little?
Don Sumners hands are not completely clean in this psycho drama psycho drama. The Superintendent for HCDE, Eric Dick (traitor) and both Democrats on the HCDE board were willing to support and vote for Marvin Morris to fill George Moore’s seat. Marvin Morris formerly held this seat and is a strong conservative and Christian man. But Josh Flynn would not bring it before the board for a vote because Don Sumner and Mike Wolfe “were mad at Marvin”. At a board meeting a few years back, Marvin made fun of Mike Wolfe and Don Sumners as they picked up their tissues to walk off of the board meeting to kill the quorum because they were not “getting their way”. Only children pick up their toys and go home when they don’t get their way. Since Morris called them on their bad behavior, Sumners and Wolfe have stung from the public flogging ever since. So they get even like children by refusing to fill the seat that the majority if not all 7 could agree on! Are these the type of people we want representing us?
Don Sumners has zero worth and is a habitual candidate for office. There is a reason he got primaried.
Don Sumners is a complete embarrassment on this board for a very large number of reasons. He gets elected to an organization with his sole purpose to shut it down, which is very stupid in of itself. He repeatedly fails at shutting down the organization that he was elected to do so even when he has the votes. I suspect because he really doesn’t want to shut down the organization. Instead he uses it as a platform to get stay elected to office. While being a trustee he gets into petty fights with fellow Republicans (Moore, Dick, and Flynn). He supports Wolfe that got censured for literally sexually harassing a female Republican activist. Sumners repeatedly had the opportunity to prevent the board from flipping but instead decides to alienate everyone that doesn’t agree with him all the time. I watched the videos and frankly I’m embarrassed for anyone that serves with him on this board with Sumners.