They’ve conducted their elections by plurality vote and out-of-compliance with the Texas Education Code requiring majority vote so the Lone Star College System Board of Trustees approved to change their policy to comply with the Texas Education Code pertaining to the election of trustees of junior college districts.
Documents obtained from the Lone Star College System indicate action item 1 on the August 4th, 2016 agenda outlined the current Board policy relating to Board of Trustee elections (emphasis mine): LSCSBoardAgendaItem and Policy Section
“Currently board policy I.C.2.19 provides that to be elected to a public office, a candidate must receive more votes than any other candidate for the office. This is a plurality vote requirement. Upon review of this policy and statutory authority, as well as an Attorney General opinion, the college should be electing its trustees by majority vote rather than by plurality.”
What sections of the Texas Education Code did LSCS cite as applicable to junior college districts?
“Although Section 2.001 of the Election Code provides that elections in the State of Texas are by plurality that is only true if another law does not provide otherwise. Section 130.082 (of the Texas Education Code) provides that junior college districts are to elect trustees by majority vote. Additionally, Section 130.0822 governing junior colleges electing by single- member district, requires compliance with Section 130.082.”
The speaker in this video (start at the 6:30 minute mark) explained Lone Star College System moved to single-member districts in 2014.
http://videoportal.lonestar.edu/p.jsp?i=48
Exit question: will the LSCS go back to 2014, review the results of the trustee elections held since the move to single-member districts and update the community?
What about the elections in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2013? The seating of board members was illegal and are the votes of the board not illegal also? Two board members seated in 2013 didn’t receive a majority. Now what?
LSCD will proceed as if nothing has happened. Since few pay attention to these trustees and their penchant for jacking taxes, erecting massive debt and expanding campuses to offer tax serf subsidized ‘courses’ that can be had from private entities, we may as well admit that ‘there’s nothing to see here’ and move on.
Unless some Don Quixote would like to spend his/her fortune in ultimately futile legal action that is.