Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is wading through the murky waters of alleged illegal electioneering, having filed lawsuits against both Huffman Independent School District and Aledo ISD. These districts stand accused of using state resources to swing political favor, a move that flouts the Texas Election Code's stern prohibitions. The code explicitly forbids the deployment of "state or local funds or other resources of the district to electioneer for or against any candidate, measure, or political party," and Huffman ISD's superintendent is on the hot seat for reportedly corralling about 200 teachers to back a slate of candidates who stand against school choice.
At a school meeting on the morning of Feb. 7 hosted at Hargrave High School, the Huffman ISD Superintendent Benny Soileau didn't just advise, but reportedly rallied his staff behind those 16 Republican primary candidates who had set their sights on quashing school choice legislation. "If we don't support those 16 representatives in the upcoming election, we roll into the next session almost assured that we’re going to face a universal voucher bill that will change the face of public education forever," Soileau told the gathered crowd, according to the Houston Chronicle. The crux of Paxton's legal gripe lies here, as electioneering with district resources doesn't jibe with the state's codes.
Threads of the lawsuit allege Soileau's pitch to encourage his employees to vote for specific opponents to school choice measures was in itself an abuse of big-time dollars. His reported salary, a cool $289,000, is cited in the allegations. Despite these charges, Huffman ISD is resisting, rejecting the accusations and tearing into the attorney general’s litigation stance with a 19-page rebuttal. According to the school district's defense, the superintendent was merely "orally communicating factual information." The defense claims are presented in detail by Stephanie A. Hamm, Thompson & Horton LLC, maintaining that Solieau’s address didn’t wander into electioneering territory as he didn’t handle any political materials, as echoed in the Houston Chronicle coverage.
Meanwhile, the attorney general's office remained mum when reached for its side of the story. The larger backdrop for this legal tussle points to Paxton's history of battling voter fraud, though a recent court decision prevents him from unilaterally prosecuting election cases. Instead, Paxton now seeks civil injunctive relief, a path that still allows him to press for court orders against entities like school districts that are suspected of unduly influencing elections. On the flip side, a handful of districts already slapped with electioneering accusations have hurried to put the matter to rest. For instance, the board of trustees for Frisco ISD opted for a quick settlement when faced with the prospect of a restraining order. Castleberry ISD's Superintendent, Renee Smith-Faulkner, agreed to an embargo of sorts with an injunction assuring that no district funds or resources would be hitched to political campaign wagons, as reported by the Texas Attorney General's office.
