Court rules against district in Elizondo vs. SBISD
- Save SBISD
- Apr 28
- 2 min read
Earlier today, in the matter of Elizondo vs. SBISD, the US District Court ruled in favor of the Plaintiff, Virginia Elizondo, finding SBISD in violation of the Voting Rights Act.
The court has enjoined the district from carrying out any further elections under its current at-large system after May 3, 2025.
The Court has further ordered that the district shall file a SMD plan for electing the board of trustees. The Court has ordered that the SMD plan may contemplate either 1) seven electoral districts, or 2) five electoral districts and two ‘at-large’ positions. This plan is due to the Court within twenty days.
The Court seemed to absolve the district of any malice in the case, writing that its opinion “should make clear, there was no evidence that the trustees or administrators of the SBISD failed to provide outstanding educational opportunities for all of SBISD’s students or that they failed to act in the best interests of its Hispanic students.”
The Court's complete abstract reads:
"MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER - The courts findings of fact, conclusions of law, and relief ordered are based on its conscientious application of § 2 of the Voting Rights Act and the appellate decisions applying the Act to the facts of this case.
"As the courts opinion should make clear, there was no evidence that the trustees or administrators of the SBISD failed to provide outstanding educational opportunities for all of SBISDs students or that they failed to act in the best interests of its Hispanic students.
"The Court hereby finds and DECLARES that the SBISDs current at-large system of electing school board trustees violates the VRA and ENJOINS the SBISD from conducting trustee elections under its current electoral system at any time after the election to be held on May 3, 2025. The Court further orders that within twenty (20) days from the date of this Memorandum Opinion and Order the SBISD shall file with the court a single member district plan providing for the election of school board trustees, with sufficient supporting expert analysis establishing that it complies with Section 2 of the VRA.
"SBISDs remedial plan may be either a seven district single-member system or a system with five single-member districts and two at-large trustee positions, so long as that system complies with § 2 of the VRA. See Tex. Educ. Code §11.052(a) (allowing for both 7-0 and 5-2 systems).
"SBISDs remedial plan must (a) contain one or more geographically-compact single member districts in which the HCVAP constitutes a majority; (b) comply with the one person-one vote requirement; and (c) respect existing communities of interest, including but not limited to the integrity of areas of minority population concentrations. Along with these materials, the SBISD may include a memorandum of law of not more than 10 pages.
"The Court further orders that within twenty (20) days after SBISD files its remedial plan, Plaintiff may file objections to that plan, and, if desired, an alternative plan with supporting expert analysis. Plaintiff's objections shall be no more than 10 pages. The SBISD may file a reply, not exceeding five (5) pages, within ten (10) days of Plaintiff's response to SBISD's proposed plan. (Signed by Judge) Parties notified. (sra4) (Entered: 04/28/2025)
The full ruling is available at the link below.
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