Wilmer-Hutchins ISD: Voting Rights under Attack; Residents Face Taxation without Representation

By Darwin Campbell
African-AmericanNews&Issues

James Otis is credited with the statement “Taxation without representation is tyranny.”
Could it be true residents and students in the Wilmer-Hutchins Independent School District are victims of tyranny?
On May 7, Cedric Davis, Sr. and Brenda Duff were duly elected as school board members to the Wilmer-Hutchins ISD, but the voice of the people was nixed and muted, because Texas Commissioner of Education Shirley J. Neeley decided to remove the current school board and install a five-member managers board to run the district. “I have a real problem with this, because it’s a slap in the face,” Duff said. “It is also a slap in the face to the voters out here, because they did vote to choose new people to sit on the board and did not give the representatives elected by the people a chance.” “Taxation without representation” was a rallying cry for American independence advocates from Great Britain in the eighteenth century. The American colonies were obligated to pay taxes to London, yet had no representatives in Parliament and felt they were being forced to fund a government, which they had no input.
“We feel this is a total violation of the Voting Rights Act and will be challenged,” said civil rights activist Thomas Muhammad. “If we don’t draw a line in the sand here, it will be a step backward.” Black leaders feel this could be a test case to set a future precedent to dilute Black voting power and spell doom for any African American leader or body elected by the people to serve a community. The Wilmer Hutchins Independent School District is one of only two remaining school districts in Texas operated by African Americans. The other is the North Forest Independent School District in Houston. The Wilmer Hutchins ISD is located in southern Dallas County and encompasses the incorporated cities of Hutchins, Wilmer, Lancaster, and small sections of Dallas. The district has about 21,000 people and serves 3,200 students from urban, suburban and rural areas, with African Americans being 61.5 percent and Whites and Hispanics eight percent. Former School Board President Luther Edwards maintains the board did its best to work for the people and describes the attack on the district as an economic conspiracy by White leaders to take away African Americans’ properties and rip their rights from under them, and control the district children’s education. Neeley’s decision came after getting approval from the U.S. Justice Department, which meant tossing out the people’s vote and the Davis and Duff election. It also prevented the two lifelong district residents from taking their seats on the board. (Tyranny 101) According to Edwards, the changes send a message to the community stating Blacks are inadequate, incapable of making decisions, incompetent and can’t lead or manage. Davis, who has deep roots in the district, thought he and Duff would be the state’s team members. “Voters said yes to us and we were looking forward to doing the work of the people,” Davis said. “I am not against TEA helping us, but don’t come in and be bullies. Get out of bully mode and get into partner mode and be partners with us so that we can keep the district viable and open.” Wilmer Hutchins residents are now obligated to pay taxes in the district, but have been denied elected representation and are now forced to fund a school board and support a district in which the state will dictate to them without giving them true voice and input. “She (Neeley) comes into our district and says the two new board members are not good enough?” said Brenda Duff. “We thought we would work together as a corporate body together, but there were not intentions and no plans for either myself or Mr. Davis to be part of the group or have a place at the table.”
Neeley said the board of managers was appointed under the provisions of Section 39.131 (a)(9) of the Texas Education Code. The managers have full authority given to school board members and the newly appointed superintendent all the authority vested in the job.
She said the decision was based on the district’s financial problems, alleged misconduct by some of its officials and cheating scandal-involving teachers helping students during the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) testing. The district’s problems multiplied, faced with how to deal with a $2.8 million dollar bank loan due and balancing a budget after district voters turned away a tax measure costing the district about $7 million in revenues. “It is not right for them to shut us out,” Duff said. “She must realize that we were not part of the old board. This is a new board.”
Neeley contends her new “dream team’s” main job would be to turn the district around or shut it down – a move not supported by Davis, Duff, Muhammad, Lee Alcorn and the Coalition for the Advancement of Civil Rights.
“We want to know if the state had the right to step on the rights of duly elected school board to enforce its will,” Muhammad said. “The issue is not who controls the district, because we know it is controlled by TEA puppets. The issue is who best represents the interest and will of the people and we maintain that is best done by elected representatives.”
Both Duff and Davis said the fight is not over and have plans of keeping their promises to serve the community.
“I am glad the voters thought enough of Mr. Davis and me to put us into office,” she said. “I will not give up. I will continue this fight whether they shut me out or not and let the public know that we are being shut out and the board doesn’t want to hear our input.”
Duff said the purpose of her community meetings would be to listen to concerns and inform residents about decisions being made concerning the district and its children.