GOP-backed candidates Cathie Alexander and Jay Saad won seats on the Collin College’s board of trustees on Saturday after a runoff race that was colored by partisanship.
With all of Collin County’s vote centers reporting, as of 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Alexander was elected to Place 3 with 56% of the vote, defeating incumbent Donald. Saad won reelection to Place 2 with 55.5% of the vote. Both Donald and Coleman had more votes than their opponents in the May 6 election. But neither of them won 50% of the vote, so a runoff was held on Saturday.
School board races are supposed to be nonpartisan. But partisan politics played a role in the Collin College trustee races. Coleman and Donald both had endorsements from the Collin County Democratic Party, which held block walks to garner support for the candidates. The Collin County GOP threw its support behind Alexander and Saad. An email sent to supporters warned people to vote for Alexander and Saad to keep the college from being turned over to the “woke left” that cares more about gender neutral bathrooms than maintaining the college.
Alexander told KERA she didn’t know about the email until it went out. She said she’d prefer to focus on issues directly affecting the college.
“We need to focus on what makes what will help students succeed when they're at Collin College,” Alexander said.
Donald, who said she hasn’t brought up gender neutral bathrooms during her time as a trustee, also wanted to campaign on issues.
“Our ultimate goal isn’t a partisan goal,” she said. “It is the health of our institution.”
But Donald and Alexander still accepted party endorsements. Donald said it’s challenging to run without the support and money that comes with a party endorsement.
Political science professor Matthew Wilson from Southern Methodist University said candidates are now expected to have positions on political topics that come up in the education arena — things like gender, sexuality and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — if they want voters’ support.
“It has changed the nature of what it means to be a candidate for school board or to be a candidate for a college trustee position,” he said.
Megan Wallace, who was elected to Place 1 on the board with just over 50% of the vote in May, said she didn’t expect that when she decided to run. She narrowly defeated the incumbent, Fred Moses.
Wallace also said the clashes over partisan issues have trickled down to the classrooms on campus. Wallace is a current student studying legal studies. She said it creates a culture of fear on campus – something that came up in a recent student survey.
“When people make it known what side of the spectrum they fall on, especially the people in power, if you don't fall on their side, it can be really scary to speak freely on campus,” Wallace said.
The American Association of University Professors placed Collin College on a list of censured administrations that limited academic freedom in its recent report. Mark Criley, a senior program officer with the organization’s department of academic freedom, said it investigated the college after three faculty members said they were fired over free-speech issues. The school settled a lawsuit with one faculty member last year but didn’t accept fault. Another lawsuit is still pending.
Criley said the lack of academic freedom isn’t ideal.
“It’s the kind of environment that isn't conducive to inquiry and exploration and academic work,” he said.
Alexander said freedom of speech is important in academia – but so is keeping a level of decorum.
“You have to allow free speech, I think, in all situations, but you need to monitor it to make sure that it is civil,” she said.
Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.
Caroline Love is a Report For Americacorps member for KERA News.
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