RRISD announced Romere’s departure earlier this month. Romere said Thursday she wants to focus on her career and her children, including a son who is joining the military and a daughter headed to law school.
Terri Romere[/caption]Trustees did not discuss options to fill Romere’s now-vacant seat, but they are expected to make a decision within the next week on how to proceed. They can either appoint someone to replace Romere or call a special election for May 6 for voters to elect a new trustee.
Romere read from a written statement Thursday stating she believed her greatest contribution to the district during her tenure was giving her children and other children attending RRISD schools “concrete, real-life examples of what it looks like when you stand up, without compromise, for what is right.”
Romere was first elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. As a trustee, she supported a number of initiatives and board decisions, including RRISD’s successful $299 million bond in 2014, the expansion of agriculture science programs, the approval of a district strategic plan and the hiring of RRISD Superintendent Steve Flores.
Her term on the board lasts until the end of 2018.
Romere’s fellow trustees and Flores took turns thanking her for serving on the board. Several noted that despite being at odds with Romere at times, they respected her ability to work with them to find common ground.
“When we finally came to the middle, we made some great decisions for kids," board president Diane Cox said.
Trustee Paul Tisch acknowledged he and Romere had their differences but said he respected her conviction in making difficult decisions for the district, including votes over attendance boundary changes.
“You will not find anyone stronger or more dedicated for the children of this district than Trustee Romere,” Tisch said.
Romere garnered controversy at times during her tenure, including in 2012 when the board voted four times to censure her. Three of those votes were related to Romere’s questioning of attendance data for Success High School, RRISD’s alternative high school.
Censure votes amount to formal statements of disapproval but carry no further consequences.
Romere mentioned the censure votes, but she said she leaves the board without any doubts regarding her actions. She also criticized news coverage of the votes as “typical media drama and B.S.”
RRISD has seven trustee positions on its board, which is responsible for adopting district policies, employing and evaluating the superintendent, approving the budget and capital improvement plans and setting the tax rate, according to the district.
Trustees are elected at-large by voters and serve staggered four-year terms.
