In a nutshell
District IV incumbent Patricia K. Allen will be running against challenger Meg Seff.
Allen, a former board president and retired educator, is running for a second term to represent District IV after first being elected in 2020. Allen worked for the district for 35 years in various roles, including as a principal, magnet coordinator, teacher and teacher trainer.
Seff, a retired educator, worked in K-12 education for 30 years and has experience as a reading, writing and special education consultant.
HISD trustees are elected based on boundaries that are determined every 10 years using census data. District IV mainly covers south Houston, including Willow Meadows, the Medical Center and NRG Park area, the Museum District, and Midtown.
The background
In June, the TEA appointed nine individuals to serve on the district’s board of managers, who now serve as the district’s school board instead of the nine elected HISD trustees.
The elected trustees serve in an advisory capacity. However, according to a timeline provided by the TEA, a third of the trustees could replace a third of the unelected members of the board of managers beginning in June 2025 if the district meets certain criteria, including acceptable academic performance ratings. Once that transition begins, all trustees would regain control of the board within a two-year period.
Stay tuned
Early voting will run Oct. 23-Nov. 3, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s website. Polling times and locations will be posted at www.harrisvotes.com.
