The overview
During the board’s June 17 meeting, trustees appointed Ken Kirchhofer to continue serving as Position 4 trustee until the position is up for reelection in 2027.
The appointment is coming after HISD officials swore in newcomers Oscar Silva and Elizabeth Shaw and incumbent Chris Parker to serve as trustees for positions 1, 5, and 3, respectively, during the board’s June 10 meeting.
A closer look
Kirchhofer was appointed as Position 4 trustee after candidate elect Brittnai Brown was declared ineligible to serve in May. HISD officials said Brown had not resided in the district for the six-month period required when she applied to run.
After spending more than two hours in executive session, trustees voted 6-0 in favor of appointing Kirchhofer, with Kirchhofer abstaining from the vote.
None of the trustees commented on the appointment prior to voting.
Board President Marques Holmes did not respond to requests for comment as of press time.
While trustees had the option to hold a special election to determine a new winner for Position 4, the election would have cost the district around $330,000, HISD officials said a June 18 news release.
What they’re saying
HISD parent Larissa Powell criticized Kirchhofer’s appointment during the meeting, noting he received the fewest votes of any of the three candidates running for Position 4.
“That's a deliberate choice to ignore the voters,” Powell said.
Additionally, Powell pointed to the more than $1.7 million in legal fees the district spent on matters relating to former Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen's ousting and resulting legal challenge of her firing.
“It’s funny how we can shell out millions of dollars to lawyers but not fund democracy,” Powell said.
What’s next
The next election to determine the district’s Position 4 trustee will be held on May 1, 2027. As part of the appointment, trustees stipulated that Kirchhofer could not run for election in 2027.
