Rodriguez won a plurality in the general election with 45 percent of the ballots or 27,914 votes. Marshall finished second with 40 percent or 24,775 votes. The final candidate, Alex Enriquez, finished third with 15 percent or 9,047 votes.
Enriquez endorsed Marshall on November 9 in a letter that consisted mostly of criticism directed at Rodriguez. Among other things, Enriquez said she “entirely lacks progressive vision” and did nothing to address what he characterized as “vicious language and behavior” coming from her supporters. Marshall said he was honored to have the endorsement.
However, Enriquez also said in the same letter that Rodriguez and Marshall were both “extremely gracious in the aftermath of Election Day.”
On Wednesday, Marshall told The Texan in a written statement that he has the bona fides to continue his service on the DISD Board of Trustees.
“Having served in the role for the past four years, I know what it takes to improve student outcomes. I’ve been doing the job — and doing it well, for four years — and I’m in the best position to continue the progress we’ve seen over my term,” Marshall said.
When asked for his thoughts on the results of the bond election, Marshall pointed to the decisions the voters made.
“I think voters made it clear on November 3rd, that they are ready to invest behind our students and are excited to continue the progress we’ve seen in DISD in recent years,” he said.
Voters had mixed opinions on the bond package on their ballots on Election Day.
Proposition A, a designation of capital for school building projects, and Proposition B, which funds specific technological resources, passed with 53 percent and 52 percent respectively. The rest of the bond proposals failed, but they only represented $152.9 million. The propositions approved by voters have a total price tag of $3.54 billion.
In a statement to The Texan in September, Rodriguez indicated that she opposed the bond package because it “includes many unnecessary projects.”
“I am also concerned about the fact that two of the top two DISD officials that would oversee the bond resigned over the summer and that there have been several allegations of impropriety in procurement made this year that have not yet been fully investigated, if at all,” Rodriguez said at the time.
Rodriquez also said she does not support a “pay for performance system” for teachers, which links teacher compensation to their students’ aptitude on standardized tests.
Early voting lasts from November 23 to December 4, and the runoff’s Election Day is December 8.
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Hayden Sparks
Hayden Sparks is a senior reporter for The Texan and a lifelong resident of the Lone Star State. He has coached competitive speech and debate and has been involved in politics since a young age. One of Hayden's favorite quotes is by Sam Houston: "Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may."
