Jersey Village, TEXAS – Voters in Cy-Fair Independent School District sent a clear message this week: change is coming to one of the state’s largest school districts.
After years under a conservative-led board, election results show a decisive shift toward a more moderate direction, with three new trustees defeating incumbent conservatives backed by right-leaning political groups.
Cy-Fair ISD, the third-largest independent school district in the state, has drawn attention for its school board battles over the past two years, from book bans and gender identity policies to the controversial firing of dozens of librarians.
Tuesday’s election ousted the board’s president and vice president, ending what had been a 6-1 conservative majority.
Ashley Buckner, a Cy-Fair parent who helped lead the “CFISD Parents for Librarians” Facebook group with more than 7,000 members, called the outcome a victory for transparency and balance.
“We’ve been really just wanting transparency from our school board,” Buckner said. “We’ve been wanting our librarians back. It’s been a big loss. It’s been really tough.”
Buckner’s group formed last year after the district dismissed 50 librarians. She said she’s received messages of encouragement from parents and teachers in neighboring districts.
“They are very hopeful that we are seeing a tide changing that we want to keep politics out of schools and really support our teachers and our kids,” she said.
Few local races drew as much outside attention or money as this one. Political action committees from across the state poured funds into the race, turning what is technically a nonpartisan election into a proxy fight between conservative and progressive education priorities.
The conservative slate known as “NRG,” for candidates Natalie Blasingame, Radele Walker, and George Edwards, campaigned to preserve the district’s right-leaning policies. Despite a visit from Gov. Greg Abbott just days before the election, the trio fell by double-digit margins.
Rice University political science professor Mark Jones says Abbott’s decision to stay neutral in the final stretch may have been intentional.
“I think the governor was reluctant probably to wade in directly into this race to tie himself explicitly to these three candidates,” Jones told KPRC 2’s Rilwan Balogun. “The governor does good polling so maybe he had an idea that they might not do as well as they had expected or he was just reluctant to get tied into a local level race.”
Jones added that Abbott’s cautious approach may have spared him political backlash.
“It was probably an astute decision by Governor Abbott not to directly tie himself to these conservative candidates in Cy-Fair ISD,” he said. “Otherwise, he would be more linked to their double-digit losses than he is now.”
With the conservative majority broken, Jones expects district policy to return to a more moderate focus.
“We’re likely to see a shift back in ISD policies to where they were before 2024,” he said, “more middle-of-the-road and focused on general educational matters less on conservative priorities.”
For parents like Buckner, that’s welcome news.
“I’m really looking forward to some boring board meetings,” she laughed. “And getting back into the library, being able to volunteer there every week.”
The Cy-Fair results could be a preview of what’s to come in other districts across Texas. Jones predicts progressive-leaning candidates will continue to challenge conservative majorities in upcoming elections.
“We’re likely to see progressives attempt to take back control of school boards where conservatives have gained a majority,” he said.
The three newly elected trustees will be sworn in on December 11 for four-year terms.
KPRC 2 reached out to the Harris County and Cypress Republican Party for comment but did not receive a response.