Bombshell Claim: Electioneering Conspiracy by ISD in SBOE Race

“Vote accordingly.”

With Super Tuesday fast approaching, a small group of political junkies called primary voters are preparing to make all the important decisions about the Texas government a full eight months before the general election.

Current Revolt received a tip about what is rumored to be a vast conspiracy to electioneer for and against specific candidates in the Republican Primary by Castleberry ISD employees.

We reached out to some parties involved to try and verify the authenticity of the messages, but have not heard back. We submitted an open records request to Castleberry ISD to gain more information as well as authenticate the following messages. We have decided to publish this now due to the election being only one week away, and because of the imminent threat to democracy a possible violation of Section 255.003(a) of the Texas Election Code constitutes, this information cannot wait.

According to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office:

…school district officials may not use public resources to advocate for or against particular political candidates and/or groups of political candidates.

In the email, which technically exists as “leaked” at the moment, Superintendent Renee Smith-Faulkner appears to instruct district leadership to vote according to a voter guide from the Castleberry ISD Retired Teachers Association.

Rumored to have hit inboxes of many principals and teachers, the message reminds employees that their “main responsibility” is to vote. They are also told to “vote in the primaries” and “vote accordingly” by their boss, Superintendent of Schools, a role that functions similar to that of a CEO in Texas school districts.

The forwarded voter guide divides the entire Republican field according to an “us vs. them” model, with “us” being the recommend candidates and “them” being what they call “Abbott or Paxton challengers.”

It’s not just Paxton and Abbott made to be the boogeymen, there is a a first and foremost boogeyman—Brandon.

Not President Brandon, but Brandon Hall, the Republican challenger for the State Board of Education seat which covers Casteberry ISD.

Was Brandon’s name misspelled on purpose to avoid detection?

“Remember to VOTE FOR PAT HARDY and make sure BRANDON IS SENT AWAY” isn’t exactly subtle.

This Brandon guy has an entire school district working against him to “send him away.” It’s sad, really.

It goes on and tells you how to vote for anything and everything.

Do you feel pressured at your job to do something when your boss tells you to do it? You should—they are your boss.

Your voting record is public information, which includes information on whether you voted or not and what primary you voted in. If these emails are authentic, and they were as widely circulated as rumored, we have from the top of a governmental organization a directive from a superior to

• Go out and vote.

• Vote specifically in the Republican primary.

• Which Republicans to vote for/against.

• Not to vote in the Democratic primary (implied).

Just because you are against Greg Abbott’s mysterious voucher scam does not mean it’s OK to use school resources and your authority to electioneer Brandon’s demise.

Ironically, one of the main targets of the teacher’s ire, Attorney General Ken Paxton, is exactly the person who handles complaints about Texas school officials violating the Election Code on electioneering.

If you believe electioneering hijinks are afoot, you can call the Texas Attorney General’s office at 1-844-584-3006, or at violation@oag.texas.gov.