GCISD board president Dalia Begin was caught on her phone during the August 24 board meeting while a contact saved as “Rachael” texted her instructions on how to run it.
In May, the left took over Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. Three seats flipped in one night, and the new majority picked Begin as their leader.
The meeting in question started at 5:30 p.m. and was still going at midnight.
Community members watching the stream noticed Begin was on her phone late in the meeting and filed an open records request for the texts.
By the clock on the boardroom wall, she’s on her phone at 11:53 and again at 11:57.
The district’s answer to the request: “No Records Exist.”
Then a second, more detailed request was sent:
And a record suddenly existed.
All six are from “Rachael,” and all six landed at 11:59 p.m. by her phone’s clock, while the meeting was live.
The screenshot the district handed over is cropped at both ends. No phone number, and no time on any message but the first. The request asked for the sender’s number specifically and all timestamps. The district’s “Full Release” doesn’t include it.
Begin posted a statement on her Facebook page. She says she only opened the phone to read the Open Meetings Act, and that she never saw the texts.
“I did not send any messages at that time.” This is true according to the “full release.” She received six. The district took that for an answer, wrote “No Records Exist,” and closed the file.
Her statement is dated September 14 and says she had already handed the texts to the district. The district didn’t release them until September 18.
Here’s what she said from the dais after 11:59, in order: “not germane,” “which words specifically,” “we have this item on the agenda for the next board meeting,” “it’s not on the agenda for tonight’s meeting,” “would you like to restate your motion.” Now read Rachael’s six texts again, top to bottom.
So who is Rachael?
Current Revolt reached out to Dalia Begin for comment but calls and voicemails (which were transcribed into text and added to her 148 unread texts) were left unreturned.
“The fact that it’s past midnight isn’t my fault,” she said as she moved to approve the minutes.
Voters got to vote. Lived in Colleyville 20 years ago. Lots of corporate homeowner turnover. Wonderful upscale suburban environment; everyone got in a tizzy over a gauche Walmart or auto parts store and assumed the schools were great. Few tracked the issues, and fewer voted.