Is Fascism Still a Thing in Round Rock’s School Board Races?

RRISD’s outgoing conservatives Danielle Weston (l) and Mary Bone (photos via Round Rock ISD / Getty Images)

It’s nice when people use straightforward language, and Round Rock school board Trustee Estevan “Chuy” Zárate certainly did in explaining why he’s running for reelection this fall.

“I want to really dig in and try to make some systematic change to support all of our students,” Zárate said, “and to make sure that we do what we can – honestly, frankly – to keep the fascists out.”

In using the F word, Zárate was referring to the Christian Nationalists who have made the RRISD school board one of the front lines of the culture war. That war has been led by two trustees elected in 2020 – Danielle Weston and Mary Bone – who have bickered with their fellow trustees, launched lawsuits against them, and encouraged rude demonstrations at board meetings. But this year Weston and Bone aren’t running, and neither are their well-known allies Don Zimmerman, Christie Slape, and Jill Farris.

In their place are lesser-known candidates, including Zárate’s opponent, Joshua Escalante. “He’s kind of out of nowhere, and this happens during school board races,” Zárate said. “A lot of times, you have people that come into the community that don’t really understand the community yet or maybe aren’t aligned with the values of the community, that kind of pop up out of nowhere and say, 'I want to be a part of the school board.’ And we’ve found in the past that those people don’t really tell you who they are until they’re in office.”

The Chronicle asked for Escalante’s position on two RRISD issues: the identity-based anti-bullying policy the board passed in May and the $1 billion bond proposed for the November ballot (Weston and Bone were absent for the anti-bullying vote and opposed the bond). Escalante didn’t offer a response on the anti-bullying policy; he said he would “follow the voters’ decision” on the bond. He also declared his support for inclusion, diversity, and transparency, saying, “My motto for myself in all things is to be transparent and communicate when appropriate.”

We expanded our request, asking for Escalante’s position on the anti-bullying proposal, the push to ban books in school libraries, and discussion of gender identity in classrooms, issues that have repeatedly come up at board meetings. Escalante responded that he would “adhere to local and federal guidelines to ensure the safety and respect of students and employees” but otherwise did not answer the questions.

The Chronicle also asked James Steele, who’s running against Michael Wei in Weston’s Place 7, for his positions on the anti-bullying policy and the bond proposal. Steele said he would get us answers but has yet to do so. Wei told us he strongly supports both measures.

“As a school board candidate, I have personally experienced the harmful effects of identity-based bullying on social media,” Wei said. “A local parent falsely claimed that my foreign birth disqualified me from serving on the board and singled out my college in Wuhan for attack. This racist behavior is unacceptable and deeply concerning.”

Melissa Ross, running against April Guerra for Mary Bone’s Place 2 seat, said she witnessed racist attacks against current trustee Tiffanie Harrison in the lead-up to the last election. She’s proud of Harrison’s leadership on the new anti-bullying policy and supports the bond, having served as co-chair of the committee that identified the improvements that RRISD schools need to make.

“We have buildings where the roof is crumbling and they’re leaking, where the air conditioning is going in and out,” Ross said. “So these aren’t beautification projects. These are really critical needs.”

The Chronicle attempted to contact Guerra to ask her opinion on the bond and the anti-bullying policy. She has yet to respond but approved of the anti-bullying measure in a survey by Access Education RRISD.