As she campaigns door-to-door to become the newest member of Houston ISD’s school board, Reagan Flowers is encountering many confused voters.

They ask whether school board elections matter this year, given the growing likelihood that state officials will strip power from HISD trustees within months. They wonder what Flowers will do if she wins but does not get any authority. They question how she would change the culture of the much-maligned board.

“There’s still a tremendous need to educate people, to inform them of the process,” said Flowers, an education nonprofit executive and one of four candidates vying to represent District IV, which covers parts of downtown and southern Houston. “I tell them I’ll be your representative, your voice, making sure the needs of the district are being met.”

As November approaches and the threat of state intervention in HISD looms, Flowers and fourteen other school board candidates find themselves in the midst of a highly unusual election season, aiming to convince voters to participate in potentially diminished races.

In the coming months, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath widely is expected to remove all power from HISD’s elected trustees and appoint a replacement board, likely due to chronically low academic results at Wheatley High School or findings of misconduct by members of the current board. All nine elected trustees would retain their titles and eventually return to power, but they would not have any voting authority until Morath returns it to them. Morath has not definitively said if or when he would oust HISD’s elected school board, though such a move is expected to take place in early 2020.

The uncertainty, however, comes as 11 candidates seek two open seats, and two incumbents each aim to hold off one challenger. On the campaign trail, candidates say they are doing more than selling voters on their platforms. They also are explaining the political process and outlining how they would approach the position if immediately stripped of power.

Cristin Moses, one of seven candidates seeking to replace outgoing HISD District II Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones, said he often emphasizes to voters that elected trustees could return to power sometime during their four-year term even if Morath replaces the district’s school board. Morath has the authority to reinstate elected trustees at any time, with the option of phasing them back into power.

“People can understand that their vote still matters,” said Moses, a career and technical education teacher at HISD’s Fleming Middle School. “Even if it doesn’t matter six months from now, it might matter two years from now.”

On HoustonChronicle.com: TEA report cites trustee misconduct, recommends replacing board

Some candidates said voters remain confused or apathetic about the off-year school board elections. About 25 percent of registered voters cast ballots for HISD trustee in 2015, with mayoral and city council races likely boosting turnout.

However, multiple candidates said more-engaged voters are aware of the school board’s self-admitted dysfunction, laid bare during a heated October 2018 meeting, and want trustees who will cut through the tumult. Dissension over whether to retain Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan has inflamed tensions on the board in the past 12 months, creating factions that largely split across racial and ethnic lines.

“The only thing I hear about (from voters) is that they’re concerned with the in-fighting on the board and they want it to stop,” said Patricia Allen, a District IV candidate and retired HISD principal. “I’m not hearing positive things about the board takeover. But what I am hearing is, the board needs changes, that they need someone in there to focus on education.”

The four races will determine whether the board’s current direction remains largely intact or voters want new leadership following a spate of unflattering episodes. While the district remains in strong financial standing and recently received a B grade for academic performance from the state, public trust in the board has waned amid numerous displays of acrimony and a state investigation into misconduct allegations.

Elections in districts III and VIII will test whether incumbents Sergio Lira and Diana Dávila, respectively, have built enough goodwill to overcome allegations of unethical behavior lodged by Texas Education Agency investigators last month. Lira and Dávila have voted in favor of several recently-passed proposals, including a $14 minimum wage, and championed their experience in the district.

However, TEA officials said Lira and Dávila violated the Texas Open Meetings Act and made false statements to investigators in relation to their votes to oust Lathan last year, contributing to investigators’ recommendation to strip power from the school board.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Wheatley failure puts HISD on path to board takeover

Lira faces real estate agent and former teacher Dani Hernandez, while Dávila faces former teacher and educational nonprofit staffer Judith Cruz. District III covers much of southeastern Houston, while District VIII includes large sections of downtown and eastern Houston.

In District II, which spans large swaths of northern Houston, seven candidates will look to overcome low name recognition or a lack of educational experience to replace Skillern-Jones, who is not seeking re-election. They are Katherine Blueford-Daniels, a retired postal service manager; Jevon German, an accountant; John Gibbs, a community outreach liaison and director of constituent services for Houston City Council Member Michael Kubosh; Moses; Michael Maloney, a coach; Chloe Short, a pilot; and Art Smith, a T-shirt printer.

German said District II voters remain largely focused on long-struggling campuses in the area, which includes Kashmere, North Forest and Wheatley high schools.

“A lot of parents and people I’m talking to, that’s their first concern: trying to get better schools so they feel comfortable sending their kids to schools in the district,” said German, a Kashmere High Class of 1999 graduate.

Four District IV candidates with varying experience in education circles are vying to replace Trustee Jolanda Jones, who is not seeking re-election. They are Allen; Matt Barnes, CEO of the parent-advisory company Educational Makeover; Flowers; and Larry McKinzie, an HISD science teacher.

Candidates must receive at least 50 percent of the vote in November to win their races outright. If no candidate receives 50 percent, the top two vote-getting candidates engage in a runoff election in December.

jacob.carpenter@chron.com