El Paso ISD trustee Chuck Taylor files for rehearing on lawsuit against TEA

A lawsuit filed by an EPISD trustee against the Texas Education Agency has been dismissed, but Chuck Taylor has filed for a rehearing.

Taylor was elected in June 2013, but couldn’t take office until this May, two years later. This was due to the TEA putting in the appointed board of managers. Although his lawsuit is dismissed, Taylor says he’s not giving up because TEA committed an injustice against EPISD.

“The citizens of this community were scapegoated by the Texas Education Agency,” Taylor said.

Taylor said the TEA embarrassed El Paso for its own incompetence. Remember, the TEA twice cleared EPISD of all wrongdoing. But after the cheating scandal came to light, Taylor says the TEA punished EPISD by suspending the trustees and appointing the board of managers, ignoring the election of four trustees.

“That’s 87,964 folks that were disenfranchised and remained disenfranchised for a two year period, that’s illegal,” Taylor said.

Taylor cites the Texas election code as being violated by the TEA by not seating the elected trustees. The defendants, former Board President Dee Margo and TEA Commissioner Michael Williams, challenged him, saying the Commissioner has the right to remove a board.

In his motion, he claims TEA committed fraud, namely the hearing officer, Holland Timmins. Taylor says he found proof of false statements in the order that contributed to the TEA moving in. ABC-7 was unable to reach Timmins in time for this report.

“The constituents I represented was injured, El Paso was injured, by this travesty, perpetrated by the TEA,” Taylor said.

Taylor has represented himself over the last two years, but EPISD tells me it cost $50,000 in taxpayer dollars to fight the suit. What has yet to be decided is Board president Dee Margo’s counter claim, that Taylor, not the district, pay that $50,000. EPISD says that’s a decision the board of trustees will have to make.