Bored to cheers

Don Venable is focused on the minutiae of the process, exasperating and confusing his colleagues. Lois Parrott wants the district's internal investigation to go on forever and ever, till everyone who's ever walked past Gonzalez's shadow gets indicted. Yvonne Ewell is--as Venable puts it--"Old Faithful," spurting forth homilies about ancient struggles at predictable intervals.

Behind the scenes, there are scars. Leos' alleged involvement in attempts to oust former district chief financial officer Matthew Harden, who is black, disgusted trustee Ron Price, and he hasn't bothered to conceal his resentment. It's also a sign of deep-seated mistrust--not necessarily dedication--that most board members show up for every committee meeting, thinking their colleagues might pull a fast one. Personality clashes still flare from time to time, although you get the sense that these folks are continually surprised by the discovery that their colleagues aren't the ogres they expected them to be.

So problems remain, but no trustee is careless, clueless, or hopelessly in it for personal gain, unlike several members of the Dallas City Council (see Jim Schutze's cover story this week).

All of this might not look like a revolution, but those who've been around long enough know it is.

There are no longer any established factions on this board. Everyone, including Brashear, has to scramble to get a five-vote majority.

The Slam-Dunk Gang is dead.
"You're dealing with nine intelligent people who, out of public view, get along a great deal better than it seems," says Venable, echoing the thoughts of several of his colleagues. "This board is much more aware of its need to control personal behavior and appear to be functioning as a board."

One telling sign was how several of the trustees with whom I spoke, black as well as white, mentioned the district's desperate need to accommodate the explosive increase in Spanish-speaking students. They mentioned it matter-of-factly; there was no racial or political tint to anything said, just a sober acknowledgement of an urgent priority, a job that must be done.

This willingness to move beyond traditional racial agendas is what's left after a crisis in which everyone got his backside burned.

Something good, after all, has survived the stained vision of Yvonne Gonzalez.

Readers may e-mail Dallas Observer editor Julie Lyons at jlyons@dallasobserver.com. Please note whether your comments are intended for publication.