Pig in a poke

It's conceivable that many candidates, having watched Dallas school politics over the last couple of years, might insist on a strong no-throwing-to-the-dogs clause. A new superintendent with any brains will try to find a way to keep the board out of his or her hair as much as possible. The habit the new person will want to break first is the one where they all make nice at the meeting and then, while walking to their cars, whip out the cell phones and call in media napalm strikes on each other.

And they will definitely promise not to do that.
Plata remembers the moment right after they had finished talking to Jackson on the TV set. "We all sat there and looked at each other and agreed that when we left that room there had to be no word to anyone."

And the night was lighted by digital displays.

Dallas Observer staff writer Miriam Rozen provided additional reporting for this story.