NEXT MEETING'S AGENDA: LET'S BE TRUSTEES FOREVER!

Yesterday the Dallas School Board voted 7-2 to extend their terms from three years to four. The two members who voted against the measure, Carla Ranger and Adam Medrano, argued that the measure might be illegal and came at a terrible time, respectively. Both are correct.

Though the argument in favor of the idea is based on saving the city money--elections cost about $270,000 a year--the poison pill here is that the measure takes effect immediately. That means three trustees won't face reelection next May at time when the district is facing perhaps its worst crisis since the desegregation order.

Had the trustees realized what a poor message this sends to the constituents, they wouldn't have gone down this path at this time. It reminds me of when then-Dallas mayor Laura Miller pushed the strong-mayor initiative in 2005. Regardless of how I felt about that issue, I admired her for insisting that if the changes were approved by the voters (which they weren't), they wouldn't take effect until after she left office. That's the kind of transparency the trustees should have strived for.