Grapevine-Colleyville school board has a new look, including a new president
The Grapevine-Colleyville school board had three new trustees sworn in, but that was not the only big news out of the May 18 meeting.
GCISD board president Shannon Braun lost her position to trustee Dalia Begin, who was elected to the board in 2024.
Trustee Matt Foust nominated Begin for the role of president and all three new trustees voted for her. Trustee Kathy Florence- Spradley lost her officer duties as secretary.
Members of the audience broke out into claps and cheering and one person yelled “there is a new sheriff in town” when Begin was voted in. The new board also voted for Foust as vice-president and Darrell Brown as secretary.
Braun did not vote for Begin and had a list of reasons as to why, saying that Begin lacks knowledge of some of the board responsibilities.
Begin thanked the outgoing officers for their time and service to the district.
“As we begin this new term, I want to be clear this board is not made up of sides, factions, majorities, minorities or groups,” Begin said. “It’s made up of seven individually elected trustees. Who each bring valuable perspectives, experiences and ideas to the table. We will not always agree, and we should not expect to.
Thoughtful discussion and differing viewpoints are important parts of good governance, and we can approach those conversations with professionalism, mutual respect, open minds and a shared focus on what is best for students.”
Begin also said she hopes the board can move forward in a positive direction.
“My hope is that we can continue to move forward together in a way that strengthens trust, encourages collaboration and creates space for all voices to be heard,” Begin said. “The educational landscape is changing quickly, families have more choices, expectations continue to evolve, challenges facing public education are complex, meeting those challenges will require everyone and all of us to work together.”
Voters elected Matthew White, Lindsey Sheguit and Darrell Brown to the school board earlier this month.
Matthew White defeated A.J. Pontillo in Place 5 with 52.18% of the vote; Lindsey Sheguit defeated Dianna Sager in Place 6 with 51.09% of the vote; and Darrell Brown defeated Mary Humphrey with 51.64% of the vote.
Historically local elections generally don’t have a large voting turnout, the newcomers defeated the incumbents after the district experienced a lot of changes including the closure of Dove and Bransford Elementary schools.
The election race had residents taking sides on whether the incumbents, Pontillo, Sager and Humphrey, should continue representing them.
The packed room had many supporters for the newcomers including resident Beverly Mavis who in her public comments told the A.J., Mary and Dianna It’s “time for you to sashay away” a saying that Ru’Paul used in the reality TV show “Ru’Pauls Drag Race.”
Another resident, Tony Bieniosek, recited a poem to thank the outgoing trustees for their years of service to the district.
The drama in the district stems from polarizing political rhetoric that began when school districts — especially in Northeast Tarrant County — that had historically been non-partisan shifted with the national political climate and the involvement of local groups like Patriot Mobile and True Texas Project.
GCISD resident, Adrian Higginbotham, spent a lot of time in April standing outside Heritage Elementary School and Middle School with a sign saying “They closed our schools, They ended our programs, no input, no dialogue, no care” and asked people to go out to vote May 2 and to vote for the three newcomers.
At Monday’s meeting Higginbotham spoke about the importance of unity and the effects of polarizing rhetoric on both sides of district issues.
“We see someone say or do something hurtful on one side, and suddenly the entirety of that side is painted with a broad brush and labeled as deplorable or worse by the other side,” Higginbotham said. “—I want to encourage all of us to take a breath and remember that we are neighbors first before you send that next message or post that comment. Ask yourself, is this helping our community or am I just venting? If it’s the latter, consider rewriting it or deleting it entirely.”
This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 10:43 PM.