579/15/2026
With the Tuesday, November 3, 2026, General Election approaching, much of the political spotlight will naturally shine on statewide and congressional contests. But in Fort Bend County, one race much farther down the ballot will help determine decisions made much closer to home — inside classrooms, campuses and communities.
Dr. Shirley Rose-Gilliam, the incumbent Fort Bend ISD Position 4 trustee and current Board Secretary, is seeking re-election in a six-candidate contest. FBISD’s official election listing shows Rose-Gilliam facing Robert Dombrowski, Rob Dominguez, Dan Mathews, Shirisha Mudhireddy and Eric Pursley. Positions 1 and 5 are also on the November ballot.
For Rose-Gilliam, public education has been considerably more than a campaign talking point.
The longtime Missouri City resident is a 30-year education veteran who spent 25 years serving Fort Bend ISD at Willowridge, Kempner, Elkins, Bush and Marshall high schools and McAuliffe Middle School. Both of her children graduated from FBISD schools, and she and her husband, Kevin, have lived in Fort Bend County since 1986.
Her academic résumé includes a Bachelor of Science from the University of Houston, a Master of Education from the University of Houston-Victoria and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Texas A&M University. She was a finalist for FBISD Secondary Teacher of the Year and was named FBISD Secondary Principal of the Year while serving at Bush High School. She continues working with Houston-area school districts as an educational consultant.
Rose-Gilliam has described the influence of education on her own life in deeply personal terms.
“I remember how one school and one teacher made a difference in my life by instilling a vision and dream in me.”
That philosophy helped shape the motto associated with her educational work: “Believe in the Possibilities!”
And the possibilities — as well as the challenges — are considerable.
According to the Texas Education Agency’s latest 2025–26 reporting, Fort Bend ISD enrolls 78,062 students. Few Texas districts better illustrate the changing face of metropolitan Houston: students are approximately 28.4% Asian, 28.0% African American, 25.8% Hispanic and 12.9% White, with students of multiple and other racial backgrounds rounding out the enrollment. Nearly half of FBISD students are classified as economically disadvantaged.
The district is simultaneously confronting demographic change and declining enrollment. Superintendent Dr. Marc Smith reported in May that an independent demographic study confirmed enrollment declines, making decisions involving facilities, staffing, resources and long-range planning increasingly important.
Those are precisely the kinds of issues that make school-board elections worth watching. FBISD’s seven trustees serve without compensation and are responsible for policy, oversight and support of the district. Members are elected by position to three-year terms.
The Position 4 election therefore gives Fort Bend voters an opportunity to examine Rose-Gilliam’s record alongside the backgrounds and priorities of her five challengers.
Houston Style Magazine readers democracy only works when voters make that examination — and then participate.
Texas voters have until Monday, October 5, 2026, to register for the November election. Early voting runs October 19 through October 30, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, when polls are scheduled to be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
The U.S. Senate and statewide races may command the television commercials, but when Fort Bend families reach the school-board section of their ballots, they will be making decisions about leadership that reaches all the way to the classroom door.
That makes the bottom of the ballot anything but an afterthought.