Additional Information

Candidate Survey Responses

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RESPONSES TO THE 2024 ATPE CANDIDATE SURVEY:

1. If elected, what are your top priorities for public education?

Increased funding for public education. We have been in the bottom 3rd in state funding per pupil since the 1950s. We must make teacher recruitment and retention a legislative priority.

2. Voucher programs take many forms (tax credits, scholarships, education savings accounts, etc.) and are either universal or aimed at specific subpopulations (special education students, low-income students, students attending schools with poor A-F accountability ratings, etc.). Would you vote to create a voucher program of any type to pay for students to attend non-public K-12 schools, such as private or home schools?

No! There's no evidence that large scale voucher programs in any form improve the educational outcomes of students.

3. In 2023, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill (HB) 3 requiring a number of new school safety measures. However, many believe the Legislature did not adequately increase funding to cover the cost of the mandates in HB 3 or other locally adopted school safety measures. How would you work to make schools safer and ensure such initiatives are properly funded?

We start by simply increasing public school funding to match inflation. Any school safety measure proposed MUST come with the funding to implement that measure.

4. Despite a record-breaking surplus of $38 billion during the 2023 legislative session, school funding formulas were not increased to keep pace with inflation since they were last adjusted in 2019. Do you believe Texas public schools should receive additional funding? If so, how should the state pay for it?

Public schools should receive additional funding. The state should earmark a set amount of the current and future surplus dollars (i.e. 10%) to public education. We should also tie any casino legislation directly to public education funding.

5. Texas has faced growing teacher shortages in recent years, with many schools hiring uncertified teachers to fill the gaps. How would you work to ensure Texas public schools have an adequate number of trained and certified teachers?

Teacher pay is a major problem. Texas teacher pay ranks 26th in the nation. Earmarked surplus dollars should be directed to teacher recruitment and retention.

6. Inadequate compensation hampers the recruitment and retention of high-quality educators. Do you support a state-funded across-the-board pay raise for all Texas educators?

Yes!

7. The high cost of health insurance available to educators is a significant factor decreasing their take-home pay. How would you address the challenge of rising health care costs facing Texas educators and ensure access to affordable health care?

We should expand Medicaid in the State of Texas. Persons working in the public school system who qualify could opt for Medicaid. This leaves more money to lower the cost for those who don't qualify.

8. What do you feel is the proper role of standardized testing in the Texas public education system? For instance, should student test scores be used as a metric in determining teacher pay, school accountability ratings, evaluating teachers, measuring student progress, etc.?

Test scores should be used as a metric for measuring student progress, not teachers or school administration. There should be other metrics for that.

9. In your opinion, what is the proper balance between accommodating an individual parent’s or student’s wishes and the taxpaying community’s interest in directing and maintaining an optimal educational environment for the student population as a whole?

The community's interest has to be the priority. But there is a lot of opportunity, in most cases, to accommodate an individual parent/student. We have to do what's best for the most,while being sensitive to individual needs.

10. Do you believe the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) should be maintained as a traditional defined-benefit pension plan for all future, current, and retired educators, or do you support converting TRS to a defined-contribution structure that is more like a 401(k) plan, in which future benefits are not guaranteed?

I support a Hybrid approach to the TRS. We can define a basic benefit pension, while exercising a defined contribution plan. Teachers should have the option to choose how they want to use the system based on their circumstances.

11. State law allows educators and other public employees to voluntarily choose to join professional associations such as ATPE and have membership dues deducted from their paychecks at no cost to taxpayers. Do you support or oppose letting all public employees continue to exercise this right?

Yes

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