On Oct. 24, I had the pleasure of moderating a House District 52 candidate forum for Raise Your Hand Texas in Taylor. As many of you know, Raise Your Hand Texas (RYHT) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that was founded to advance public education. Like ATPE, RYHT does not endorse candidates, but the organization provides opportunities, such as candidate forums, to help voters learn more about the candidates on their ballot before they cast their vote. All candidates in House District 52 were invited to participate in this event, but only the Democratic candidate, Jennie Birkholz, showed up. The incumbent, Rep. Caroline Harris Davila (R–Round Rock), did not respond to the invitation or attend.  

The questions I asked were drafted by RYHT and reviewed by the ATPE Lobby Team. All questions about public education and provided to both candidates in advance. Birkholz was given an opportunity to make opening remarks, and then, after a bit of background on the 88th legislative session(s) and the current state of education, I asked questions about education policy. The questions related to how she could, if elected, help schools and students in HD 52; vouchers; teacher recruitment and retention; school safety; prekindergarten funding; assessment and accountability; college and career readiness; and, of course, school funding and the state budget. 

In her responses, Birkholz mentioned that her husband is an educator and that her children, including one who requires special education services, attend public schools in HD 52. She talked about how she has earned the support of educators, school board members, and others who care about public education because she doesn’t support vouchers and her understanding of the struggles educators face. She specifically mentioned how expensive benefits and health insurance are for educators. Birkholz relayed a story about her own child asking her to “get rid of the STAAR test” if she’s elected because he is upset by the work students are asked to do to practice for the STAAR. She emphasized the need for an assessment with more immediate feedback to help students. Birkholz also spoke passionately about the funding issues challenging our schools that were imposed by the state. She supports increased funding for full-day prekindergarten and wants each school district to have local control to implement school safety and select the career and technical education classes best suited for their communities.  

The crowd seemed very responsive and appreciated her answers and support of public education.  

Early voting is happening now through Friday, Nov. 1. Election Day is Nov. 5. Be sure to cast your vote and make your teacher voice heard!