Additional Information

Running for Texas House District 126 in the 2026 Republican primary election.

Candidate Survey Responses

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RESPONSES TO THE 2026 ATPE CANDIDATE SURVEY:

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

Please describe any specific goals or legislative initiatives you would pursue to strengthen the state’s public education system.

My priorities for public education are accountability, supporting teachers, expanding high-quality options, and making sure our schools prepare students for real-world success. I believe in transparency for parents and taxpayers, fewer burdens on teachers, practical pathways like vocational and technical education, and keeping classrooms focused on learning — not politics.  My legislative focus would be on increasing transparency in school funding, reducing burdens on teachers, expanding workforce-aligned education pathways, supporting responsible school choice, and ensuring classrooms remain focused on academic excellence and student success.

2. Public Education Funding:

The 89th Legislature passed an $8 billion school funding bill, HB 2. However, despite years of unanswered “inflationary challenges, a large majority of that funding was earmarked to specific programs and did not supply districts with significant flexible funding, leaving the majority of Texas students in districts with deficit budgets and other significant funding challenges. Do you believe Texas public schools should receive additional funding? If so, how should the state pay for it, and should that funding be earmarked at the state level or provide districts with flexible dollars?

The next step in school finance reform should focus on:
-Increasing flexible, per-student funding
-Accounting for inflation and regional cost differences
-Providing districts with the autonomy to allocate resources responsibly
-Ensuring transparency and accountability for taxpayers
A strong public education system requires both adequate investment and trust in local leadership. The goal should be to support students and teachers — not force districts to operate with one-size-fits-all solutions.

3. ESA Vouchers:

Education savings accounts (ESAs) redirect public funds to private or home schools. How do you believe Texas should fund public schools, traditional and charter, alongside ESA vouchers? How should ESA spending be held accountable to taxpayers?

Texas should fund public schools first, protect their stability, and only implement ESA programs with strong safeguards, transparency, and accountability. Educational choice and public education do not have to be in conflict — but responsible policy must ensure taxpayers, students, and schools are not left carrying the cost.

4. Teacher Recruitment and Retention:

Under HB 2, passed in 2025, all educators in core content courses (math, English, science, and social studies) must be certified by 2030. While this is a good start, more can and should be done to ensure high-quality teachers continue to enter the classroom. What are your suggestions to improve the quality of the new teacher pipeline?

HB 2 sets a baseline for quality, but the next step is ensuring Texas attracts, prepares, and retains great teachers. That requires smarter preparation pathways, strong mentorship, reduced burdens, and policies that respect teaching as a profession — not just a credential.

5. Educator Pay and Benefits:

The 89th Legislature passed legislation creating a new mechanism to provide only classroom teachers with tiered raises based on early years of service and their district’s student enrollment. While the raises were significant, they did not apply to all campus educators, and the program created a significant negative funding stream at the district level due to unfunded increased costs for non-salary compensation tied to payroll, such as TRS retirement contributions. Do you support a state-funded across-the-board pay raise for all Texas educators? How would you ensure that compensation keeps pace with inflation and remains competitive with other professions?

Texas should invest in educators in a way that is fair, sustainable, and fully funded. I support across-the-board raises that include all campus educators, and I would work to ensure the state covers the full compensation cost and provides a predictable mechanism so pay keeps pace with inflation and remains competitive with other professions.

6. Educator Health Care:

The high cost of health insurance for active and retired educators continues to reduce take-home pay, with educators shouldering the vast majority of their ever-increasing heath care costs. How would you address the affordability and sustainability of educator health care, particularly the TRS-ActiveCare and TRS-Care programs?

Educators should not see their pay gains erased by rising health care costs. I support increasing the state’s role in funding TRS-ActiveCare and TRS-Care, improving long-term sustainability through predictable funding and transparency, and ensuring educator health care is treated as a core part of compensation — not a cost to be shifted onto teachers and retirees.

7. Retirement Security:

Do you believe the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) should remain a defined-benefit pension plan for all current and future members? If not, what is your plan to provide a secure retirement for Texas educators, particularly considering that state law has been set up such that most districts do not participate in Social Security?

TRS should remain a defined benefit pension plan for all current and future educators. Texas has both a legal and moral obligation to provide a secure retirement for educators who do not receive Social Security benefits. The responsible path forward is not to weaken the system, but to fund it responsibly, protect its structure, and honor the commitments made to those who serve our students.

8. Accountability and Assessment Reform:

The Legislature has passed a new “through-year” multi-test model under HB 8. What role should standardized testing play in evaluating students, teachers, and schools? Should test results continue to determine A–F accountability ratings or teacher pay?

Standardized testing has a place in Texas education, but it should inform improvement—not dictate outcomes. Tests should support students, guide instruction, and contribute to accountability in a balanced way, without being used as a blunt instrument to judge teachers or schools.

9. Parental Rights and Community Voice:

Recent legislative debates have focused on “parental rights” in education. In your view, what is the appropriate balance between accommodating the often conflicting wishes of individual parents while maintaining policies that reflect the broader community’s educational priorities and still providing consistency and an appropriate level of professional deference to educators?

Parental involvement strengthens schools, but public education must be governed by transparent, community-driven policies and informed by professional expertise. The goal is partnership — where parents are respected, educators are trusted, and students benefit from stable, high-quality instruction.

10. School Safety:

HB 3 (2023) imposed new school safety requirements but did not fully fund them. Although the 89th Legislature increased the School Safety Allotment, many districts continue to face substantial unfunded staffing and facility costs associated with school safety laws. How would you make schools safer and ensure the state provides adequate funding to meet safety mandates?

To make schools safer, Texas must pair strong safety standards with fully funded, sustainable appropriations and allow districts the flexibility to meet mandates in ways that fit their communities. I will not support unfunded mandates that force districts to choose between student safety and student learning.

11. Curriculum and Local Control:

What do you believe is the proper role of the State Board of Education, the Texas Education Agency, and local school districts in setting curriculum standards and selecting instructional materials?

The state should set the standards and guardrails, TEA should support and oversee implementation, and local districts should select materials and deliver instruction in partnership with educators and parents. This balance preserves academic quality, respects local control, and keeps decision-making as close to students as possible.

12. Educator Rights and Professional Associations:

State law allows educators and other public employees to voluntarily join professional associations such as ATPE and have membership dues deducted from their paychecks at no cost to taxpayers. Do you support or oppose allowing public employees to continue exercising this right? Why or why not?

As long as membership is voluntary and costs taxpayers nothing, public employees should retain the right to use payroll deduction for professional association dues. Respecting that choice supports professionalism, fairness, and individual freedom without burdening the state.

Additional Comments from Candidate on Survey

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I believe strong public education policy is built by listening to educators who live with the consequences of legislative decisions every day. I support fully funded mandates, fair compensation and benefits, local flexibility, and accountability systems that help schools improve rather than punish them. I look forward to working with educators and professional associations to strengthen Texas public education in a responsible, sustainable way.