Morgan LaMantia
Texas Senate District 27
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(956) 483-1215 Phone Number
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info@morganlamantia.com Email Address
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https://www.morganlamantia.com/ Website Address
Status
Incumbent
Party
Democrat
Occupation
Attorney
Address
TX
Additional Information
First elected to the Texas Senate in 2022. Current term expires January 2025.Member of the Senate Education Committee.
Supported by one or more pro-public education organizations in the 2024 Texas primaries.
Endorsed in the 2022 general election and Democratic primary election by Texas Parent PAC, a pro-public education organization that advocates for adequate and equitable funding of public schools, local control, teacher quality, and the prevention of private school vouchers.
LaMantia participated in a nonpartisan candidate forum hosted by the education-focused nonprofit organization Raise Your Hand Texas prior to the 2022 primary election. Watch video of that event here.
Related Blog Posts
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Senate Vote #1 - 2023: PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS
Voted against a bill that would have established an education savings account (ESA) voucher program. ATPE opposed the bill.
Senate Bill 8 by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill would have established an education savings account (ESA) voucher program. Read more about the bill here. On April 6, 2023, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) The bill ultimately died in the House.
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Senate Vote #2 - 2023: PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS
Voted against a teacher compensation bill that the Senate modified to create an education savings account (ESA) voucher program. ATPE opposed the Senate's version of the bill.
House Bill 100 by Rep. Ken King (R–Canadian), sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The original House bill intended to change school funding formulas and teacher compensation. The Senate modified HB 100 to include an education savings account (ESA) voucher program. Read more about the bill here. On May 23, 2023, the Senate voted to pass its version of the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) HB 100 later died in a conference committee because the House refused to accept the Senate’s addition of a voucher to the bill.
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Senate Vote #3 - 2023: COMPENSATION
Authored and voted for an amendment to grant teachers a $10,000 pay raise. ATPE supported the amendment.
Senate Floor Amendment 8 by Sen. Morgan LaMantia (D–South Padre Island) to Senate Bill 9 by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The amendment would have given all teachers a $10,000 pay raise. On April 6, 2023, the Senate voted to reject the amendment. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)
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Senate Vote #4 - 2023: TEACHER PIPELINE
Voted for an amendment to preserve the elected State Board of Education's (SBOE) veto power over rules adopted by the appointed State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC). ATPE supported the amendment.
Senate Floor Amendment 9 by Sen. Nathan Johnson (D–Dallas) to Senate Bill 9 by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The amendment would have ensured public oversight of teacher pipeline regulations by maintaining the elected State Board of Education’s (SBOE) veto authority over rulemaking by the appointed State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC). On April 6, 2023, the Senate voted to reject the amendment. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)
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Senate Vote #5 - 2023: TEACHER PIPELINE
Voted against an omnibus bill that proposed several regulatory changes and a one-time stipend of $2,000 for teachers. ATPE believed the bill was insufficient in terms of providing a meaningful increase in educator compensation or enhancement of teachers' rights.
Senate Bill 9 by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. Marketed as a “Teacher Bill of Rights,” SB 9 proposed a one-time stipend of $2,000 for teachers and several regulatory changes affecting the education profession. Read more about the bill and ATPE’s Senate testimony on it here. On April 6, 2023, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) The bill later died in the House.
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Senate Vote #6 - 2023: SCHOOL SAFETY
Voted for an omnibus school safety bill that provides funding to help schools comply with safety requirements. ATPE supported the bill.
House Bill 3 by Rep. Dustin Burrows (R–Lubbock), sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Robert Nichols (R–Jacksonville), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. This omnibus school safety bill provides $1.3 billion in school safety funding, calls for mental health training for school district employees, requires an armed officer at every campus, and allows the state to appoint a conservator to help school districts achieve compliance. The bill includes ATPE-recommended language limiting the scope of the conservator’s authority. On May 21, 2023, the Senate voted to pass its version of HB 3. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) The Legislature ultimately passed a compromise version of the bill.
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Senate Vote #7 - 2023: SCHOOL SAFETY
Voted against a motion to table (kill) an amendment that would have significantly increased funding for school safety. ATPE supported the amendment and opposed the motion to table it.
Senate Floor Amendment 2 by Sen. Jose Menendez (D–San Antonio) to House Bill 3 by Rep. Dustin Burrows (R–Lubbock), sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Robert Nichols (R–Jacksonville), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The Senate’s version of HB 3 proposed a school safety allotment that included $10 per student. The Menendez amendment would have significantly increased that funding to $100 per student. On May 21, 2023, the Senate voted to table (kill) the Menendez amendment. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)
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Senate Vote #8 - 2023: LIBRARY BOOKS
Voted against a bill establishing a rating system for and restricting certain content in school library materials.
House Bill 900 by Rep. Jared Patterson (R–Frisco), sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Angela Paxton (R–McKinney), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill requires book vendors to rate books based on sexual content and the development of additional state standards. The bill also prohibits certain materials from public school libraries and requires parental notification and consent for student access to certain other library materials. Read ATPE’s written testimony on the bill here. On May 23, 2023, the Senate voted to approve final passage of the bill. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal).
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Senate Vote #9 - 2023: CURRICULUM
Voted for a bill that incentivized school districts to require educators to teach from prepackaged statewide curriculum designed by the Texas Education Agency.
House Bill 1605 by Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado), sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill incentivizes school districts to require certain educators to teach from prepackaged statewide curriculum designed by the Texas Education Agency. Read more about the bill here. On May 12, 2023, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) The bill later became law after being approved by both the Senate and House.
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Senate Vote #10 - 2023: SCHOOL COUNSELORS
Voted for a bill that removed the requirement for school counselors to have prior experience as a classroom teacher. ATPE opposed the bill.
Senate Bill 798 by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R–Galveston), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill removed the requirement for school counselors to have prior experience as a classroom teacher. On April 5, 2023, the Senate voted to pass the bill on third reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) The bill later became law after being approved by both the Senate and House.
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Senate Vote #11 - 2023: SCHOOL CHAPLAINS
Voted against a bill that allows school districts to employ paid or volunteer chaplains for student counseling and support and requires school boards to adopt a policy on whether to use chaplains. ATPE opposes allowing chaplains not certified as school counselors to provide counseling services to students.
Senate Bill 763 by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R–Galveston), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill allows school districts to employ paid or volunteer chaplains to support students without requiring them to be certified or trained as school counselors. SB 763 also requires each school board to vote on whether to adopt a policy authorizing the district’s use of chaplains. On May 23, 2023, the Senate voted to adopt the conference committee report on SB 763, approving final passage of the bill. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)
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Senate Vote #12 - 2023: MANDATORY REPORTING
Voted against a bill that removed educators' ability to anonymously report cases of suspected child abuse and neglect. ATPE opposed the bill.
House Bill 63 by Rep. Valoree Swanson (R–Spring), sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Kevin Sparks (R–Midland), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill removed educators’ ability to anonymously report suspected child abuse and neglect. On May 18, 2023, the Senate voted to approve final passage of the bill. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)
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Senate Vote #13 - 2023: TEN COMMANDMENTS
Voted against a bill that would have required every educator to display the Ten Commandments in their classroom. ATPE opposed the bill.
Senate Bill 1515 by Sen. Phil King (R–Weatherford), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill would have required every educator to display the Ten Commandments in their classroom. ATPE opposed SB 1515’s mandate of the display in every classroom but did not oppose a related bill, Senate Bill 1721 by Sen. Angela Paxton (R–McKinney), which called for a display of the Ten Commandments in a single prominent location on each campus. On April 20, 2023, the Senate passed SB 1515 on third reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) The bill later died in the House.
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Senate Vote #14 - 2023: RETIREMENT
Voted for a bill that provided a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and 13th check for retired educators. ATPE supported the bill.
Senate Bill 10 by Sen. Joan Huffman (R–Houston), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill provides a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and 13th check for retired educators. On May 27, 2023, the Senate voted to adopt the conference committee report on SB 10, approving final passage of the bill. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)
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Senate Vote #15 - 2023: PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS
Voted against a bill that would have established an education savings account (ESA) voucher program. ATPE opposed the bill.
Senate Bill 1 by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 88th Legislature, third called Special Session. The bill would have established an education savings account (ESA) voucher program. On Oct. 12, 2023, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) The bill later died in the House.
Candidate Survey Responses
RESPONSES TO THE 2024 ATPE CANDIDATE SURVEY:
1. If elected, what will be your top priorities for public education?
(1) Increase teacher salaries as a starting point to address burnout. (2) Protect working environments, including enforcing class size limits, protect planning periods, and reducing stress to teach to the test. (3) Fund social and emotional learning efforts and either non-profit partners, or social workers, to help identify and address obstacles in students’ lives that hinder their educational progress towards graduation.
2. What are your recommendations for funding public education, including securing the necessary revenue to sustain the improvements made by House Bill 3 in 2019? Do you believe additional funding is needed?
Yes, additional funding is needed. The pandemic has put an incredible strain on our school systems and highlighted the existing inequities. I realize “cutting waste” in the budget sounds like political but it is wasted opportunity that we have not drawn down federal dollars for Medicaid expansion that could free up significant funds for education.
3. How would you address the challenge of rising health care costs facing Texas educators and ensure that active and retired educators have access to affordable health care?
It’s important to realize that our entire health care system is under strain and near the breaking point. Medicaid expansion is critical, bringing billions of federal dollars in to strengthen the system, and allow us to also ensure TRS fulfills its obligations to provide quality health care to active retired teachers.
4. 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 plan that is more like a 401(k) plan, in which future benefits are not guaranteed?
I believe TRS should be maintained as a traditional defined benefit program.
5. 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 for teacher pay, school accountability ratings, evaluating teachers, measuring student progress, etc.?
I believe the primary purpose for standardized tests is as a tool for teachers to assess student progress and address needs. Pressure to teach to the test undermines the educational needs of students and adds to teacher burnout.
6. Would you vote to create any type of voucher, tax credit, scholarship, education savings account, or other program aimed at paying for students, including any subpopulation of students, to attend non-public K-12 schools, such as private or home schools?
No.
7. 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?
I support this right.
8. What role, if any, should charter schools have in the public education system, and do you feel the number of charter schools operating in Texas should be reduced or expanded?
There are students with unique needs and skills, and public charters can play a role in helping school districts meet their mission. Charter schools, however, need to be held to the same accountability standards as all public schools and should not place themselves in a position where they are competing for funds.
9. How much freedom should school districts have to make decisions during disease outbreaks, such as requiring face coverings and immunizations or transitioning to remote instruction?
We need to respect the authority of local school districts to protect the health of teachers, school personnel, and students.
10. What do you believe is the proper role of virtual education within the public education system? Do you believe full-time virtual education should be expanded, and if so, under what circumstances?
I believe there is no replacement for in-person learning but recognize that virtual education gave teachers and educators the chance to stay connected with as many students as possible during unusual times. I will listen to experts on how technology should be best used in the future, but I would be wary of any demand on teachers to handle in-person and remote learning simultaneously.
11. What do you feel should be the state’s role (versus the role of school districts or individual educators) in decisions about public school curriculum and instructional materials?
I believe guidelines and standards should be set at the state level, guided by panels of educational experts. I oppose the politicization of this process. I do believe these guidelines should have flexibility at the local level, however, and applaud local efforts to engage input from teachers and parents.
12. The COVID-19 pandemic and additional instructional support needed to remediate students’ learning losses have placed additional strain on public schools’ staffing needs. How would you work to ensure classrooms are appropriately staffed, teachers’ workloads are manageable, and planning time is not sacrificed amid these challenges?
In South Texas, every parent and grandparent teaches their children that education is the key to opportunity. We have fought hard for four-year universities and a medical school. Our economy depends on an educated and skilled workforce, and a strong k-12 education provides the pipeline of talent. That’s why it’s so critical we acknowledge the tremendous strain the pandemic has placed on our education system and address. I believe we need to raise teacher pay to professional levels and protect the working environment of educators. The threat of losing planning time is directly related to the shortage of teachers — from both burnout and illness — and addressing our workforce retention and recruitment needs is the foundation of solving the problem.
Additional Comments from Candidate on Survey
COMMENTS SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO THE 2024 ATPE CANDIDATE SURVEY:
My grandfather never finished high school, but he started the STARS Scholarship program that has helped put college within reach of over 17,000 local students. I’m proud to help support this program and keep both my grandfather’s dream alive, as well as so many striving students.