T4PE Ratings Database

HISTORY Website does not have anything about policy positions. From FB, 12/19, in a post announcing the endorsement of Education Austin, "Supporting public education is our constitutional mandate and championing our public schools, teachers, and students will be my highest priority at the Texas Capitol." SURVEY RESPONSES: WHAT IS BROKEN? The challenges facing public schools are not new and the systemic underfunding and lack of support have only been further brought to light by COVID-19 in that it exacerbated teacher burnout, learning loss, and increasing divides in property-rich versus property-poor districts. Addressing these issues requires a holistic approach, including raising teacher pay, eliminating pressure to teach to the test, reducing inequities in broadband access and STEM, strengthening our commitment to social emotional learning, and addressing childhood food insecurity. To accomplish any of those aims the state must increase its share of public school funding and provide the resources and support needed to help our public schools navigate unprecedented times. PRIORITIES: Outside of the education funding, support for teachers and retirees, and helping rectify the learning loss suffered under COVID-19, I want to focus on increasing funding and access for arts education across grade levels and regardless of zip code, improve school lunches and education on nutrition and healthier lifestyles, and reduce inequities in broadband access and STEM especially for undeserved parts of my district. Texas used to be a leader in public education policy and outcomes, it's time we are again. FUNDING: It should be increased. Public school funding is a constitutional mandate and our most critical budgetary responsibility. The state has not paid its fair share historically, and while the investments in House Bill 3 (86R) help offset that shortfall there is still more to be done. Budget decisions are a question of our values. Instead of spending money on partisan priorities, we should invest in our children and their future as well as ensure better pay, benefits, and working conditions for our education professionals. Additionally, public school funding isn?t a matter of a one-time fix, it must be a continuing conversation to ensure the Legislature is meeting the needs of our state. FINDING THE MONEY: I am in favor of exploring new revenue streams such as legalizing and taxing marijuana, closing down corporate loopholes or exemptions such as the franchise tax, and ending spending on partisan priorities such as border security or crisis pregnancy centers and reallocating those funds to meet Texans? basic needs. I would also support an income tax as the basis of a more equitable taxing system, with corresponding and simultaneous eductions in consumption and property taxes, to ensure adequate funding for public education and infrastructure. Similarly, the Economic Stabilization Fund, commonly called the Rainy Day Fund, has a balance of over $10 Billion and must be considered as a tool to address urgent needs. VOUCHERS/CHARTERS: Public dollars should not be spent on private schools. I am committed to resisting voucher schemes in any form. EVALUATING PUBLIC SCHOOLS: While some standardized testing is required by the federal government, at the state level we must take action to eliminate those tests not required as well as generally reduce our over-reliance on standardized testing. These tests do not measure learning and are not a good indicator of teacher performance or the progress made in the classroom. Evaluations must do a better job of accounting for socio-economic factors as well as measuring the actual progress that students are making. IGCs: I support IGC committees as a way to ensure that students are not held back and have an opportunity to graduate high school without being penalized by Texas' overreliance on standardized testing. Given that this legislation is passed perennially each session we should end the sunset date entirely or at least put it on a comparable schedule with other state agencies and programs (i.e., every decade) and allow this process to stand until there is a reason to change or abolish it. A-F CAMPUS EVALUATION: Our schools must foster creative and critical thinking to prepare our children to go to college or enter the workforce upon graduation and be responsible and knowledgeable citizens of the world. The measure of their success is in the learning and growth of our students coupled with positive working environments, good pay and benefits, and a secure retirement for education professionals. A-F ratings cannot possibly measure these adequately and have been rightly criticized for being overly reductive, predicated on factors that penalize underserved communities, and based too heavily on standardized testing ? which are problematic in and of themselves. As such, I believe A-F ratings are ineffective. ATTRACTING/RETAINING TEACHERS: Attracting and retaining the best teachers as well as librarians and support staff such as cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and janitors is critical to ensure we have the strongest public education system we can. Teacher pay is well below the national average. I support across the board pay raises to be able to offer competitive salaries, improvements in benefits, investments in the Teacher Retirement System and TRS-Care, better mentorship and professional development opportunities, and ensuring smaller class sizes and manageable workloads. We also need to ensure that our schools and teachers have the resources to do their job and that our classrooms are well supplied, technologically equipped, and otherwise. As noted before, budget decisions are a question of values and priorities. I believe we must explore new revenue sources, reallocate existing revenue to prioritize basic needs over partisan priorities, and utilize the Rainy Day Fund as appropriate. COLAs: Retired teachers have not had a cost of living increase in a very long time. While the 13th check measures passed in recent legislatures have provided some relief, we need systemic change via a cost of living increase. Additionally, moving forward we must ensure that pension annuities and benefits are not outpaced by inflation and the rising costs of basic necessities by regularly evaluating the need for a cost of living adjustment as part of the biennial budget process. TRS CARE: Healthcare has increasingly become the highest cost for Texas families. We must ensure access to quality, affordable care for active and retired school employees. First, retirees need a cost of living adjustment for their pensions so that they keep up with rising costs in healthcare, housing, and other basic needs. Similarly, we cannot allow healthcare benefits to merely be fungible ? that is, we cannot cut services or raise premiums to offset other improvements in pay or benefits where the reality is there is still a burden being placed back on retired educators. In addition, we must study and implement any needed reforms to ensure that in any future times of pandemic or other crisis that the regulatory framework provides flexibility in enrollments or changes and prioritizes access to care. Furthermore, Texas must also expand Medicaid to give 1.5 million Texans access to healthcare, save thousands of lives annually, bring $110 Billion of our tax dollars back to Texas to shore up our healthcare infrastructure, lower uncompensated costs for local jurisdictions, and reduce all of our healthcare premiums. TRS RETIREMENT: I support maintaining TRS as a traditional defined benefit pension plan and am adamantly opposed to changing that. Defined benefit plans are more stable and do not subject retirees to market fluctuations. It?s both an attractive tool to recruit quality professionals and a promise we have made for a secure retirement that we must keep. We must invest in TRS so that the actuarial soundness of our pension system is not in question as well as provide for a long-overdue cost of living adjustment for our retirees. Similarly, when funding is supplied, we cannot merely offset it by increasing premiums or making cuts to TRS Care or other benefits that merely shifts the burdens for our retirees. Furthermore, I support reforming the Windfall Elimination Provision and permitting education employees to access social security. REPRESENTING ALL CONSTITUENTS: I have 25 years of experience changing law and public policy in Texas, from my time as Chief of Staff for Rep. Irma Rangel to serving as Director of Legislative Programs at the State Bar of Texas and as Assistant Director for Alternative Fuels Policy and Legislation/Governmental Affairs at the Texas Railroad Commission. Additionally, as National President and CEO of the National Women?s Political Caucus and through serving on the boards locally of Planned Parenthood, SafePlace, Texas Advocacy Project, Austin YMCA, and the Mexic-Arte Museum, as well as my12 years as a Commissioner on the Austin Arts Commission, I understand how to intentionally conduct outreach, achieve consensus, and build coalitions to affect change. As a lawyer I understand the importance of listening, understanding sometimes competing goals and outcomes, and working towards solutions in complex and stressful scenarios. If elected, I will take all of these skills and experiences with me in how I approach public service and fighting for the residents of House District 51. I want to be a voice for anyone who feels their voices and needs are unheard. RESOURCES FOR INFORMATION ON PUBLIC EDUCATION: Communication is key. Regularly communicating with local school boards, district staff, teachers, parents, and students about what is going on in their schools, what needs are being met or unmet, and what further support is needed to ensure Texas once again becomes a leader on public education policies and outcomes. As a public servant one critical role is bringing stakeholders to the table to find solutions to the problems facing our communities and our state. OTHER COMMENTS: Public education is one of my highest priorities. I worked summers in college as a teacher aide at the public migrant school, teaching reading and arts/crafts. I come from a family of educators, my mom and two of my siblings were both teachers and my father served on the Laredo ISD school board. I have served on the Campus Advisory Committee of Martin Middle School, a local majority-minority middle school, for almost a decade as a business representative as well as on special Austin ISD taskforces related to 6th grade being converted to middle school and on sex education. Additionally, I have been a mentor and volunteer through the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin at Sanchez Elementary and Martin Middle School as well as at the University of Texas through the Center for Women and Gender Studies NEW Leadership Texas. I am also a long term supporter of education-related non-profits, including AVANCE, which works with hard to reach, low-income families to provide education, life skills, and enrichment programs and Friends of Children-Austin, which pairs at-risk children with mentors for their entire K-12 school years to help them succeed. Similarly, I volunteer with GEN Austin, Latinitas, and Communities in Schools.

T4PESURVEY Which of the following statements comes closest to your position on vouchers?
I am against vouchers in any form no matter what they name it. I will not vote for vouchers.

Please feel free to elaborate on your position in regards to vouchers as you see fit.
Public dollars should not be spent on private schools. I am committed to resisting voucher schemes in any form no matter how they are rebranded.

Which of the following statements comes closest to your position on charter schools?
Charters are not public schools, as they do not offer parents elected representation. I see no reason to fund a redundant system instead of fixing public schools.

Please feel free to elaborate on your position in regards to charters as you see fit.
I oppose the rapid expansion of charter schools and believe reform is needed. Charter schools were billed as laboratories of innovation, where ideas could be tested and then collaborated on with traditional public schools. However, that has not typically been the case currently in terms of functionality, regulatory framework, or the rapid expansion.

Which of the following statements comes closest to your position on funding public schools?
Public schools are underfunded. The state should increase its contribution.

Please feel free to elaborate on your position in regards to public school funding as you see fit.
Public school funding is a constitutional mandate and our most critical budgetary responsibility. The state has minimized its payments over the years forcing districts into extreme measures to just keep the doors open. The state has an obligation to do more. We should invest in our children and their future as well as ensure better pay, benefits, and working conditions for our education professionals. Additionally, public school funding isn't a matter of a one time fix, it must be a continuing conversation to ensure the Legislature is meeting the needs of our state.

Which of the following statements comes closest to your position on funding TRS?
TRS is underfunded. The state needs to increase contribution so that Cost of Living Allowances and other needed functions can be implemented.

Please feel free to elaborate on your position in regards to TRS funding as you see fit.
With a COLA provided, we cannot merely offset it by increasing premiums or making cuts to TRS Care or other benefits that merely shifts the burdens for our retirees. This is something that the Legislature has done before and it negates or even causes a net deficit for retirees. We also must ensure recent retirees receive a COLA and that we adjust for inflation moving forward. Similarly, we must reduce red tape and modernize healthcare enrollment practices. I also support reforming the WEP.

Please add any further information you believe to be pertinent. Thank you for participating!
The challenges facing public schools are not new and the systemic underfunding and lack of support have only been further brought to light by COVID-19 in that it exacerbated teacher burnout, learning loss, and increasing divides in property-rich versus property-poor districts. Addressing these issues requires a holistic approach, including: raising teacher pay, eliminating pressure to teach to the test, reducing inequities in broadband access and STEM, strengthening our commitment to social emotional learning, and addressing childhood food insecurity. To accomplish any of those aims the state must increase its share of public school funding and provide the resources and support needed to help our public schools navigate unprecedented times. Outside of the education funding, support for teachers and retirees, and helping rectify the learning loss suffered under COVID-19, I want to focus on increasing funding and access for arts education across grade levels and regardless of zip code, improve school lunches and education on nutrition and healthier lifestyles, and reduce inequities in broadband access and STEM especially for undeserved parts of my district. Texas used to be a leader in public education policy and outcomes, it's time we are again.

T4PE Public Ratings

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