2022 - Rep. Shawn Thierry, Rep. Joe Deshotel, Rep. Ray Lopez
https://www.plesafortexas.com/meet-mihaela
From website: "America's most emotive political battle is now raging over its schools as kids and teachers are getting drawn into cultural and ideological fights. At a time when all students were struggling to learn in a virtual environment, state leaders failed to address the educational learning loss parents and teachers are dealing with called Covid-slide. Texas children are the future of our state, and we need to invest in them. I will continue to work with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and local school districts to ensure we have adequate resources and funding to address the academic setbacks and mental health challenges from surviving a global pandemic has had on our youth. Texas needs a fully-funded school system to ensure our kids have the best opportunities available to them to compete in a global market. I will engage our school districts, community colleges, Universities, and Collin County parents to ensure our students, and teachers are receiving the state?s full support both in budget and in policy. As a legislative director, I worked on successfully passing legislation that broadened the definition of what qualifies for New Instructional Facilities Allotment (NIFA). These are the kind of results students and parents want to see and feel. I am confident that I can continue to make strides for the three independent ISD?s in HB 70 and children across Texas." From FB, 1/23: "Texas needs to put families first and fully fund public education. Texas children are the future of our state, and we need to invest in them. " From FB, 1/11: " Texas needs to put families first and fully fund public education. Texas children are the future of our state, and we need to invest in them. I will continue to work with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and local school districts to ensure we have adequate resources and funding to address the academic setbacks and mental health challenges that surviving a global pandemic has had on our youth." From FB, 12/20: "At a time when all students were struggling to learn in a virtual environment, state leaders failed to address the covid-slide learning loss students, parents and teachers are dealing with. Texas children are the future of our state, and we need to invest in them. I will continue to work with the Texas Education Agency and local school districts to ensure we have adequate resources and funding to address the academic setbacks and mental health challenges that the global pandemic has had on our youth. Texas needs a fully-funded school system to ensure our kids have the best opportunities available to them to compete in a global market." From FB, 12/14: "Texas needs to put families first and fully fund public education. America's most emotive political battle is now raging over its schools as kids and teachers are getting drawn into cultural and ideological fights. At a time when all students were struggling to learn in a virtual environment, state leaders failed to address the educational learning loss parents and teachers are dealing with covid-slide. Texas children are the future of our state, and we need to invest in them. I will continue to work with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and local school districts to ensure we have adequate resources and funding to address the academic setbacks and mental health challenges that surviving a global pandemic has had on our youth." SURVEY RESPONSES: WHAT IS BROKEN? I wouldn?t characterize our school system as broken. I think teachers and school administrators are doing their best with the tools they have been given. I think public schools need more funding to develop more resources for both students and teachers, especially around mental health. Some schools are in areas with lower income levels which means there may be higher needs in that community overall. Strengthening schools and curriculum to give students a true path forward and a chance to move up economically should always be a priority. PRIORITIES: Supporting strong public schools through state legislative action can be broken down into the following categories: Increased funding for schools, increased pay for teachers? salaries and exploring alternative ways to assess student achievement that are not high stakes tests. FUNDING: Schools have asked the legislature to increase funding for several sessions now, so I would say we need to increase funding.We need to fully fund Texas public schools by increasing state funding to the levels necessary for all students to meet the state?s academic expectations and for educators to recieve pay comparable to similarly-situated professionals and health benefits equivalent to the Governor. FINDING THE MONEY: The state should ensure continued and stable funding for public schools and community colleges by utilizing existing and new revenue sources. We should continue to fight for transparency as to where our public education dollars are going and that should also include the elimination of corporate tax breaks and a requirement for tax fairness and transparency. It is the Legislature's responsibility to find the long-term, sustainable solutions for public school funding. While HB 3 did a lot to boost funding, it did not do enough and we have much farther to go. We cannot continue to tie school funding to property tax values. We must protect taxpayer money that has been allocated to public schools and make sure that it is public schools who receive those dollars. VOUCHERS/CHARTERS: I oppose any bill or idea that supports public funding for private and charter schools. I also oppose voucher programs. I believe that these vouchers strip students of their rights and protections under the state constitution. The Texas Constitution makes no provision for private schools but requires the Legislature to maintain a system of free public schools. The Texas Constitution also prohibits spending tax dollars for religious institutions and many private schools in Texas have religious affiliations. Vouchers or ESA?s dont give middle class or low income families a ?choice? of school because they only pay a part of the cost of tuition. As we continue to respond to the economic and academic challenges of COVID-19, the State should not waste any time on programs that don?t truly support our students and teachers. This includes all forms of vouchers, including those for remote learning. We should look into doing a cost-of-education study to set the benchmark for optimal funding of the schools our kids deserve, covering the basics meeting special needs, and providing equal opportunity for enrichment. EVALUATING PUBLIC SCHOOLS: I believe that the best way to measure school performance is through a holistic evaluation process that involves teachers, parents, and students instead of one-size-fits all standardized testing.I think we should stop forcing teachers to teach to the test. Texas needs to end the misuse of state assessment as the main measure of success in a punitive accountability system. We should be using multiple measures to gauge student growth and guide instruction; including portfolio, performance-based assessment and measures of social and emotional learning. We should also try to utilize tests that are designed for pupils with disabilities and for English Learners. IGCs: I am in support of IGC committees because I believe that some students have extenuating circumstances that make a traditional path to graduation harder to achieve. IGC committees have been a lifeline for those students who did not pass their EOC, but have a strong desire to graduate and are willing to work hard to do just that. I am in favor of ending the sunset date for these committees because they have been a reliable way to graduate seniors while still ensuring they have the academic acumen to be successful post graduation. A-F CAMPUS EVALUATION: While I do think it is important to hold schools accountable for teaching the necessary curriculum to their students, I have hesitation about the effectiveness of the A- F grading system. I think the system has become reliant solely on the results of STAAR tests, and I do not think that takes into consideration other factors that may be causing lower test scores for certain schools. Schools with a higher number of low income students have tended to score lower, and that may be a result of other environmental and community factors unrelated to the quality of the teaching. We need a more all encompassing approach to grading our schools and then develop a comprehensive plan of action to provide any additional resources schools need in order to respond to the needs of students. We should also look at enforcing class size caps to help our teachers. The A-F grading system that evaluates schools based on the standardized test scores of students is highly flawed, and I would vote to repeal it. Research from decades of outcomes-based funding at the postsecondary level is clear, it does not work. In addition, like high-stakes testing, it pushes schools to engage in behaviors that are neither equitable nor in the best interest of students. As a Legislative Director at the Texas Capitol last session, I know the difficulties that working and teaching during a global pandemic has had on our teachers who had to deal with appraisals and certifications. The American Education Association and the National Academy of Education points out that students' test scores are affected by factors that are mostly out of the teachers? control, but are instead more affected by family circumstances and student health. ATTRACTING/RETAINING TEACHERS: No one should be working and struggling to make ends meet, especially not our teachers. I am in favor of a flat raise across the board for all state employees. I also believe that when we provide our teachers with a living wage, we will find that not doing so is costing the state a lot more money. I am also in favor of legislation introduced last session around HERO pay bonuses and $15 per hour minimum wages guarantees as a start as well. Staff, including educators, should be paid and incentivized based on their professional development qualifications and years of service. Furthermore, we also need to ensure that we offer competitive retirement packages to our teachers and continually honor the commitments we make to them.I believe the state needs to work to assure adequate training is accessible upon hiring and throughout employment. We need to stop inappropriate assignments to serve in roles for which employees are not trained. We could also increase funding for paraprofessionals? tuition scholarships to become teachers. The state should also look into establishing standards for custodian workloads based on square footage or buildings maintained. COLAs: I believe that we should be keeping up with the cost of living in our state. I believe that the amount of compensation that retired educators receive should be tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is a measure of how much goods generally cost. As we see now, inflation is on the rise, so the value of the dollar is very different. Retired teachers should be insulated from feeling those effects so intensely. The state should always make attempts to keep up with the cost of living while giving back to our state?s retired teachers. We should also be providing for a catch-up cost-of-living increase for all TRS retirees. We cannot continue to allow the state legislature to use our retired teachers for political theater. They need more than just a 13th check. We also need to expand and improve health benefits for our teachers. I think a pandemic coupled with inflation is more than enough reason to give teachers a cost of living increase. TRS CARE: I don't support our teachers being used as a political tool. That is exactly what happened in the special session of the 87th session. The 13th check, however, does not finish the job for our retirees who are burdened with the stress of financial security. We need a cost of living adjustment tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). We as state Representatives must honor our pledge to increase our contributions and work towards a realistic COLA. We need to develop a plan to ensure the sustainability of how we fund TRS Care. In the short term, more funding needs to be directed toward TRS Care to stabilize retirees on a fixed income and in the long term we need to develop a different funding structure that won?t leave our former educators holding the bill. TRS RETIREMENT: I support keeping TRS as a defined benefit plan. I would oppose any legislation that attempts to convert the Teacher Retirement System Pension Trust Fund of TRS from defined benefit to a hybrid plan or a defined contribution plan. REPRESENTING ALL CONSTITUENTS: I truly believe that working families are struggling to get ahead and public services are under attack. I hope to use my experience as a state employee, to be a strong voice on the Texas House floor for issues that are important to working families, like the need to balance the economy, defend workers? rights, secure workers? benefits, invest in public services, and ensure a secure retirement for all. Furthermore, during my time as Legislative Director for State Representative Ray Lopez, I worked to advance many pieces of bipartisan legislation that advanced the needs of all of our constituents, regardless of their political party affiliations. I am ready to serve the people of House District 70 and be a voice for those who typically would not have one. RESOURCES FOR INFORMATION ON PUBLIC EDUCATION: I make an effort to rely on publications by the Texas State Teachers Association, the Texas American Federation of Teachers and other teacher led organizations. When developing policy, I absolutely believe the perspective of teachers is necessary. As Legislative Director at the Texas House of Representatives, I made it my priority to meet with the stakeholders directly impacted by whatever legislation I was pursuing. OTHER COMMENTS: I am a product of Texas public schools and truly believe that they are the lifeblood of our state. Without strong public education most Texans would not have the chance for upward mobility in our state. I truly believe that Texas should work to keep class sizes small and students-teacher ratios low. This is especially true to improve education for our younger Texans. Greg Abbott also championed this idea in 2015 when he created a $118 million pre-k grant program. We need to work on better ideas like this, and champion them for all districts so that there aren't areas where we see districts feeling the compensation isn?t enough and choosing to opt-out. If we continue to be irresponsible with our class sizes, we will continue to see our teachers and children pay the price. We should continue to look at ways we can have a realistic conversation about class size waivers that will benefit the students.
Fully Funding Public Schools I know firsthand the value of fully funding public schools. When Mihaela was a little girl attending Brinker Elementary in Plano ISD, the state was funding more than 50% of the cost of public education. Texas has not fully funded our public schools for almost two decades and in the state that boasts the ninth largest economy in the world ? that is unacceptable. We have a responsibility and constitutional duty to ensure all of the five million children in Texas receive a world class education from highly skilled teachers in a safe learning environment with all the books, technology, and supplies they need. This vision and our duty to fulfill the Texas promise will only be possible when we fund schools by enrollment not attendance, increase the basic allotment, and index school funding to inflation to keep up with rising costs. Our schools will be transformed by this additional funding that will provide teacher raises, the ability to hire more teachers, counselors, and nurses. Schools will have more resources to secure lab equipment, modernize their technology, reduce class sizes, provide mental health support, better special education services, and more! When the state increases its share of public education funding, our property taxes go down. When the state reduces public school funding, then cities and counties raise property taxes to fund the gap. ? Reform & Reduce Recapture All the school districts in House District 70 are ?recapture? districts, meaning all of us have to send a portion of our local property tax dollars back to Austin. The state deems certain school districts as having a higher property tax base than others and therefore ?recaptures? some of those local tax dollars. There is a lack of transparency surrounding where those dollars ultimately end up and if they even stay in public education. Texas taxpayers deserve transparency and accountability with their hard-earned dollars. The way the state deems which school districts pay into recapture also has not been equitable or pragmatic. Plano ISD is the third highest payer of recapture right behind Austin ISD and Houston ISD. In 2022, Plano ISD paid almost $250 million into recapture while operating at a $48 million deficit. It?s not right and it?s not fair to the hardworking people of Collin County, that the state is taking millions and billions of our local tax dollars out of our community while failing to fully fund our public schools. ? I proudly worked with our local school districts to craft our Recapture Transparency & Reform legislation that would promote transparency, reduce recapture payments, and keep more local dollars in the community. Our efforts are continuously gaining momentum and bipartisan support! Our Recapture Transparency & Reform package includes the following five bills: Taxparency: provides transparency in taxation by informing taxpayers what portion of their property tax bill remained in the local school district and how much was sent back to the state for recapture. Early Payment Credits: allows school districts who pay their recapture payments early to receive a four percent payment reduction allowing more dollars to stay in the local school district. Keep Money in Public Schools Act: ensures that all recapture payments paid to the state remain in the basic allotment under the Foundation Schools Program and are dedicated to public school funding. Higher Yields for Public Schools: increases the minimum yield for school districts by converting two copper pennies into two golden pennies to retain more local taxpayer investment. No Funding Cuts to Public Education: protects school districts from having to pay additional recapture payments when the per-pupil funding has decreased from the previous school year. Teacher Pay Raises Our hardworking, dedicated, and selfless teachers, counselors, principals, nurses, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, school resource officers, and everyone who contributes to the safety and success of the school environment deserves a dignified wage that allows them to thrive. A salary that values them as the highly skilled and training professionals they are. We must treat our teachers with the respect, dignity, and support they deserve. Mihaela supports increasing teacher salaries by at least $15,000 across the board along with raises for all of the support staff and school district employees. Investing in our schools and the people who make them successful incubators of talent and genius, is a worthy investment and one that will yield the highest returns for our society. Vouchers School vouchers, sometimes known as ?education savings accounts? (ESAs), divert our tax dollars from our local public schools towards private schools that are not held to the same rigorous learning standards as our public schools. Vouchers deceive parents and students with promises of a better education, sometimes they mask themselves as a tool for underserved kids, but the reality is they are bad news for students, parents, and schools alike. Private schools are not equipped with the same expert professionals or resources public schools have to support and teach students with special needs and learning disabilities. Students with these special needs often return to their neighborhood public school after the private school system has failed them. There is also no transparency or accountability on how voucher money is spent making it highly susceptible to fraud. Further, vouchers perpetuate and further the inequities within our school systems and will hurt our most vulnerable students. Mihaela is firmly opposed to any and all voucher schemes no matter how they are packaged and sold to the Legislature. Any measure that would defund our public schools can count on Mihaela?s firmest opposition. Every time a vote on vouchers has come before the House, Mihaela has faithfully voted against them and they have failed to pass the House. ? Early Childhood Intervention, Pre-K, & High Quality Child Care Learning is a lifelong process that begins the day we are born and should continue throughout the lifespan. Many learning disabilities, such as autism, are often diagnosed in the first two or three years of life -- long before a child will start kindergarten at age five. However, early detection and intervention of learning and developmental disabilities leads to the best long term outcomes for the children allowing them to thrive and be independent. Texas has an Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) program which serves children across our state by providing free screenings to any family who requests one for their child. If a screening detects any disabilities or impairments, then ECI will provide the appropriate therapy, counseling, and treatment for the child and family to ensure a healthy and happy childhood. Texas had been cutting funding to ECI for years. However, during Mihaela?s freshman term, she worked closely with her colleagues in the House and Senate to finally increase funding for ECI by $6.2 million. Our efforts prevailed and we secured additional millions of funding for ECI in the final budget. This funding increase will benefit thousands of children and families across the state for a generation. ? Universal pre-k and high quality child care have countless benefits for our society! They provide children with early educational opportunities teaching them fundamental life skills, assessing key developmental milestones, and challenging them when their minds are most absorbent for knowledge and skills. Pre-k and child care also offer options for working families and ensure children are safe and learning while their parents or guardians are at work.
2025
Voted AGAINST Vouchers (SB 2)
Voted for the amendment to remove vouchers from HB 1 making it purely a school finance bill (special session 4 - 2023)
Sponsored HB 348 & HB 1376- change to funding based on enrollment (died in committee).
