Additional Information

First elected to the Texas Senate in November 2024. Current term expires January 2029.

Advanced to a runoff for Texas Senate District 30 in the 2024 Republican primary election.

Supported by one or more anti-public education organizations or individuals in the 2024 Texas primaries. Also endorsed in the 2024 Republican primary election by Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who supported many candidates in this election cycle based on their support for private school vouchers.

In the 2024 primary election, the Dallas Morning News editorial board declined to issue an endorsement for any candidate in the Republican primary in this race.

• SENATE VOTE #1 - 2025: TEACHER COMPENSATION

  Voted yes on a bill that would have increased pay for some teachers based on district size and years of service.

  Senate Bill 26 by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 89th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill created a Teacher Retention Allotment (TRA) with a tiered raise based on district size and teacher years of service. The $4.3 billion bill would also have expanded the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) performance pay program while removing guarantees of future pay raises. The bill did not include raises for other educators, including counselors, school nurses, librarians, classroom aides, and other support staff. On February 26, 2025, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) Read more about the bill here. The bill ultimately died in the House, but the Teacher Retention Allotment (TRA) was incorporated into HB 2, the omnibus school finance bill, which did pass.

• SENATE VOTE #2 - 2025: SCHOOL FUNDING/TEACHER PAY

  Voted yes on a bill that increased school funding and teacher pay. ATPE supported the bill.

  House Bill 2 by Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado) and sponsored by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 89th Legislature, Regular Session. While it did not significantly increase the Basic Allotment, this omnibus school finance bill does direct significant funding to target programs, such as increased teacher pay; created the Support Staff Retention Allotment (SSRA); and expanded funding for teacher preparation and mentoring programs. It also made targeted increases to special education and small district allotments among other things. On May 23, 2025, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)

• SENATE VOTE #3 - 2025: STUDENT DISCIPLINE

  Voted yes on a bill provides teachers and administrators with more tools to handle student discipline. ATPE supported the bill.

  House Bill 6 by Rep. Jeff Leach (R–Plano) and sponsored by Sen. Charles Perry (R–Lubbock), 89th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill provides educators more authority to remove disruptive students, requires “return-to-class” plans, and expands telehealth access for mental health services. On Thursday, May 22, 2025, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)

• SENATE VOTE #4 - 2025: CELL PHONES

  Voted yes on a bill that requires students to put away their cell phones from bell to bell during the school day. ATPE supported the bill.

  House Bill 1481 by Rep. Caroline Fairly (R–Amarillo) and sponsored by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 89th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill requires districts to adopt a written policy prohibiting student use of cell phones, smartwatches, or other devices during the school day, with exceptions for students covered by IEPs or Section 504 plans. On May 25, 2025, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)

• SENATE VOTE #5 - 2025: PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS

  Voted yes on a bill that established an education savings account (ESA) program. ATPE opposed the bill.

  Senate Bill 2 by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 89th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill would have established an education savings account (ESA) voucher program. On February 5, 2025, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal).

• SENATE VOTE #6 - 2025: TEN COMMANDMENTS

  Voted yes on a bill requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom. ATPE opposed the bill.

  Senate Bill 10 by Sen. Angela Paxton (R–McKinney), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom. On March 18, 2025, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)

• SENATE VOTE #7 - 2025: PARENTAL RIGHTS

  Voted yes on an omnibus bill restating existing rights and/or creating new compliance and reporting regulations over various culturally divisive issues

  Senate Bill 12 by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe) and sponsored in the House by Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado), 89th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill largely bans diversity, equity, and inclusion practices for public schools as well as transitioning assistance or student modifications (such as using a preferred name or pronoun), discussion of gender identification, and student clubs based on sex or gender; increases existing consent requirements for receiving physical and mental health care and switches consent for human sexuality curriculum from opt-out back to opt-in; adds new or enhanced state and local reporting requirements for facilities, ISD board members, library records, course syllabi and suspected criminal activity; restates existing parental rights; requires additional opportunities for parental engagement with school boards and teachers; and creates new grievance processes. On March 19, 2025, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)

• SENATE VOTE #8 - 2025: LIBRARY MATERIALS

  Voted yes on a bill that impacted the rights and requirements associated with school library materials, including those in classroom libraries.

  Senate Bill 13 by Sen. Angela Paxton (R–McKinney) and sponsored by Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado), 89th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill requires that teachers and librarians catalog the books in their libraries and post the lists online for parents to review and opt their child out of access to check out individual titles. It bans the inclusion of books in schools that include content which falls under updated definitions of harmful, indecent, or profane and requires districts to create a library materials review committee if at least 20% of parents and students request it or at the discretion of the school board. The bill provided no funding to accomplish the significant mandates it required. On March 19, 2025, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)

• SENATE VOTE #9 - 2025: SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING

  Voted yes on a bill that increases funding for special education by transitioning to service-intensity-based funding, among other provisions. ATPE supported the bill.

  Senate Bill 568 by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R–Houston), 89th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill transitions special education funding to eight service-intensity tiers beginning in 2026–27, increases extended school year funding, and requires annual school board discussions of special education performance. On April 7, 2025, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)

• SENATE VOTE #10 - 2025: TESTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY

  Voted yes on a bill that modifies and rebrands the STAAR test. ATPE was neutral and provided suggestions about improving the bill, including a pause on punitive aspects of the accountability system.

  House Bill 8 by Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado) and sponsored by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R–Houston), 89th Legislature, Second Called Special Session. The bill creates a through-year testing framework and expands commissioner authority over the state’s accountability system, while also placing time restraints on the commissioner to notify districts about changes to the cut scores. On August 27, 2025, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)

Candidate Survey Responses

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Did not respond to the 2024 ATPE Candidate Survey.

Additional Comments from Candidate on Survey

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