Additional Information

First elected to the Texas House in 2022. Current term expires January 2027.

Endorsed in the 2022 general 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.

Previously ran unsuccessfully for the Texas House in 2020.

 

• HOUSE VOTE #1 - 2025: PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS

  Voted not to table (kill) an amendment to place the school voucher on the November ballot and allow voters to decide if they wanted school vouchers. ATPE supported the amendment and thus was against the motion to table.

  House Floor Amendment 3 by Rep. James Talarico (D–Round Rock) to Senate Bill 2 by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe) and sponsored in the House by Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado), 89th Legislature, Regular Session. During its April 16, 2025, debate on school vouchers, the House voted to table this amendment, which would have placed the voucher on the ballot in November. (Record vote #244. View an official record of the vote in the House journal. The amendment was tabled and thus did not make it into the bill.)

• HOUSE VOTE #2 - 2025: PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS

  Voted no on a bill that established an education savings account (ESA) program. ATPE opposed the bill.

  Senate Bill 2 by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe) and sponsored in the House by Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado), 89th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill would have established an education savings account (ESA) voucher program. On April 16, 2025, the House voted to pass the bill on second reading. (Record vote #286. View an official record of the vote in the House journal).

• HOUSE VOTE #3 - 2025: SCHOOL FUNDING/TEACHER PAY

  Voted yes on a bill that provided public school funding, teacher pay raises, and allotments for teacher preparation, among other things. ATPE supported the House’s version of the bill.  

  House Bill 2 by Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado), 89th Legislature, Regular Session. The version of the bill originally voted on by the House provided public school funding through the Basic Allotment, teacher pay raises, and allotments for teacher preparation. On April 16, 2025, the House voted to pass the bill on second reading. (Record vote #286. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.) This version of the bill was stripped in the Senate and replaced with a version that did not provide a significant increase to the Basic Allotment. The Senate version is the version that was signed by the governor.

• HOUSE VOTE #4 - 2025: STUDENT DISCIPLINE

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

  House Bill 6 by Rep. Jeff Leach (R–Plano), 89th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill provides additional authority for teachers to remove disruptive students, mandates that removed students receive equivalent instruction or support while out of class, introduces a “return to class” plan, and requires school districts to offer telehealth mental health services. On April 15, 2025, the House voted to pass the bill on second reading. (Record vote #196. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.)

• HOUSE VOTE #5 - 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), 89th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill requires school districts to adopt a written policy that prohibits student use of personal communication devices during the school day, with limited exceptions for students on 504 and IEP plans. On April 23, 2025, the House voted to pass the bill on second reading. (Record vote #425. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.)

• HOUSE VOTE #6 - 2025: TESTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY

  Voted yes on an amendment that would have added an accountability pause to the STAAR testing reform bill. ATPE supported this amendment. 

  House Floor Amendment 1 by Rep. Mary Gonzalez (D–El Paso) to House Bill 4 by Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado), 89th Legislature, Regular Session. The amendment would have provided a two-year pause on punitive accountability provisions in the Texas Education Code during the initial implementation of HB 4 so that districts could adopt the new testing system without concern over issues such as campus closure or district takeovers, which are closely tied to test scores. On May 13, 2025, the House voted against the amendment and passed the bill on third reading. (Record vote #2255. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.)

• HOUSE VOTE #7 - 2025: PARENTAL RIGHTS

  Voted no on an omnibus bill, dubbed the "Parents Bill of Rights", which restated existing rights and created new bans, compliance and reporting on 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 May 24, 2025, the House voted to pass the bill on second reading. (Record vote #3499. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.)

• HOUSE VOTE #8 - 2025: LIBRARY MATERIALS

  Voted no 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 that 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 requires. On May 26, 2025, the House voted to pass the bill on second reading. (Record vote #3580. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.)

• HOUSE 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) and sponsored by Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado), 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 May 28, 2025, the House voted to pass the bill on third reading. (Record Vote #3832. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.)

• HOUSE VOTE #10 - 2025: TEN COMMANDMENTS

  Voted no on a bill that would have required the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom. ATPE opposed the bill. 

  Senate Bill 10 by Sen. Angela Paxton (R–McKinney) and sponsored by Rep. Candy Noble (R–Lucas), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill requires every educator to display the Ten Commandments in their classroom. On May 24, 2025, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (Record Vote #3494. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.)

• HOUSE VOTE #11 - 2025: TESTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY

  Voted no on a bill that modifies and rebrands the STAAR test. ATPE was neutral on the bill with significant concerns, asking for a pause on punitive aspects of the accountability system and a commission to study the issue further. 

  House Bill 8 by Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado), 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 26, 2025, the House voted to pass the bill on second reading. (Record vote #76. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.)

• HOUSE VOTE #12 - 2025: TESTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY

  Was absent for a vote to concur with Senate amendments to House Bill 8. ATPE was neutral on the bill with significant concerns, asking for a pause on punitive aspects of the accountability system and a commission to study the issue further. 

  House Bill 8 by Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado), 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. The Senate stripped out a House amendment that would have reduced testing to the federal minimum. The Senate also added a comprehensive, newly adopted amendment that makes several significant modifications to testing and accountability policy. Read more about the Senate changes here. On September 3, 2025, the House voted to concur with Senate amendments. (Record vote #157. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.)

• House Vote #1 - 2023: PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS

  Voted for a budget amendment to prohibit state funds from being spent on private school vouchers. ATPE supported the amendment.

  House Floor Amendment 45 by Rep. Abel Herrero (D–Robstown) to House Bill 1 by Rep. Greg Bonnen (R–Friendswood), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. During its April 6, 2023, debate on the budget bill, the House passed this ATPE-supported amendment banning use of state funds for a private school voucher. (Record vote #111. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.) The amendment passed but was later stripped out of the final budget bill.

• House Vote #2 - 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), 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 3, 2023, the House voted to pass the bill on third reading. (Record vote #914. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.) The Legislature ultimately passed a Senate version of the bill.

• House Vote #3 - 2023: PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS

  Voted against a motion to allow the House Public Education Committee to meet for the purpose of voting on a new version of a private school voucher bill that had not been publicly vetted. The House refused to grant permission for the meeting.

  This vote taken May 10, 2023, prevented the House Public Education Committee from holding a previously unscheduled meeting to rush through a last-minute vote on a controversial voucher bill that had not been publicly vetted. Committee Chairman Brad Buckley (R–Salado) requested permission for his committee to meet while the full House was still in a floor session. Rep. Ernest Bailes (R–Shepherd) objected to the motion and called for a record vote. The vote denying permission for the committee to meet was a pivotal point in stopping the push for vouchers during the regular session. Read more about the vote here. (House Record vote #1464. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.)

• House Vote #4 - 2023: SCHOOL FUNDING

  Was absent for the vote on a bill to change funding formulas for school districts and the minimum salary schedule.

  House Bill 100 by Rep. Ken King (R–Canadian), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill intended to make funding formulas enrollment-based rather than attendance-based. It also called for condensing the minimum salary schedule to a three-tiered schedule covering 10 years, which ATPE opposed. On April 27, 2023, the House voted to pass the bill on third reading. (Record vote #595. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.) The Senate later added a private school voucher provision to the bill, which resulted in HB 100’s failure to pass.

• House Vote #5 - 2023: SCHOOL FUNDING

  Voted for an amendment to raise the Basic Allotment to $6,500. ATPE supported the amendment.

  House Floor Amendment 7 by Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer (D–San Antonio) to House Bill 100 by Rep. Ken King (R–Canadian), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The amendment would have increased the Basic Allotment from $6,250 to $6,500. On April 26, 2023, the House voted to reject the Martinez-Fischer amendment. (Record vote #564. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.)

• House Vote #6 - 2023: TEACHER PIPELINE

  Voted for an omnibus bill that proposed several regulatory changes and a one-time stipend of $2,000 for teachers. ATPE opposed the bill as 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), sponsored in the House by Rep. Harold Dutton (D–Houston), 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 opposition to it here. On May 23, 2023, the House voted to pass the bill on second reading. (Record vote #2021. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.) The bill ultimately died in the House when it was withdrawn from consideration on third reading.

• House Vote #7 - 2023: TEACHER RECRUITMENT/RETENTION

  Voted for a bill to address teacher recruitment and retention through increased funding for incentive pay and other initiatives.

  House Bill 11 by Rep. Harold Dutton (D–Houston), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. This bill aimed to improve teacher recruitment and retention through increased funding for incentive pay and other initiatives. Read more about the bill and ATPE’s position on it here. On April 26, 2023, the House voted to pass the bill on second reading. (Record vote #563. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.) The bill later died in the Senate.

• House Vote #8 - 2023: SCHOOL SAFETY

  Voted against 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), 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 28, 2023, the House adopted the Conference Committee Report on HB 3, approving final passage of the bill. (Record vote #2229. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.)

• House Vote #9 - 2023: SCHOOL COUNSELORS

  Initially voted for a bill that removed the requirement for school counselors to have prior experience as a classroom teacher. After the vote was taken, the representative entered a formal comment in the House Journal indicating that they intended to vote against the bill. ATPE opposed the bill.

  Senate Bill 798 by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R–Galveston), sponsored in the House by Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill removed the requirement for school counselors to have prior experience as a classroom teacher. On May 16, 2023, the House voted to pass the bill on second reading. (Record vote #1750. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.) The bill was finally passed the next day and ultimately became law.

• House Vote #10 - 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 Mayes Middleton (R–Galveston), sponsored in the House by Rep. Cole Hefner (R–Mount Pleasant), 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 8, 2023, the House voted to pass its version of the bill on second reading. (Record vote #1280. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.) The Legislature ultimately passed a compromise version of the bill.

• House Vote #11 - 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), sponsored in the House by Rep. Greg Bonnen (R–Friendswood), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill provides a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and 13th check for retired educators. On May 28, 2023, the House voted to adopt the conference committee report on SB 10, approving final passage of the bill. (Record vote #2210. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.)

• House Vote #12 - 2023: ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION

  Voted for a bill that modified the requirements for accelerated instruction to make them less burdensome for teachers and schools. ATPE supported the bill.

  House Bill 1416 by Rep. Keith Bell (R–Forney), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill was a clean-up for 2021’s House Bill 4545 (87-R), which required accelerated instruction for students who failed a STAAR exam. Based on feedback from teachers and school districts, HB 1416 reduced the hours of accelerated instruction required per subject and raised the teacher-student ratio to make it more manageable. On May 19, 2023, the House voted to concur in the Senate amendments to HB 1416, approving final passage of the bill. (Record vote #1873. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.)

• House Vote #13 - 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), 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 April 19, 2023, the House voted to pass HB 900 on second reading. (Record Vote #334. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.) The bill was ultimately approved by both the House and Senate and became law.

• House Vote #14 - 2023: PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS

  Voted for the Raney amendment that stripped voucher language from an omnibus education bill, thereby stopping the last attempt to pass vouchers through the Texas Legislature in 2023. ATPE supported the amendment.

  House Floor Amendment 2 by Rep. John Raney (R–Bryan) to House Bill 1 by Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado), 88th Legislature, fourth called Special Session. The amendment removed voucher provisions from an omnibus education bill, effectively stopping the last attempt to pass vouchers during the 2023 legislative sessions. Read more about the amendment here. On Nov. 17, 2023, the House voted to adopt the Raney amendment. (Record vote #56. View an official record of the vote in the House journal.)

Candidate Survey Responses

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DID NOT RESPOND TO THE 2024 ATPE CANDIDATE SURVEY.

 

Did not respond to the 2022 candidate survey.

BELOW ARE THE CANDIDATE'S RESPONSES TO THE 2020 ATPE CANDIDATE SURVEY:

1. If elected, what will be your top priorities for public education?

Educational under funding did not end with a stopgap measure. We must come to a long-term solution to fund our schools now and into the future. We must attract and retain quality teachers by adequately compensating them for their services.

 

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?

State funding is the most realistic option. Local governments know their community best.

 

3. How would you address the challenge of rising healthcare costs facing Texas educators and ensure that active and retired educators have access to affordable healthcare?

That should be determined by the cost of living, nothing else. The rising costs in TRS Care for retire must be offset by increased benefits to our retirees.

 

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?

Defined benefit plan, because that was the deal and it is much safer.

 

5. What do you feel is the proper role of standardized testing in Texas's public education system? For instance, should student test scores be used for school accountability purposes, for evaluating teachers, for measuring student progress, etc.?

STAAR testing can be hard on a student if they feel that they didn't perform as well as they'd like. No standardized testing is most ideal. It is not an accurate measurement of the student's abilities. Teachers know their students better than a standardized test. Merit pay should not be tied to test performance. Testing does not necessarily demonstrate a student's potential for success.

 

6. To what extent should student performance determine teacher pay?

As I said before, merit pay is unfair and should not be linked to the student's test performance.

 

7. 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, and especially not to public vouchers. It does not improve their academic performance.

 

8. 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?

As you said above, memberships to professional associations like ATPE are a person's right. It supports a healthy working environment for educators and other public employees.

 

9. 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?

The priority should be increase funding and finding a long-term sustainable funding mechanism for public education.

 

10. Recent legislation has made it possible for school districts to exempt themselves from many state laws (e.g., class-size limits, requirements for hiring certified teachers, minimum salary schedules, school calendar restrictions, etc.) by partnering with outside entities, allowing campuses to be managed by a charter school operator, or becoming part of a District of Innovation, for example. Do you agree with this type of deregulation of public schools, and how should such non-traditional schools be governed?

There must be an equal standard for our children's education. The state must do its part in making sure all our students are being educated enough.

Additional Comments from Candidate on Survey

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No additional comments