Public Education
Texas public schools should come first.
After Gov. Abbott received more than $12 million from a billionaire donor to push vouchers through, Rep. Dyson delivered a $1 billion plan that gives $10,474 per student for private schools, predominantly for students already there, while public school students get only about $55 more and teachers are still paid $10,500 below the national average.
Dyson sponsored and voted for that $1 billion private-school voucher program while serving as a trustee of a private school participating in the voucher program. That kind of overlap raises serious ethical questions and undermines public confidence that public decisions are being made solely in the public interest. Texans have every right to ask whose interests were being served.
Texas public schools are the backbone of our communities. They educate every child who comes through the door, prepare the next generation for work and citizenship, and hold neighborhoods together. They should be fully supported — not undermined by policies dictated by donors that divert public tax dollars away from the classrooms, teachers, and students who depend on them.
Our tax dollars belong in public schools.
Texas has the 9th largest economy in the WORLD.
Texas has the economic strength to lead the nation in public education — if we choose to invest in students, teachers, and neighborhood schools. After 30 years of Republican rule, Texas has fallen from upper middle to 43rd and now sits 34th overall — that is not good enough for a state with our resources and our potential.
Among the states with the four largest economies, the pattern is clear: states that invest below
Source: Public School Rankings by State: World Population Review, US Dept of Education, Public School Spending Per Pupil: census.gov; How much each state spends on Public school students, ranked: Business Insider -- compiled by GPT-5.4 average perform below average. States that invest in public education lead.
I’ll fight to:
Fully fund public schools
Stop the state takeover
Strengthen neighborhood schools
Repeal vouchers
Keep public dollars in public education
Dedicate a portion of THC excise tax to public school fine arts education
Pay teachers what they deserve
Great schools depend on great teachers. But Texas teachers are still paid about $10,700 below the national average. That is not how we recruit the best, keep experienced educators in the classroom, or respect the people shaping our children’s future.
I’ll fight to:
Raise teacher pay to the top tier nationally
Improve teacher recruitment and retention
Treat educators like the professionals they are
Stop voucher giveaways
Public tax dollars should stay in public schools. Voucher schemes send taxpayer money to private schools, primarily for students already enrolled there, while neighborhood public schools are expected to do more with less.
I’ll fight to:
Stop private school voucher giveaways
Keep public money in public education
Invest in the schools that serve every child
Audit every penny of state funding spent on vouchers
Protect school employees
Every ISD employee deserves real retirement security. The people who support our students every day should be able to count on the benefits they have earned.
I’ll fight to:
Cover all ISD employees under TRS and Social Security
Protect retirement security for school workers
Support the full public education workforce
Ethics and integrity
Texans deserve leaders who put the public interest first. When politicians, wealthy donors, and private interests all benefit from the same public decisions, trust is broken and accountability suffers.
I’ll fight to:
Hold public officials to the highest ethical standards and enforce those standards
Put transparency and accountability first
Stand up to political insiders and special interests