Finding Information About Candidates


How do I know how my legislator voted on education issues? Where do I find out what legislators, other elected officials and candidates say about their stance on public education?

Ask them yourself. Attend a candidate forum, call their offices, or write them with your questions. Here are questions to ask:

  • How will you make education a top priority for Texas?
  • Will you support restoring the education funding cut in 2011, as well as providing sufficient funding for our growing student population?
  • Will you support revising school finance laws to be fair to all Texas students?
  • Will you work to end the structural deficit that has led to cuts in public education?
  • What will you do about the broken testing system, including over-testing of our students?

Use these resources to find voting records and answers to surveys.

Save Texas Schools is nonpartisan and does not endorse particular candidates, but we do encourage you to research to see whether your vote is going to a candidate who will support high quality public education for all.

 

Texas Parent PAC is bipartisan and endorses pro-education candidates. More information can be found at www.texasparentpac.com.

 

Teach the Vote lists candidates for the Texas legislature (coming mid-April) and State Board of Education (now available), including voting records and answers to surveys about education support. Go to www.teachthevote.org

 

Texas AFT has information on how legislators voted on key education bills in the 2011. Click on We’re Watching, We Remember and We Vote. The site also has excellent information about the specific effects of budget cuts on districts, and data from teachers about how cuts affect their classrooms.

 

IDRA (Intercultural Development Research Association) has developed interactive maps that quickly show exactly how much each district has been affected by budget cuts. This is great information to have when talking with candidates! Also, you can tell your story about how cuts are affecting you and see what others in your area are saying. Go to idra.org and click on Fair Funding Now.

 

Other resources include: the Texas Tribune website, which has extensive general information about legislators and candidates; the Texas Observer website; local political party websites; and the Texas League of Women Voters website. Also remember to check the candidate’s own websites, which often gives you a quick idea of his or her legislative priorities. You can also share what you are finding out with others through local Save Texas Schools Facebook pages. If you want to set up an education-centered candidate forum in your area, please let us know-we may be able to help or find others with whom you can partner.

 
 

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