Issue Position: A New Direction for a Changing Texas

Issue Position

Texans are growing tired of the political posturing of extremists.

They want solutions, not slogans. They want new policies that reflect the rapid changes occurring in this state instead of the old ideas that are no longer effective.

It's time for a leader who focuses on the work at the state capitol, not the nation's capitol.

Restore Our Public Schools
In 2011, extremists -- that included my opponent -- recklessly attacked our neighborhood schools. Thousands of teachers lost their jobs, classroom overcrowding soared, and children were burdened with time-consuming standardized tests.

Did they fix the problem when they returned to Austin in 2013? The answer is no.

There's still a teacher shortage. There are still too many overcrowded classrooms. There are still too many standardized tests.

The state government is even violating its own Constitution, and nearly 600 school districts have gone to court to force the state to meet its responsibilities to our children and local taxpayers.

I'm determined to turn things around with common-sense reforms that will make a difference for all children. My goals for public education are clear:

Slash standardized testing so teachers are free to teach and children are free to learn
Reduce the teacher shortage by raising their pay from the nation's 38th lowest among the states and D.C. to the national average
Oppose schemes that would siphon off precious education dollars to private schools or to corporate, for-profit charter schools
Cut bureaucratic red tape from Austin and restore local control by parents and taxpayers
Stop Playing Politics With Health Care
If you listen to extremists, you'd think Washington is the source of all health care problems. They sure don't want you to examine what's going on in Texas.

Thanks to extremist politics, impoverished women were cruelly cut off from critically needed tests for breast and ovarian cancer. We need to restore the program so more women are able to survive these lethal diseases.

Our state has the nation's highest number of children without health insurance. Yet, extremists said no to our children and their health care.

Maybe it's time to say no to them.

Pro-Opportunity Is Pro-Business
I am a public school teacher, but I also operate three successful small businesses. I know what it takes to meet a payroll and to make a profit. No one could be more pro-business than me.

In my experience, a successful small business is where honest, hard work intersects with golden opportunity. Texans are willing to do the work, but sometimes the opportunities remain out of their reach. That's why I believe the most pro-business thing we can do is to create more opportunities to succeed.

However, it is not pro-business to allow payday lenders to prey on desperate low-income families. It is not pro-business to pay women less than men for the same work. It is not pro-business to hand out tax dollars to dishonest corporations and political insiders.

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