Election Results: Outcomes in Races Could Influence Legislative Session
The Texas legislative session is now in full swing, though both chambers are in the early stages of organizing and conducting other business. We’ll continue to keep you updated on all the happenings in Austin throughout the session.
Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that there was a busy close to 2024 for public education in Texas and beyond. In Texas, the State Board of Education had a productive meeting and bade farewell to a few members. In addition, political insiders spent the last couple of months of 2024 parsing through election results, and voters in other states said no to vouchers.
New instructional materials list
The SBOE at its November meeting adopted new high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) required by House Bill 1605 (88th regular legislative session), passed new requirements for school board trainers, and recognized three members who left the board.
The approved list of HQIM includes K-5 English language arts and reading and Spanish language arts and reading, K-3 English and Spanish phonics, and K-12 mathematics. The approved instructional materials are intended to be aligned with state curriculum standards and will be an option for school districts that choose to use them beginning in the 2025-26 school year.
The SBOE also strengthened eligibility requirements for school board trainers by requiring background checks for individuals seeking to be trainers, prohibiting political advocacy during training sessions, and requiring registration for all individual trainers instead of allowing entities to be registered.
Members also honored three board members who left the board for their service: Aicha Davis (D-Dallas), Patricia Hardy (R-Fort Worth), and Melissa Ortega (D-El Paso).
Election results
The November elections brought little change to the overall makeup of the Texas House and Senate, where Republicans continue to hold majorities in both chambers. Republicans gained two seats in the House and will hold an 88-62 majority, compared to the previous 86-64 majority. Over in the Texas Senate, Republicans gained one seat to increase their majority to 20-11.
Republican Don McLaughlin won Uvalde’s House District 80 to succeed retiring Democrat Tracy King, while Republican Denise Villalobos in Corpus Christi’s House District 34 won to succeed retiring Democrat Abel Herrero. Republican Adam Hinojosa defeated Sen. Morgan LaMantia, D-Palm Valley, to take Senate District 27.
While some are claiming that vouchers were a certainty after the primary elections in March, a lot will depend on the details of the various voucher proposals expected to be filed this session. Some proponents of private school choice are calling for little to no transparency or accountability of the program, while others would like to see guardrails around any program using public tax dollars.
New SBOE members
In SBOE races, incumbents who ran all reclaimed their seats. Republican incumbents Tom Maynard (District 10), Pam Little (District 12), and Aaron Kinsey (District 15) won their elections, and Democrats Marisa Perez-Diaz (District 3) and Staci Childs (District 4) won their contests.
New faces on the board include Republican Brandon Hall, who won the District 11 seat previously held by Pat Hardy (R-Fort Worth); Democrat Gustavo Reveles, who won his District 1 race to replace El Paso Democrat Melissa Ortega, who decided not to seek another term; and Democrat Tiffany Clark, who won the District 13 seat vacated by Aicha Davis.
Vouchers defeated elsewhere
Meanwhile, voters in Kentucky, Colorado, and Nebraska defeated voucher propositions presented to them on their statewide ballots in November.
In Kentucky, voters rejected, 65% to 35%, Constitutional Amendment 2, which would have allowed their state legislature to provide funding for nonpublic school voucher programs and charter schools.
In Colorado, voters rejected by a margin of 52% to 48% Constitutional Amendment 80, which would have allowed their state legislature to provide funding to nonpublic school students.
In Nebraska, voters approved, 57% to 43%, Referendum 435, which will repeal legislation that allocates $10 million annually for the state’s private school scholarship program.
Upcoming legislative conference
Don’t forget to register for the upcoming TASA | TASB Legislative Conference scheduled for Feb. 18 in Austin. Attendees will learn about education issues at the Capitol from legislators, TASB and TASA Governmental Relations staff, and other Capitol insiders. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about important legislation that will impact Texas public schools and then visit legislators at the Capitol. Learn more at tasb.org/training-events/2025-tasa-tasb-legislative-conference.
Dax Gonzalez
Dax González is division director of TASB Governmental Relations.
