This November, Austinites will cast their vote in dozens of elections at the federal, state and local level, with many of these outcomes affecting the future of public education in Texas.

The state’s public education system serves 94% of school-age children in Texas—a system that is foundational to how well everything else in local communities function, said Libby Cohen, senior director of advocacy for Raise Your Hand Texas.

“It’s so important to not just how our communities function now, but how they’re going to be able to thrive 10, 20 years from now as the kids currently sitting in schools grow up and enter the workforce,” she said. “People who care about public education should be paying attention to each level of their ballot and thinking about how that connects to their public schools.”

Ensuring voters are informed about public education before heading to the polls is critical, as the state representatives and school board members who are elected have direct influence on the policies that govern local schools.

“I think it’s important educators be involved and that they vote, because it directly impacts our livelihoods and the content of what we teach in our classroom,” said Traci Dunlap, a local educator and advocate for Raise Your Hand Texas. “I want to have a voice and give input into my profession.”

The state’s role in public education

Part of the challenge for organizations like Raise Your Hand Texas stems from the fact that state government in many ways is the most invisible layer of government, unlike local or national politics, Cohen said.

“Mayors are often very visible in communities, and your school board leader may be your neighbor,” she said. “Federal legislators or the president populate the evening news or your Facebook newsfeed. But oftentimes, state government isn’t showing up.”

Part of the work Raise Your Hand does is to elevate the visibility and awareness of state government, including the fact that these bodies of government are key decision makers when it comes to public education, which is an issue that touches people of all ages in concrete ways. However, many Texans may not know the state controls a multitude of policies surrounding public education, including the accountability system; teacher workforce issues like teacher pay; how much districts can raise their tax rates; and the amount of funding each student receives.

“The Texas legislature is the 300-pound gorilla in the room when it comes to making decisions about how public schools function in their state,” Cohen said. “Your local school board is figuring out how to operate in a context that’s set by the state, and the legislature plays a decisive role in crafting that legislation.”

Public education does not just impact members of the community who have children, it affects everyone, Dunlap said.

“One of my favorite quotes is a James Baldwin quote that says, ‘For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for what they become,’” she said. “It’s to everyone’s benefit to have a well-funded, effective public school system.”

From voter to public education advocate

For any Austinites looking for more of a hands-on approach to local public education issues, the first and most important step is to vote and be an informed voter, Cohen said. There are a variety of resources for that, whether it’s League of Women Voters’ voting guides and Texas Educators Vote’s Who Does What in Public Education explanatory tool, or the Association of Texas Professional Educator’s Teach The Vote candidate profiles.

Beyond voting, becoming an advocate is a year-round process, not something that just happens during election season or during the state legislative session. The first step to effective advocacy is finding people to do it with, which is where the Regional Advocacy Directors at Raise Your Hand Texas can be a real help, Cohen said.

“Our Regional Advocacy Directors [RADs] are encouraging and nurturing an engaged constituency all across the state, 365 days a year,” she said. “If you’re interested in figuring out how to plug into that work, we want people to reach out to those RADs.”

The team is composed of 13 directors across the state. They work to understand the challenges and accomplishments of public schools in their regions, educating them about public education policy and the policy-making process, and connect lawmakers and education stakeholders to one another. During legislative sessions, regional advocacy directors mobilize advocates to support or oppose specific legislation.

“Those [groups] can be a great avenue as well for saying, ‘How can we gather the resources and people assembled here and make sure we’re being supportive of our local public schools?’” Cohen said.

Before heading to the polls this November in Austin, there are several local issues to watch, including five Austin ISD school board seats up for election out of nine total seats on the school board.

“These candidates, whoever ends up winning, will determine our new superintendent,” Dunlap said. “It’s a big deal.”

Additionally, Dunlap said she hopes voters will pay attention to issues like teacher retention before casting their ballot.

“That is something where I wish they would listen to teachers. We’re able to tell them what we need,” she said. “Ask any teacher, because we’ll tell you what we need to stay and would entice more people into the profession.”

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