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It may seem early, but the 2008 election season is already upon us. Candidates must declare their intent to run for office by January 2, and the Republican and Democratic primaries will be held on March 4 (see related note below).

The outcome of this election season will shape the events of the 2009 legislative session. Rest assured that teacher salaries, high stakes testing and its relationship to teacher salaries and appraisals, school safety, teacher legal protections and the Texas Teacher Retirement System will all be hot topics in the 2009 legislative session. If TCTA and our members are to be successful in creating better conditions for teachers and students, we must have a Legislature composed of individual lawmakers who are willing to listen to the teacher perspective.

Teachers made great strides in exercising their political muscles in 2006, and we don’t want those muscles to atrophy from lack of use! Being an informed and involved voter is as easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Learn about the candidates

2. Spread the word

3. Vote!

WHAT TO EXPECT THIS SEASON

We’re anticipating the usual level of political drama this time around. Speaker Tom Craddick is expected to be a strong subtext in many House races. Political observers predict that Craddick will be using his considerable financial resources to help not only loyal legislators, but also Republican challengers to incumbent legislators known to oppose his leadership. Some voters may also consider candidate opposition to or support of Craddick as a litmus test, though the average voter may not make that a crucial factor in choosing a candidate.

Polls show frustration with government at both the state and national levels, which may serve to favor challengers; it is likely that we will see fewer incumbents going unchallenged this election cycle, and veteran lawmakers may be faced with a “throw the bums out” sentiment among their constituents.

As we saw in 2006, many legislative districts were drawn to heavily favor one party over the other; thus, many of the crucial races will take place in the March primary. Educators and their supporters will have to be vigilant to discern crucial education policy differences, if any, between the candidates. However, the November general election will provide several showdowns as well – Democratic party officials maintain that several Republican districts are vulnerable and both parties will be pouring resources into those areas.

The presidential election could throw a few kinks into Texas politics. Dissatisfaction with the presidential candidate for either party could result in voter apathy or inattention to individual state races; on the other hand, enthusiasm for certain candidates could bring out sections of the populace that are historically under-represented at the polls.

TCTA is gearing up for the elections by updating our TexasTeachersVote.org website with new information on state races, candidate information, and what you can do to make a difference. We’ll be sending out questionnaires to candidates for the Texas House and Senate in January–if you have a question to include on our candidate survey, let us know via an e-mail.

TEA ADJUSTS STATE TESTING SCHEDULE TO ALLOW FOR PRIMARY ELECTIONS

TEA has announced that the state testing calendar will be adjusted to ensure that no TAKS exams are given on the March 4 primary election day. Under the new calendar, all tests scheduled for March 4-6 will be given one day later than originally scheduled. Teachers and other school employees unable to vote on primary day are strongly encouraged to take advantage of early voting (February 19 - 29). Local newspapers will carry information about early voting sites, and members can contact the TCTA Legislation Department for more details at 1-888-879-8282 (toll free).

Web posted: 11/29/07 from The Classroom Teacher, Winter 2007

Updated: 01/16/08