Cy-Fair AFT celebrates a major election win with the union-endorsed slate of school board candidates on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
This week, election results nationwide resulted in decisive wins for candidates in local and state races who focused on real, quality-of-life issues over divisive partisan politics. In Texas, too, several local races underlined the same trend, with record off-year election turnout.
Here’s a quick look at what Texas voters had to say and what they mean for public education ahead of 2026 midterm elections.
Texas: Record Off-Year Turnout, All Constitutional Amendments Passed
According to unofficial results, nearly 3 million Texans voted in the Nov. 4 election, reflecting nearly 15% of all registered voters in the state. In comparison, 2.56 million people voted in 2023 (when a cost-of-living adjustment for retired educators was on the ballot), which was then the highest off-year turnout recorded.
This election cycle, Texans approved all 17 amendments to the state’s Constitution, and Amendments 9, 11, 13, and 15 will have direct effects on public schools. Propositions 9, 11, and 13 each reduce local property tax revenue, limiting the revenue available to public school districts and local governments. . Combined, these measures will shrink the funding pool for public schools and limit local governments’ ability to meet different community needs while providing no relief for renters. While the school finance system currently requires a state swap for lost local revenue related to proposition 13, there are serious concerns among experts about the sustainability of the state’s ability to keep up with the growing price tag, already at $51 billion in ongoing and permanent tax cuts instituted since 2019.
Our friends at Every Texan have recommendations for more targeted means of cutting property taxes that could assist lower-income Texans. Proposition 15 is framed around “parental rights” to affirm that “a parent has the responsibility to nurture and protect the parent’s child and the corresponding fundamental right to exercise care, custody, and control of the parent’s child, including the right to make decisions concerning the child’s upbringing.” While this amendment does nothing to improve the working or learning conditions in public schools, it will be used to politicize curriculum decisions and undermine the expertise of public school educators.
Local: Major Wins, Important Runoff Elections, & a Few Farewells
Texas AFT COPE, our union’s political fund, participated in a busy election cycle, supporting endorsed candidates and propositions in races in Cy-Fair ISD, Houston ISD, Aldine ISD, Socorro ISD, and Brownsville ISD, aas well as a special election in Texas Senate District 9.
A New Beginning in Cy-Fair ISD & Another Rebuke of Houston ISD’s State Takeover
In Cy-Fair ISD, voters elected three new trustees to set the direction of the school district for the next four years. Lesley Guilmart, Dr. Cleveland Lane Jr., and Kendra Camarena are educators and parents who ran on the promise of listening to the school community and working to meet those needs. Their decisive victories over Gov. Greg Abbott’s chosen candidates also means two AFT members (Guilmart and Camarena) and a current Prairie View A&M University professor (Lane) will steer the direction of the state’s third-largest school district.
All three newly elected trustees were endorsed by Cy-Fair AFT.
“Cy-Fair families don’t want hardline politicians and ideologues who voted to ban science lessons, slash bus routes, and permanently close school libraries,” said Nikki Cowart, Cy-Fair AFT president, in a statement after all the votes had been counted.
Meanwhile, voters in Houston ISD elected two new trustees on an “End the Takeover” slate. Maria Benzon (also an AFT member) and Michael McDonough will join the elected Board of Trustees, which will resume control of the district when the state takeover ends.
“When this painful takeover eventually ends, Houston educators and their students will need leaders they can trust to right the ship. No more unceremonious layoffs, no more retaliation against employees, and no more destruction of the wraparound services our students need,” said Jackie Anderson, president of Houston Federation of Teachers. “Today’s results get us a little bit closer to restoring thoughtful leadership to the Houston ISD school community.”
This victory is another electoral defeat for state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles. As Hotline readers will remember, roughly 58% of Houston ISD voters last year rejected the district’s $4.4 billion bond proposal that largely became a referendum on Miles’s leadership.
In addition to Benzon and McDonough, our members in Houston will welcome back incumbent Myrna Guidry and newcomer Felicity Pereyra; both ran unopposed and did not appear on the ballot.
A Union Leader Moves One Step Closer to the Texas Senate
Despite facing billionaire-backed opponents and Trump-endorsed challengers, Taylor Rehmet, a union organizer and Air Force veteran, advanced to a runoff election for Texas Senate District 9, capturing 48% of the vote. Rehmet’s platform was simple and focused on the working families he knows well from his work leading local and state chapters of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW): bring down the cost of living, fight for the needs of Texas workers, and support the growth of union power in Texas.
Rehmet is endorsed by Texas AFT COPE, as well as the Texas AFL-CIO. We will keep our members up to date on the upcoming runoff election and how to support our fellow union member.
Texas School Funding Measures Fall Short
It was a tough night for school funding across the state, including in Brownsville and Socorro ISDs where our members were supporting local tax measures or bond packages.
In both districts, the measures were aimed at improving facilities and stabilizing school budgets.
Brownsville’s $460 million bond package would have upgraded HVAC systems, expanded career and technical (CTE) education facilities, and built a new performing arts center. Socorro ISD, meanwhile, saw the narrow failure of Prop Aa tax swap measure that would have generated $49 million without raising tax rates. The defeat of Prop A in Socorro ISD will leave the district in a tough position with looming potential layoffs as student enrollment declines.
It’s understandable why these measures failed. Asking voters to approve new funding measures is difficult when families are already stretched thin by inflation and a tough economy. It’s all the more reason why we must hold the state accountable in the next legislative session for funding gaps that remain, even after House Bill 2’’passage this year.
“If the state would step up and pay its fair share of school funding, school districts would not be forced to go to the voters to ask for relief,” said Zeph Capo, president of Texas AFT.
An attendee at Texas AFT’s biennial convention in Dallas earlier this year. Photo by Brooke Jonsson, CCR Studios.
The Work Continues
We can’t roll down our sleeves just yet. While we won decisive races to fight extremism in Cy-Fair ISD, pushed back against the state takeover in Houston ISD, and advanced to a runoff in Senate District 9, we still have work to do for public education and working-class families.
The Nov. 4 election in Texas showed us one thing: Texans want change. Texans are frustrated with the increased cost of living, the politicizing of our public schools, and a culture war that continues to divide us. We all play a part in building a better Texas, and the future looks brighter now because of your work.
If you feel energized by this week’s results, we ask you to take one step this week to fund our fight in the upcoming runoff election, as well as next year’s elections. Donating to Texas AFT COPE helps us move the work forward to elect more educators and more allies to local and state office. Members can make direct, voluntary donations online, and anyone can make a purchase at store.texasaft.org, which acts as a donation to COPE.