Sheryl Cole

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Survey Responses

HAS NOT RESPONDED TO THE 2026 ATPE CANDIDATE SURVEY.

Did not respond to the 2024 or 2022 candidate survey. Was unopposed in 2020.


Below are the candidate's responses to the 2018 ATPE Candidate Survey:

1. If elected, what will your top priorities for public education be?

Simply put, the state needs to invest substantially more dollars into public education. So many of the systemic issues in our education system are connected to the fact that the state has abandoned its fair share of education funding, forcing school districts to rely more and more on local property taxes and bonds, which can only provide so much. I will relentlessly fight for every additional dollar possible for public education, whether it is for creating all day universal Pre-K or to make sure every student has access to the textbooks they need. If the state will not utilize an income tax, then we need to have the conversation about modernizing the school finance formula to insure that vulnerable student populations are not losing hundreds of millions of dollars to recapture.

 

2. Is there a need to increase state funding to meet the needs of our student population? If so, how would you recommend securing more revenue for public education?

Absolutely. While my personal preference is for a state income tax, I acknowledge that it is more likely that we restructure the school finance formula to be more equitable and add more dollars to education during the budget process. As the system exists in its current form, we see districts like AISD lose upwards of a half billion dollars to recapture, despite the fact that a majority of students in district are on free or reduced lunches. That simply does not work for the school district, for the students, or for the educators.

 

3. Healthcare costs for educators have increased dramatically and outpaced the state's contributions, with many current and retired educators now paying more out of pocket than their counterparts in other states or in other professions. As a legislator, how would you address this crisis to ensure that active and retired educators have access to affordable healthcare?

We need to add more money into the system to insure that educators, both current and retired, receive the care they deserve. I am committed to supporting teachers, and hope that a majority of other legislators feel the same way.

 

4. Do you believe the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) should be maintained as a traditional defined benefit pension plan for all future, current, and retired educators, or do you support converting TRS to a defined contribution plan that is more like a 401(k) plan, in which future benefits are not guaranteed?

It is not fair for someone to put in years of service into teaching and mentoring our children, only for them to have an uncertain retirement. Educators should be secure in their futures with defined benefit plans.

 

5. What do you feel is the proper role of standardized testing in Texas's public education system? For instance, should student test scores be used for school accountability purposes, for evaluating teachers, for measuring student progress, etc.?

The state needs to walk a very fine line with how it approaches standardized testing. It does not benefit students to only teach the test and over emphasize a single round of testing. However, we cannot ignore the use of standardized testing as a possible benchmark for student and school progress. Standardized testing should be used as a factor when evaluating the state of public education in Texas, but it should only be part of a more holistic view that takes into account many more factors when measuring success.

 

6. Would you support a state-funded across-the-board pay raise for all Texas classroom teachers?

Yes, and not in the form of Gov. Abbott's unfunded mandate, but as part of an increase in our investment in education.

 

7. To what extent should student performance determine teacher pay?

It is a very slippery slope to allow the legislature to set teacher performance pay standards when school finance is already based on an inequitable formula. Educators do not always have the freedom to pick the kind of district, school, or classroom they will work in, and they should not be punished for putting in hard and often thankless work with our at-risk student populations. I do support a pay raise for teachers due to their hard work in cultivating the future of Texas, but it should be done fairly, equitably, and not at the expense of districts and schools with less funding.

 

8. Would you vote to create any type of voucher, tax credit, scholarship, education savings account, or other program aimed at paying for students, including any subpopulation of students, to attend non-public K-12 schools, such as private or home schools?

I believe that the state's responsibility is to first and foremost fund public education. I acknowledge the many success stories of charter schools, especially in inner city programs across the United States. But when Texas is already behind on its monetary investment in education and the funds we are given to work with are very limited, I will be prioritizing public schools over private or home schools.

 

9. State law allows educators and other public employees to voluntarily choose to join professional associations like ATPE and have membership dues deducted from their paychecks at no cost to taxpayers. Do you support or oppose letting all public employees use payroll deduction for their membership dues?

I absolutely support allowing public employees to use payroll deduction for membership dues. I know that the Dues Check Off fight did not end with the last legislative session, and I am very prepared to defend the right of the worker to organize in future sessions.

 

10. Current law allows school districts with accountability ratings of "C" or better to become Districts of Innovation (DOIs) and exempt themselves from many state statutes, such as elementary school class-size limits, requirements for hiring certified teachers, and more. Would you recommend any changes to the criteria for becoming a DOI? Would you place any limitations on the state laws that can be waived by DOIs?

I understand the desire to innovate within education in Texas when school districts are asked to do so much and are given so little. DOIs can be a very powerful tool for a school district, but I am also wary that they can grant too much freedom at the expense of teacher job security, community input and involvement, and certain meaningful regulations. I respect that DOIs were created with bipartisan support, but I do believe it is reasonable to reexamine their progress and make sure that our school districts are not harming our students with the decisions they make. I would welcome this process as a chance to make sure we are treating students, faculty, and staff with the respect and due diligence they deserve, while promoting progress we might find that DOIs have made.