Chris Oldham

Voting records currently not available. Please check back later.

Survey Responses

RESPONSES TO THE 2026 ATPE CANDIDATE SURVEY:

1. If elected, what are your top priorities for Texas public education?

Please describe any specific goals or legislative initiatives you would pursue to strengthen the state’s public education system.

I am opposed to the TEFA act and will work to repeal this act if elected.  I also am very opposed to the current Republican proposals to eliminate property taxes which support school districts.  I am a strong proponent of keeping accountability for Texas Schools at the community level instead of at the state level.  I believe any state mandated resources at schools should come with matching funding to support these requirements.  I believe the curriculum for Texas schools should be determined by educational professionals, not appointed political cronies.  I feel strongly that public schools should not be forced to promote any particular religion or belief over another.  Faith is a private matter and should be taught by parents and churches.

2. Public Education Funding:

The 89th Legislature passed an $8 billion school funding bill, HB 2. However, despite years of unanswered “inflationary challenges, a large majority of that funding was earmarked to specific programs and did not supply districts with significant flexible funding, leaving the majority of Texas students in districts with deficit budgets and other significant funding challenges. Do you believe Texas public schools should receive additional funding? If so, how should the state pay for it, and should that funding be earmarked at the state level or provide districts with flexible dollars?

Texas ranks in the bottom third of states with regard to per student funding for public education.  I strongly believe that additional funding for public schools is needed and that there are other state revenue streams from which at least some of this funding could be paid for.  One thing that I believe will help is changing the funding formula so that its based on school enrollment instead of attendance.

3. ESA Vouchers:

Education savings accounts (ESAs) redirect public funds to private or home schools. How do you believe Texas should fund public schools, traditional and charter, alongside ESA vouchers? How should ESA spending be held accountable to taxpayers?

Let me begin by saying that I believe this bill should be repealed.  Public funds should not be used for charter, private, or church schools.  Education expertise in the state of Texas lies within our public school districts.  ESA funded schools should be held accountable to the same testing, open meeting, and other requirements that our public schools are held to.

4. Teacher Recruitment and Retention:

Under HB 2, passed in 2025, all educators in core content courses (math, English, science, and social studies) must be certified by 2030. While this is a good start, more can and should be done to ensure high-quality teachers continue to enter the classroom. What are your suggestions to improve the quality of the new teacher pipeline?

Some ways that the teach recruitment pipeline can be improved is (1:  Implementing Sustainable Paid Residencies that allow student teachers to complete a full-year of paid residency under a master teacher.  2):  Expand a "Grow your Own" program where we provide pathways for local paraprofessionals and instructional aides to earn degrees and certifications with state-funded tuition assistance.  3):  We need to modernize Mentorship by providing stipends and "release time" for veteran teachers to act as on-site coaches for new hires ensuring that no first year teacher is left in a sink or swim situation.  4):  A high quality pipeline requires a a competitive starting salary.

5. Educator Pay and Benefits:

The 89th Legislature passed legislation creating a new mechanism to provide only classroom teachers with tiered raises based on early years of service and their district’s student enrollment. While the raises were significant, they did not apply to all campus educators, and the program created a significant negative funding stream at the district level due to unfunded increased costs for non-salary compensation tied to payroll, such as TRS retirement contributions. Do you support a state-funded across-the-board pay raise for all Texas educators? How would you ensure that compensation keeps pace with inflation and remains competitive with other professions?

I fully support a state-funded, across-the-board pay raise for all campus educators—not just those in specific tiers. To address the negative funding stream issue, I would advocate for the following:  1):  Fully funded allotments which cover each districts increased TRS contributions and payroll taxes so that the raise is not a not loss for local budgets. 2):  Index the basic allotment to the Consumer Price Index.  By tying the per-student funding to inflation, we ensure teachers salaries stay competitive without requiring a political fight every two years!   3):  I will fight to ensure that the state provides  a stable, permanent, formula based funding process to that our districts aren't forced to raise local property taxes just to keep the lights on.

6. Educator Health Care:

The high cost of health insurance for active and retired educators continues to reduce take-home pay, with educators shouldering the vast majority of their ever-increasing heath care costs. How would you address the affordability and sustainability of educator health care, particularly the TRS-ActiveCare and TRS-Care programs?

For TRS educators, I propose that the state increase its contribution to TRS Active Care. The current contribution of $75 has not been increased in almost 20 years.  I propose that the state of Texas double this contribution to lower the monthly sticker price for teachers.  I support using surplus funds to create a "Premium Guardrail" policy that limits annual premium hikes to no more than 5%.  This action will help ensure that a teacher's pay raise isn't immediately swallowed up by health insurance. For TRS-Care I believe the most important strategy is supporting a "Protect the Trust Fund" approach.  I support moving to a permanent funding stream so retirees aren't left wondering if their healthcare will be funded every two years.

7. Retirement Security:

Do you believe the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) should remain a defined-benefit pension plan for all current and future members? If not, what is your plan to provide a secure retirement for Texas educators, particularly considering that state law has been set up such that most districts do not participate in Social Security?

I must certainly do believe that the Teacher Retirement System should remain a defined-benefit pension plan. In the business world, a lot of companies abandoned fix-benefit pensions in the early 2000's and replaced them with 401K programs.  I can tell you first hand that retirees would have been much better off had fixed benefit pensions been maintained.  This was a "gift" to corporations and fundamentally changed the structure of the American middle class.  At least individuals in the business world had Social Security to fall back on if their own contributions fell short of their retirement needs.  If there are no Social Security benefits for retiring teachers, the state must be willing to maintain strong fixed benefit pensions to continue to attract and retain teachers in the public education system.

8. Accountability and Assessment Reform:

The Legislature has passed a new “through-year” multi-test model under HB 8. What role should standardized testing play in evaluating students, teachers, and schools? Should test results continue to determine A–F accountability ratings or teacher pay?

I'll be honest here, this is a little beyond my level of knowledge.  However, I have real concerns about using standardized testing and A-F grades for schools and teachers without understanding students ability to learn to standardized expectations.  I think there is plenty of evidence which shows that schools in affluent communities have a real advantage when it comes to performance on standardized testing.  I believe public schools are woefully underfunded to provide poorer students with the extra time and resources needed to overcome these barriers to performance.  In short, I give the concept of using standardized testing as the means for grading school effectiveness and "F" since it doesn't fully take into account cultural, language, and other deficits students face or provide schools with the appropriate resources to create a level playing field.  There are some aspects of the Student Success Tool that are positives like the 48-hour turnaround for results.  Parents should have to wait until summer to find their child was struggling in November.  However, its concerning to me that HB 8 gives the Commission of Education more power to change the accountability standards without legislative approval.  I will fight to ensure that the Commissioner cannot unilaterally move the goalposts on our local districts.  We must ensure that the SST measures true student growth and doesn't just penalize schools for where a student starts in September.  Accountability should reward prgress, not just a final score.

9. Parental Rights and Community Voice:

Recent legislative debates have focused on “parental rights” in education. In your view, what is the appropriate balance between accommodating the often conflicting wishes of individual parents while maintaining policies that reflect the broader community’s educational priorities and still providing consistency and an appropriate level of professional deference to educators?

I've reviewed a summary of the 2025-2026 "Parental Rights" Landscape and it's disturbing.  For example, the "Written Opt-In for all Services" provision ending passive consent to screenings/counseling.  In my opinion, this should be a partnership, not an opt-in or opt-out situation for the well being of a student.  I want to say that I trust educators and professionally trained staff more than I trust many parents who do not necessarily have the skills or education to serve the best interests of their children.  I realize how that sounds, but there is a reason we trust our children to be educated by professionals!  When children have special needs (emotional, learning, etc.) parents may not have the means or understanding required to help a student thrive. The 24/7 access to lesson plans provision seems to me to increase the administrative burden for teachers if they didn't already have enough to contend with.  Petitions for book removals from libraries is just ludicrous.  I believe in the power of parental partnership, however we must ensure that our school libraries remain centers of academic excellence.  If these committees must exist, we must ensure that these councils work WITH our certified librarians rather than sidelining them.  I think a real weakness of this bill is the shift in authority from professionals to non-professionals.

10. School Safety:

HB 3 (2023) imposed new school safety requirements but did not fully fund them. Although the 89th Legislature increased the School Safety Allotment, many districts continue to face substantial unfunded staffing and facility costs associated with school safety laws. How would you make schools safer and ensure the state provides adequate funding to meet safety mandates?

I believe any state mandated resource requirement should be accompanied by full state funding for these mandated resources.  I believe community mental health resources are key to making schools and our society safer. By funding improved healthcare including mental healthcare, our communities will be safer because law enforcement can focus on real criminal activity instead of serving as a first line of treatment for mental health issues.

11. Curriculum and Local Control:

What do you believe is the proper role of the State Board of Education, the Texas Education Agency, and local school districts in setting curriculum standards and selecting instructional materials?

I believe the proper role of the state is to provide a framework, while the proper role of the local district is to provide the expertise.  The State Board of Education should focus on setting a broad, rigorous Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills; to ensure that a diploma in one district has the same academic weight as a diploma from any other district in Texas.  I believe the role of the TEA is to act as a supportive resource for districts, ensuring that instructional materials meet state standards.  I believe local school districts must maintain the ultimate authority over instructional material selection.  Our professional educators are best equipped to meet the needs of their students.

12. Educator Rights and Professional Associations:

State law allows educators and other public employees to voluntarily join professional associations such as ATPE and have membership dues deducted from their paychecks at no cost to taxpayers. Do you support or oppose allowing public employees to continue exercising this right? Why or why not?

I support the continuation of this practice to eliminate any barriers in participating in professional associations.  I'm not sure why this is an issue?  If employees are paying associate dues voluntarily and public school employees benefit from the enrichment these organizations provide, it seems like providing payroll deductions for them would be a win/win proposition.