Janet Dudding

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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.

Repeal ESA vouchers (SB-2). Repeal SB13 regarding book bans. Repeal SB-37 and enact legislation strengthening academic freedom from political influence. Repeal 2972 freeing campus forums from unwarranted restrictions.

I remain committed to providing social security coverage to all ISD employees in addition to TRS.

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?

I absolutely think that Texas public schools should receive additional funding - adequate to meet their needs and to provide room for growth. Repeal the ESA vouchers. Decriminalize, regulate and tax THC, stipulating in the enabling legislation where the tax revenue is earmarked, including public education, fine arts in public education, mental health and healthcare, etc. I lean toward districts having the flexibility to allocate funding where it is needed. I am a firm proponent of local control.

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?

I have nothing against private schools, but firmly believe accepting public dollars brings compliance with the rules on public dollars. I am adamantly opposed to spending tax dollars - public dollars - on private education.

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?

Grant funding to districts to assist certification.

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?

Expand the tiers to cover all district employees. Further, adjust the tiers so that social security coverage -which I am strongly in favor of for all district employees- doesn't negatively impact take home pay. The tiers can be adjusted to carry an automatic COLA metric.

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?

The state of Texas needs to provide 100% of employee coverage and a determined % of family coverage, whether spouse, child or family. It’s shameful that this is not currently in the benefit package.

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?

Absolutely. We need to protect TRS & provide COLA every year. Further, every public school employee should be covered under social security, with an adjustment to pay to ensure pay check remains “whole” when implementing, for those districts who are implementing for the first time.

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?

No. Giving a letter grade is not effective.

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?

Public health plays a strong role in public education paid for with public tax dollars. In my view, the parents’ choice is to participate or not participate in public education — with public tax dollars paying for the public education.

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?

Fully fund our public schools.

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 need more information on this. As an A&M faculty wife, I’ve been following - and am horrified - by the effects of the last legislative session on academic freedom & joint governance in Texas higher education & feel that accreditation could be jeopardized. In public education, I am aware of - and oppose - the “bluebonnet curriculum.” I need more information so that I can give the topic the deep dive it deserves.

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?

Support employees being able to direct their paycheck where they would like to direct their paycheck.