I am Annie "Mama" Garcia. Three years ago, I ran for U.S. Senate. Despite a late start and low funds, I came in fourth of twelve, ahead of candidates with millions of dollars.
I am a mother, wife, lawyer, English-Spanish-German speaker, small business owner, non-profit founder, dual Spanish-American national, and proud Rice alum (go Owls!).
I am running because no candidate is prioritizing our public education, much less treating it like the crisis that the takeover is.
Did you know that the frontrunner in this race and DINO Senator John Whitmire voted for DINO Representative Harold Dutton's House Bill 1842, which led to this mess?
This is not theoretical for thousands of Houston families, including mine.
And NES is, to put it bluntly, B.S.
My goals are two-fold. First, I want the next Mayor of Houston to commit to concrete action items to save our schools. A motivated mayor could expand the Parks & Recs Department to provide after-school, summer school and tutorial services, for example.
Second, since we can no longer vote for our School Board, I want Houstonians to have the chance to voice their opposition to the takeover in a way that can be measured. My candidacy gives them that opportunity.
I may not be your mama, but I will fight for you and your family like I am.
Do you want your democratic rights back? Do you want Greg Abbott and his puppet School Board out of HISD? Get involved!
1. On November 7th, Vote Annie “Mama” Garcia for Mayor!
2. Sign up to attend an "Adios, Abbott" community organizational meeting.
3. Donate a Dollar to Mama for Mayor so I can have enough donors to participate in the only televised debate with Senator John Whitmire, who voted for the bill that led to the takeover.
4. Complete this survey to support dual language learning.
5. Pledge to attend a Board of Managers meeting or listening tour.
6. Volunteer for Mama for Mayor.
In 2021, Houston elected its last School Board. This year, the Board we elected was replaced by Greg Abbott, and in one case, our elected School Board member was replaced by her losing opponent. They only answer to the Governor, who has vowed to privatize public education.
NES curriculum is inflexible and only teaches to and measures for success according to a single test- STAAR. Evidence shows that teaching to a test lessens learning and critical thinking.
Books thrown out, librarians fired and kids read worksheets, not Where the Wild Things Are.
Kids that are deemed "distractions" are sent to detention to "learn" remotely, ensuring they will only fall further behind. If there's one thing we learned from Covid, it's that remote learning is a categorical failure.
An "uncertified teacher" is not a teacher. And that is who the district is hiring to replace actual teachers.
Dual language, IB education, Special Education resources, autism services, homeless student outreach- all of these have been cut.
Teachers are prohibited from expressing any opinion that could "damage the school's reputation".
Busing, equitable access to resources, better outcomes, special education support services- all need to be improved and are being ignored.
Since June, 85 schools have officially converted to NES and Superintendent Miles has said he will take over half of all HISD schools by 2025. Given his conviction in NES, there is no reason he will stop there, or even with Houston. All school districts in Texas are at risk.
Data show that school takeovers fail, leaving kids less educated and school districts broke.
KPRC-2, the League of Women Voters and Telemundo are teaming up to host the only televised mayoral debate. Only the 5 candidates with the most donors will be allowed to participate. Help me get on that stage and ask the other candidates "What's your plan??"
Donate a Dollar