Experience that Matters
Texas Born & Raised
Product of successful public schools
Fourteen years of experience teaching middle school reading and English in public schools
Advocate for public school students and teachers
Background
Born and raised in the heart of West Texas, I am a product of successful public education. Numerous teachers impacted my life during my time in public schools, and I decided in the fourth grade, with Mrs. Rogers, that I wanted to become a teacher. In later life, it helped me build relationships with my students as I taught English and reading in middle school for fourteen years. I am proud to say I was recognized by the State of Texas as an “exemplary” teacher.
In February of 2020, a student of mine won a state-wide contest called Letters About Literature in which students submit a letter written to the author of a recent favorite book. We were scheduled to travel the week after spring break to the Texas Library Association’s annual conference, where she was to present this letter. Needless to say, as the pandemic closed in, we never made that trip. Looking back, I feel like that moment marked the beginning of the end of my career as an educator. Leaving school that fateful Friday, the 13th, we had no clue how rapidly things would change during the next few months.
Texas had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reimagine education during the pandemic, but instead, legislators and school board trustees at all levels seemed to double down on issues that educators had been ringing warning bells about for over a decade. The issues surrounding high-stakes testing, inadequate and sometimes inaccurate curriculum, and overburdened schools have not been resolved. Instead, the pandemic seemed to amplify [and further politicize] them.. I witnessed firsthand the impact that state-level decisions can have on educators, students, and campuses as a whole.
Teacher Support
Our educators are the backbone of the education system. I will advocate to provide them with the resources and support they need to excel in the classroom.
End High-Stakes Testing
Standardized testing is detrimental to students, teachers, and education in general. Every aspect of school is affected negatively by the pressure surrounding this system.
Curriculum Excellence
I will endeavor to ensure that the curriculum is engaging, as well as inclusive and factual, and that it prepares our students for the challenges of the modern world.
Funding
Public school funds should finance public schools, not private or charter schools as they are not held to the same standards and are not required to accept all students.
I need your help!
District 15 covers 87 counties., so having contacts in each county is imperative. If you live in one of these and would be willing to share my information or host a meet and greet, please fill out the volunteer form as soon as possible! Donations are most welcome as the cost of travel is at the top of the list.
Andrews, Archer, Armstrong, Bailey, Baylor, Borden, Briscoe, Brown, Callahan, Carson, Castro, Childress, Cochran, Coke, Coleman, Collingsworth, Concho, Cottle, Crane, Crosby, Dallam, Dawson, Deaf Smith, Dickens, Donley, Ector, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Gaines, Garza, Glasscock, Gray, Hale, Hall, Hansford, Hardeman, Hartley, Haskell, Hemphill, Hockley, Howard, Hutchinson, Irion, Jones, Kent, King, Knox, Lamb, Lipscomb, Loving, Lubbock, Lynn, Martin, McCulloch, Midland, Mitchell, Moore, Motley, Nolan, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Reagan, Roberts, Runnels, Scurry, Shackelford, Sherman, Stephens, Sterling, Stonewall, Swisher, Taylor, Terry, Throckmorton, Tom Green, Upton, Ward, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, Winkler, Yoakum, Young
Resources
The Voucher Scam
is an exposé on one of the most critical issues facing public education today – education vouchers, hosted by Claire Campos-O’Neal and Nichole Abshire and brought to you by the Mothers for Democracy Institute (M4DI)
This audio documentary charts how Texas dictated American education over the last sixty years and examines how the fight over our childrens’ classroom has only intensified today.
Contact
PO BOX 65409 Lubbock, TX 79464
Call: +806-680-2564
Email: MorganforSBOE15@gmail.com
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Paid for by the Morgan Kirkpatrick for SBOE 15 Campaign