Public education changes lives. It will be a key priority of mine as a legislator, as it has been in for me as a community member and policymaker.
I learned to value public education as a child. Seeing few good options ahead for himself in the factory town of Torrington, Connecticut, my dad Ernest Tovo dropped out of high school to join the army. He later completed his GED—becoming the only member of his family to graduate from high school—attended college on the GI Bill, and became a public school teacher and administrator. My sister taught special education in the public schools, and my mother was a public school nurse. My siblings and I, and my own daughters, all graduated from public schools.
My dad believed, as I do, that everyone has a right to an excellent education, and that we all need to fight for that right when necessary.
Our Republican governor and legislators have targeted our public schools, whether it is passing private school vouchers, banning books, continually underfunding our system.
If elected to the legislature, I’ll advocate for:
- full funding of our public schools, including increasing the basic per-student allotment
- implementing a school accountability system that relies on more than just standardized scores on tests like the STAAR and its replacement
- policies that support students in achieving academic success
- an end to private school vouchers, book bans, TEA takeovers, and other measures that threaten access to the equitable, high quality public education all students deserve
Trusted. Tested. Tough.
I’ve been advocating for public education here in AISD and Texas for nearly 20 years—and achieving demonstrable results.
As a community member:
- Helped lead the successful effort to keep Becker and Oak Springs Elementaries open (2006)
- Co-wrote and secured AISD approval to create a tuition-based option for the pre-Kindergarten program at Becker Elementary to help boost enrollment (2006)—an option that has expanded to include many (perhaps all) of the district’s pre-K programs
- Collaborated with city staff in developing the Educational Impact Statement, a tool to improve communication between city and AISD staff about zoning and zoning code changes that could impact school enrollment
- Served on AISD’s Community Committee on Neighborhoods and Schools, which among other recommendations outlined plans for how the district should work with schools at risk of closure to boost enrollment; set standards for community engagement; and made specific recommendations for improved communication between AISD and the City of Austin (2007–08)
- Served on the City of Austin’s Families and Children Task Force aimed at developing recommendations for retaining more families with children in Central Austin and better supporting neighborhood schools (2007–08)
- Served on AISD’s Facilities Master Plan Task Force and co-wrote an alternative report opposing the closure of nine schools and outlining specific recommendations for increasing revenue and better utilizing district facilities (2010–11)
- Presented Planning Commission with report on options for creating joint use facilities involving the city and school district
As a Council Member (2011–2023) and Mayor Pro Tem (2015-2019):
(Selected service)
- During the pandemic, secured city funding for a free meals program that provided more than 1.3 million free meals to caregivers of AISD students and employed 100 people
- Supported the City of Austin in joining AISD’s lawsuit challenging school finance
- Led or supported successful initiatives to provide city funding for afterschool programs, parent-teacher support specialists, and Family Resource Centers at AISD schools, to help alleviate AISD’s budget challenges
- Appointed by City Council to serve alongside other elected officials on the Joint Committee of AISD, Travis County, and the City of Austin (2011–2022)
- Co-sponsored formal City Council conversations exploring the feasibility of a tax swap in which the City of Austin would provide financial assistance to AISD not subject to recapture
- Regularly participated in school reading days, role model days, and other programs at area schools across the city
- Participated in and spoke at numerous public education programs and rallies sponsored by the Out of School Network, Save Texas Schools, the coalition to save Pease Elementary, and other organizations
