You might be asking yourself, “Didn’t I just vote in March?” Well, we hope the answer to that question is yes, but public education is always on the ballot, and there are two more elections in the month of May that are just as important for Texas educators.

Early voting for the May 4 election runs from April 22–30, and depending on where you live, you might have a school board trustee, bond, and/or an appraisal district board election on your ballot.

Bond dollars finance maintenance, new buildings, sports stadiums, technology, and more. This can be especially important for school staff, too, because you don’t want to work in a building without proper air conditioning or heat. Contrary to popular belief, bond money does not pay teacher salaries, but school board trustees do make decisions regarding teacher pay, as well as approving curriculum and district policy.

Some of you will also have a primary runoff election May 28, and early voting for this will run May 20–24. And in this race, many of our pro-public education legislators will need your support.

With the huge impact that bond, appraisal, and school board trustee elections can have on our public schools, what more do you need to know, and what resources are available to prepare you for these elections?

In this episode of The ATPE Podcast, ATPE’s newest lobbyist Heather Sheffield discusses the upcoming May elections—specifically, the difference between school board and bond elections and why they matter for Texas educators.