Aramburu is a public relations professional who owns her own fitness company. She served on Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s Fitness Council, and volunteers with her local Parent Teachers Association.
Hear from the candidate
The rainy day fund increased by a billion dollars since April to $13.6 billion – is it time to spend some of that money, and if so, where?
Texas currently has $13.6 billion in the rainy day fund, as well as a budget surplus totaling around $27 billion — that’s nearly $40 billion dollars in our coffers. First, we need to fix the grid. As we head into winter, we need to make sure we can keep the heat and lights on and the water running for all Texans. The estimated cost to winterize all plants in Texas is estimated to be $5 billion to $20 billion. Second, we need to pay back taxpayers through tax credits. The rainy day fund is primarily funded by oil and gas taxes, which broke records this year due to high energy bills and higher prices at the pump. Texans also paid more in sales tax on everything from clothing to cars due to inflation. This surplus comes from taxpayers, and a portion should be repaid to them. Third, we need to invest in our public schools. When Texas received federal ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds, they used it to supplant the state’s portion of education funding instead of using it as a supplement to help with learning loss. Our schools need the state to pay what it had budgeted so we can continue to fight learning loss, increase mental health resources and make sure our schools are safe.
What would you like to see the Legislature do to make Texas cities better places to live? In what ways could state officials work better with local officials?
With the huge population growth that Texas is experiencing, we need to fund and plan for future infrastructure to ensure that cities are prepared and not simply playing catch up. Things we should be considering include developing better public transit, managing development to protect our water supply, improving the walkability of neighborhoods and building with climate change in mind. Proactive planning will save money and provide a higher quality of life now and in the future. Texas is about to receive substantial funding from the federal government for infrastructure, some of which will be designated for public transit. It is crucial to elect state leaders that will accept this funding and put it to work for Texans.
What do you consider the top challenge facing Texas and how would you address it?
Honestly, our biggest challenge has been the persistent gridlock at the Capitol caused by legislators who are unwilling to work across the aisle to create legislation that will actually solve our problems. However, I would like to address the border, which is a challenge identified by both Democrats and Republicans in my district. The recent political stunts at the border, like busing legal asylum seekers cross-country and stalling commerce with truck inspections, costs Texans a lot of money and fails to do anything meaningful to solve the problem. The constant dispatching of law enforcement is also a wasteful expense for Texans. Texas is in a unique position to partner with the federal government to ensure border security, but we must be willing to engage in the conversation. What we need are additional fully-staffed processing centers to expedite the process, humane detention conditions at the border, protection of children, allocation of resources to organizations at our border and bipartisan oversight to ensure that standards are being met regarding legal service provision and access to counsel for asylum seekers. I believe we should also use a more technological approach to border security, with more investment in surveillance equipment like drones to better monitor the border. This will go much further in actually protecting our border from human and drug trafficking operations than the methods tried thus far. I know we can secure our border without the political showmanship and gridlock from our state leaders.
We live in a time of deep polarization. If elected, how do you see your responsibility to represent all your constituents, even those who didn’t vote for you?
The only way we will solve the big problems facing Texas is by working together, across the aisle, to find the best solutions for Texans. We need to elect leaders that are willing to listen to both sides of an issue from a place of mutual respect. The problem with electing people that represent extreme views is that they are rarely willing to listen, let alone find a reasonable compromise that is in the best interest of those they serve. As a state representative, my door will be open to everyone, whether they voted for me or not.
Texas is losing thousands of teachers to burnout, political division and a perceived inability to do their jobs. How should the state respond to ensure our children get a quality education?
Teachers are the heart and soul of public schools, so it is imperative that we attract and keep the best. To do this, we must first offer them the respect they deserve as professionals by paying them a respectable wage with suitable benefits and trusting their expertise in the classroom. Right now, teacher salaries are not stagnant — they are actually decreasing. With 20 years of experience they can expect a $10,000 bump in salary, and at 35 years, an additional $8,000. I don’t know of any other industry where this would be acceptable, and it’s not acceptable for our teachers. To begin solving this problem we need to make sure public education is fully funded. The state should be contributing at least 50% of the public education budget instead of relying on property taxes to pick up the slack. The allocation of public school funds should be based on enrollment instead of attendance, which acknowledges that the cost is the same to run a school regardless of absences and allows for better planning and budgeting of resources. But it’s not all about the money. The culture wars have invaded our school system, creating difficult working conditions where teachers are threatened with legal action for simply teaching the approved curriculum. On top of that they are dealing with overcrowded classrooms and little to no room for career advancement. We need to start listening to educators to determine what is needed for them to perform at their best and use that information to move forward with solutions.
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