Write a new simple attractive title based on the title from The People for Public Schools – Part One and dont use quote marks

By Rio Grande Guardian Staff

MCALLEN, Texas – Top supporters of Thomas Ray Garcia’s campaign for the Texas State Board of Education appeared on stage to give their endorsement.

They included Sara Barrera, who served as master of ceremonies, Sylvia Tanguma, president of the McAllen Chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, Meagan Sullivan, a Sharyland ISD school board trustee, and John Ball, a candidate for the Texas 13th Court of Appeals, Place 6. 

Held at McAllen’s historic Cine El Rey, the campaign rally was titled “The People for Public Schools.”

Here is Sara Barrera:

Here is Sylvia Tanguma:

Here is Meagan Sullivan:

Here is John Ball:

Marking his 33rd birthday surrounded by local educators, community leaders, and grassroots supporters, South Texas College English professor Garcia laid out a spirited defense of public education. Garcia, running as a Democrat for the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) District 2 seat, framed the upcoming election as a defining moment for the future of public schooling across South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.

Drawing heavily on his personal journey growing up in a working-class, single-parent household, Garcia credited local public school classrooms and libraries with giving him “his only shot” at success—a path that led him to Princeton University before returning home to serve his community. Highlighting his early work founding the College Scholarship Leadership Access Program (CSLAP) at age 19, Garcia emphasized that public schools possess the transformative power not just to educate students, but to unite individuals from diverse backgrounds and empower them to return and uplift their communities.

Addressing key policy issues, Garcia voiced sharp criticism of recent state curriculum rewrites and privatization efforts, pledging to resist partisan agendas and special interest groups attempting to influence classroom instruction. Rejecting high-stakes “teaching to the STAAR test,” his platform prioritizes core reading and math proficiency, expanded career and technical education (CTE) pathways, support for skilled trades, clear routes for military enlistment, and increased mental health resources for students across the 14-county district.

Pointing out that Hidalgo County has not sent a representative to the 15-member SBOE in nearly 45 years, Garcia stressed the urgent necessity of having a local educator represent the district’s nearly two million residents. Framing his campaign for the tightly contested District 2 seat as a community-driven movement rather than a partisan battle, Garcia closed the event by urging attendees to actively engage local voters through door-to-door canvassing and small grassroots contributions to power the campaign ahead of Election Day.

Editor’s Note: The above story is Part One in a two-part series on “The People for Public Schools.” Part Two will appear in our next edition.