Candidates backed by conservative PACs dominate school board races in Fort Worth suburbs
Candidates backed by conservative political action committees won their races in Fort Worth area suburban school board races.
Patriot Mobile, a Grapevine cellphone company that calls itself “America’s only Christian conservative wireless service provider,” poured $500,000 into a PAC to support candidates in the Carroll, Grapevine-Colleyville, Keller and Mansfield school districts, where the races included debates about critical race theory and what books are on library shelves.
Every one of its candidates won, according to unofficial results early Sunday with all vote centers reporting.
Candidates in the Carroll school district backed by Southlake Families PAC — founded by Tim O’Hare, the Republican nominee for Tarrant County judge — won big.
The PAC says it “is unapologetically rooted in Judeo-Christian values.” The candidates were also endorsed by True Texas Project, which grew out of the NE Tarrant Tea Party and was recently labeled an anti-government group.
Three candidates backed by Southlake Families won school board seats last year, including Andrew Yeager, who won in a race for a vacant seat in 2021 and won his bid in Place 7 with 70.92% of the vote to Stephanie Williams’ 29.08%.
In Place 6, Alex Sexton won with 71.37% of the vote to Laura Durant’s 28.63%.
Sexton and Yeager both ran on similar platforms on teaching students how to think and not what to think. Yeager said his focus would be education, not “indoctrination,” while Sexton believes politics shouldn’t be in classrooms, according to their websites.
Among Sexton’s other campaign visions were to invest in infrastructure and teachers while ensuring fiscal responsibility. Yeager also stressed creating a financially sound district.
Grapevine-Colleyville
Candidates backed by True Texas Project and Patriot Mobile won seats on the Grapevine-Colleyville school board.
In Place 3, True Texas-endorsed Tammy Nakamura won with 51.2% of the vote to incumbent Louie Sullins’ 48.8%.
Kathy Florence-Spradley, who was on True Texas’ recommendation list, won Place 4, with 52.48% of the vote to Dave Stine’s 47.52%.
Nakamura, who previously served six years on Colleyville’s City Council, ran a campaign focused on giving power back to parents and removing political influence from “liberal Austin lobbyists.”
Florence-Spradley’s vision including closing the education gap caused by the pandemic and putting “political differences” aside to do what’s best for students.
Keller
All of the candidates backed by the conservative KISD Family Alliance and True Texas Project won seats.
Micah Young defeated incumbent Craig Allen 63.41% to 36.59% in Place 1. In Place 2, Joni Shaw Smith won with 56.12% of the vote to Julie Nors’ 32.23% and incumbent Karina Davis’ 11.65%. Sandi Walker won easily in Place 3 with 69.25% to James Duncan’s 30.75%
Like other Conservative candidates across the school board races, Young said he wanted to keep politics out of the classroom and ensure fiscal responsibility. His platform also included support for special education and teacher retention.
One of Smith’s visions is “curbing politicization of curriculum,” according to her website. She also wanted to increase parent, teacher and student collaboration and increase transparency.
Walker also wanted to increase transparency, as well as close learning gaps and advocate for special education.
Mansfield
All four top vote-getters for the Mansfield school board were backed by Patriot Mobile.
In Place 3, Craig Tipping is headed to a runoff with Benita Reedon of June 18. He won 49.19% of the vote to Reedon’s 42.88% and Shawn Thompson’s 7.92%.
Incumbent Kenziah Valdes Farrar won reelection in Place 4 with 56.23% of the vote to Amanda Jackson Sneed’s 43.77%.
Bianca Benevides Anderson won Place 5 with 51.5% of the vote to Le Keishia Dawkins’ 15.86% and Jo Anna Cruz Cardoza’s 32.64%
Courtney Lackey Wilson won Place 7 with 57.57% to Yolanda McPherson’s 42.43%.
Like Yeager and Sexton in Southlake, one of Tipping’s campaign visions is teaching kids how to think and not what to think. He also focused on school safety.
Farrar wants to increase trust in the school board, as well as making academics the main focus and ensuring fiscal responsibility.
Anderson ran her campaign on closing education gaps, teacher retention and student safety.
None of the leading candidates responded to requests for comment from the Star-Telegram.
This story was originally published May 7, 2022 at 9:07 PM.
