Weatherford Republican Brandon Hall is challenging a longtime incumbent for a seat on the State Board of Education.
Hall announced his campaign Dec. 6 after dropping his initial bid for the Texas House. He faces Fort Worth Republican Pat Hardy, who is seeking her seventh term, in the March 5 primary.
Both want to represent District 11, which covers most of Tarrant County, parts of Johnson and Dallas counties and all of Parker, Hood and Somervell counties.
Hall, a pastor in Parker County, vowed to be a defender of conservative ideals and educational freedom, he said in a news release. He said he wants to give parents control of the District 11 seat.
“In the fight to empower parents and establish school choice, conservatives need a united front across every office,” Hall said in a news release. “Pat Hardy has spent two decades wrapping Texas education in red tape and doing the bidding of liberal education organizations.”
Hall and his wife, Ashley, previously led a ministry outreach and mentorship programs for at-risk youth in Chicago. The couple helped enroll and raise tuition funds for 14 students, according to a news release.
Hardy was last reelected in 2022.
Typically, State Board of Education members serve four-year terms — except in the election after redistricting. Board members draw for either a two-year or four-year term after their districts are redrawn to stagger when seats are up for election.
The winner of the Nov. 5 election will serve a four-year term.
The 15 State Board of Education members receive no salary, but are reimbursed for expenses incurred for attending regular and special meetings in Austin.
Jacob Sanchez is an enterprise journalist for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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