Gina Hinojosa Rallies With the San Antonio Teachers Union in a Final Election-Eve Appeal to Educators
The Democratic candidate for governor joined the American Federation of Teachers at its North Side hall on Sunday, alongside Ron Nirenberg and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, as union members canvassed for her campaign and for Northside ISD's Proposition A.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa joined the American Federation of Teachers on Sunday in San Antonio to make a final appeal to educators ahead of Election Day, the San Antonio Current reported in a story read in full by the desk this cycle. The rally at the AFT's North Side union hall was also attended by former Mayor and current Bexar County judge candidate Ron Nirenberg and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, and aimed to energize union members as they canvassed neighborhoods for Hinojosa's campaign. Union members were also campaigning in support of Proposition A, an initiative to boost funding for Northside ISD.
"We know that schools are essential to the American dream," Hinojosa told union members. "I am running to secure the American dream. The American dream that I grew up understanding as a little girl growing up on the border in Brownsville, Texas." Prop A would bring $45 million to Northside ISD to bolster daily operations and staff salaries through a 3-cent increase in the district's maintenance and operations tax rate; for a home in the district with an average taxable value of $215,210, the increase would cost an estimated $5.98 annually, according to Northside ISD officials. Northside AFT President Melina Espiritu-Asocar said it was vital for the organization to fight alongside Hinojosa so she can help secure better wages for teachers, telling the Current that after the last legislative session districts' hands were tied on funding. Union officials argue Texas funding for public school districts has suffered under Gov. Greg Abbott's school voucher program, which allocated $1 billion in taxpayer funds to subsidize private school tuition for qualifying families; observers estimate the program will cost public districts $300 million this year, and Texas Comptroller Don Huffines has asked to expand its budget to $2 billion, the Current reported.
Hinojosa, who represented the Austin area in the Texas House for nine years and entered politics after budget cuts threatened to shutter her son's school, trails Abbott by 2.5 points according to the most recent RealClearPolitics polling average carried in the reporting; Beto O'Rourke, the Democratic candidate who came closest to beating Abbott, lost to him by 11 points in 2022. Bexar County residents cast more than 500,000 ballots during the early-voting period that ended Friday, Texas Public Radio reported. "It is hard to knock on a stranger's door. It is hard to call a stranger and engage," Hinojosa told AFT members. "But that's what we are called to do in this moment in history." Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, November 3.
