Rick Garcia
Non-Partisan | Texas
Candidate Profile
Moderate
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Rick Garcia
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2022
Election
Texas May School Board
Race
Fort Bend ISD, Position 3
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Kinesiology, 1998
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Vice President - Fort Bend MUD 165, 5
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees Position 3
Race
Previous Races
SELECTED FINANCIAL SOURCE DOCUMENTS
- Campaign Finance Report - period of 1/1/2022-3/31/2022
- Please note: The following information was received by iVoterGuide after Panel Evaluations occurred and is for additional educational purposes only.
- Campaign Finance Report - period of 4/1/2022-4/27/2022
- $500.00 contribution from Jacey Jetton Campaign (State Representative - District 26)
- $500.00 contribution from Jacey Jetton Campaign (State Representative - District 26)
- Campaign Finance Report - period of 4/1/2022-4/27/2022
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Choose not to answer
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Choose not to answer
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
School districts should be able to use taxpayer money for lobbying the state legislature.
Agree
School districts need to have the ability to advocate on behalf of their students and teachers. With 1,200 school districts, every district has their own needs.
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
• Government funding for public education needs to increase at both the federal and state levels. Too much burden is placed on local municipalities to pick up much of the slack left behind because of the overall decrease in spending, particularly at the state level. I am AGAINST "unfunded mandates" and "strings attached" funding. • I support full-day, quality pre-k for all children regardless of family background and I think the State of Texas should help support these programs through increased funding. • Both the state and federal government must also do more to make college more affordable for any and all who wish to attend.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.
Strongly Agree
School districts should not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.
Strongly Agree
Students should not be allowed to pray in school.
Strongly Agree
EDUCATION
What is the function of the local school board?
The role of a school board is one of oversight and governance. The school board hires and fires the superintendent, outlines and set priorities and direction for the school district through policy and then allows the superintendent and the executive team to implement those policies. The school board also approves the budget.
Who should have the authority to set curriculum and determine resources used in those curricula?
This is a function that the State of Texas should determine. The Texas Education Agency and the State Board of Education should set the curriculum and determine resources. The local school boards should then prepare their curriculum and determine what resources will best accommodate their students.
When should parents be restricted from speaking in school board meetings?
Parents should never be restricted from speaking at a school board meeting.
Please list in order the following priorities in relation to the role of a K-12 public school (omitting any that do not apply): Mathematics, Information Technology, Science, Political Activism, Personal Finances, Gender Identity, Physical Fitness, American History, Critical Race Theory, Language Arts, Art & Music, Vocational Learning, Sexuality, Foreign Language, Social Emotional Learning
1. Language Arts 2. Mathematics 3. Science 4. American History/Civics 5. Technology 6. Personal Finances 7. Physical Fitness 8. Vocational Services 9. Foreign Languages 10. Art & Music 11. Social Emotional Learning
American civics education should emphasize our nation's founding principles of liberty and equality.
Strongly Agree
Before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Ed (CSE) or Social Emotional Learning (SEL), they must opt-in with written parental permission.
Strongly Agree
The loss of local control in education is too high a price to pay in exchange for federal dollars.
Strongly Agree
I support the teaching of curricula (such as the 1619 Project, No Place for Hate, Second Step, etc.) that emphasizes slavery and racism as the foundation of American history.
Disagree
Parents are the ultimate authority in their child’s education and should be able to freely pursue whatever educational options they deem best for their child.
Strongly Agree
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I was born and raised Catholic and I currently attend a non-denominational Christian church. I have a strong belief in God as our Creator and I believe that everyone is created equally. I always try to embrace people of all belief systems and I try very hard to understand our differences. Per the Texas Constitution, every child deserves an appropriate education. My family are products of public education and I feel it is the best method for educating the students in our state. We have a responsibility to educate every student in the State of Texas and the United States as a whole.
I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Disagree
Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
Both parents and the schools have an obligation to teach children about sexual education. The parents are responsible for the more intimate conversations regarding sex, and relationships and the schools should be aid in educating students about sex ed as it relates to the human anatomy and reproductive system. Parents also have the right to view the sexual education course material that the schools will teach students. Middle school is the appropriate age to start teaching Sex Ed.
If you support the teaching of Sex Ed, please answer the following question: Sexual education should include these topics (list all that apply and add your own, if needed) -- Physical and emotional health outcomes; contraceptive methods; consent; abstinence; sexual orientation and gender identity; human anatomy/the reproductive system; abortion methods and side effects; stages of pregnancy and fetal development; sex acts and pleasures of sex
Physical and emotional health outcomes; contraceptive methods; consent; abstinence; human anatomy/the reproductive system; stages of pregnancy and fetal development
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
Agree
No healthcare diagnosis or treatment, whether mental, reproductive, or otherwise, should be given to a child without first receiving written consent from the parent.
Strongly Agree
No school official should be involved in the sexual transitioning of a student, including the use of alternative names and pronouns.
Strongly Agree
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
ABOUT YOU
Which of the 11 objectives specified in the Texas Education Code is your highest priority?
Objective 4: A well-balanced and appropriate curriculum will be provided to all students. Through that curriculum, students will be prepared to succeed in a variety of postsecondary activities, including employment and enrollment in institutions of higher education.
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
No
A candidate's personal moral values should not be relevant when considering a candidacy for elective office.
Strongly Disagree
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and immigration, which of the following best describes you overall?
Choose not to answer
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
..
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I am a former Fort Bend ISD educator and I am husband to a Fort Bend ISD educator. My wife has been a teacher for over 15 years and we have 2 boys who attend FBISD schools. I have been a volunteer and an advocate in this district for over a decade and I have served on numerous PTOs, leadership committees and also district committees. I am also the HOA President for the Fieldstone neighborhood and I serve as Vice President for MUD 165. I am a community leader and advocate and it would an honor to serve the entire community of Fort Bend ISD. Other Notable Accomplishments include 2019 FBISD Board Leadership Academy Graduate, Chairman of the FBISD School Boundary Oversight Committee, Current FBISD DPAC Committee Member
2ND AMENDMENT
Teachers who are licensed to carry should be allowed to carry guns at school.
Disagree
Although I support the 2nd Amendment, I believe certified police officers should be the only people allowed to carry firearms in schools.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Under what circumstances (if any) should schools be allowed to require vaccinations?
School districts today currently require vaccinations, which I think is fine. But in regards to the Covid-19 vaccinations, I am not in favor of requiring vaccinations. This vaccination is too new, and there is still much information that we do not have and parents are still unsure. So I think this is a decision that is best left up to the parents and their child.
I support mask mandates.
Strongly Disagree
