Benita Reed
Non-Partisan | Texas
Candidate Profile
Leans Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Benita Reed
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2022
Election
Texas School Board Runoff
Race
Mansfield ISD, Place 3
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Grambling State University, Grambling, Bachelor of Arts, 1990
Texas Southern University, Houston, Master of Arts, 1994
Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce, PhD, 2021
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Koinonia Christian Church, New Membership Ministry Leader, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
Member, TCC English Faculty Hiring Committee, Committee Member
Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education, Member, Autism Speaks Walk
Volunteer, St. Jude's Stand Against Cancer, Volunteer
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
NA
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
NA
Race
Previous Races
ENDORSEMENTS
LIBERAL (1)
Junior Ezeonu
OTHER (1)
Kurt Johnson
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (7)
Arlington Board of Realtors
Mansfield Organization of Voting Educators (MOVE)
Black Mansfield Moms (BMM)
Black Mansfield-Ambassadors for Change (BMAC)
Kurt Johnson, Grand Prairie City Council
SELECTED FINANCIAL SOURCE DOCUMENTS
Appointment of a Campaign Treasurer - 2/17/2022
OTHER INFORMATION
Application for a Place on the Ballot - 2/17/2022
Code of Fair Campaign Practices - 2/17/2022
Party Primary Election Voting History for Benita Charla Reed (as of 3/1/2022) during time of residence in district and/or at current address:
- 2020 Party Primary: Democratic
- 2018 Party Primary: Democratic
- Voted in four Democratic Primaries 2000-2016
Texas A & M Dissertation - DISCOVERING VOICE THROUGH MULTIMODAL WRITING: AN ANTI-RACIST MODEL FOR WRITING INSTRUCTIONS (Full Copy)
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Strongly Agree
I, firmly, believe that health related issues should be reserved for family decisions.
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Strongly Agree
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.
Disagree
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
I support it; we can see the benefits of it. Such programs like state school tuition and summer time lunches for students are examples. Here in MISD, programs like school tutoring help our academic growth and development of students and Choice Schools empower the community to select schools that best support the academic interests of students.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.
Agree
The educational environment is a space for academic exchange, so students can and should speak freely.
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.
Disagree
I believe children should be afforded the opportunity to meditate, pray, work on their deep breathing skills, or do visualization exercises.
EDUCATION
What is the function of the local school board?
The function of the local school board is to provide local, citizen governance and oversight of education. The school board governs the district with the advice of the superintendent. It outlines the vision, structure, accountability, advocacy, and unity needed to provide local educational services that will promote excellence in student academic achievement.
Who should have the authority to set curriculum and determine resources used in those curricula?
The MISD Board of Trustees designates the Superintendent as the curriculum leader in charge of establishing procedures for the design and delivery of the curriculum consistent with the Board’s adopted mission and applicable goals, State laws, and State Board of Education (SBOE) rules. The Board deems it essential for the school system to continually develop and modify its curriculum to provide a common direction of action for all instructional and programmatic efforts to meet changing needs.
When should parents be restricted from speaking in school board meetings?
MISD School Board Meetings require parents, along with anyone else, who would like to speak to first complete the appropriate documentation to request approval to speak at the school board meetings. The current guidelines state when parents are able to speak, or not, and I agree with those.
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
Language Arts, Mathematics, Personal Finances, Science, American History, Information Technology, Vocational Learning, Foreign Language, Social Emotional Learning, Physical Fitness, Art & Music
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.
Agree
Parents should have autonomy regarding such topics; these are topics that parents may desire to discuss and facilitate at home.
The loss of local control in education is too high a price to pay in exchange for federal dollars.
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.
Neutral
I personally believe a comprehensive approach should be taken when discussing the foundation of American history.
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 am Christian; therefore, I believe and live according to Christian values.
I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Neutral
I support making a team or committee decision that serves in the best interest of our students when allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
Parents are responsible for teaching sex education to their children, and they determine the appropriate age when it should be taught.
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
Not applicable. I believe that parents should teach their children Sex Ed.
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.
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 2: Students will be encouraged and challenged to meet their full education potential.
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.
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?
Moderate
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
n/a
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I am Dr. Benita Reed, the loving wife of a military veteran who works in law enforcement and the devoted mother of five beautiful children. I have been in education for every 30 years. I have taught 8th grade English Language Arts and 7th-8th grade STAAR test preparation. I have taught and still teach all student populations--special education, 504, general education, and GT and honors students. I have had 4 years of administrative experience, so I have evaluated and revised contracts, evaluations, policies, and programs, etc. I know the benefit of reallocating funds to ensure students and educators have the resources necessary to be successful. Currently, I teach composition and literature courses at Tarrant County College. I am an advocate for all students who believes in excellence in education, readiness, and accountability. I, humbly, ask for your support and your vote. Remember, when you go to the polls, vote Dr. Benita Reed for Place 3 MISD.
2ND AMENDMENT
Teachers who are licensed to carry should be allowed to carry guns at school.
Neutral
The Constitution says that everyone should have the right to bear arms.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Under what circumstances (if any) should schools be allowed to require vaccinations?
Parents should be given autonomy to determine if their child should receive vaccinations.
I support mask mandates.
Neutral
I support the local government while giving parents autonomy to determine if their child should wear a mask.
