Serafin Farias
Non-Partisan | Texas
Candidate Profile
Moderate
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Serafin Farias
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2022
Election
General
Race
Conroe ISD Board of Trustees, Position 1
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Texas A&M University, College Station, Mechanical Engineering, 2000
University of Phoenix, Houston, MBA, 2004
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Doctor of Medicine, 2011
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Catholic Church, Member, Cochran's Crossing Village Association
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
SELECTED FINANCIAL SOURCE DOCUMENTS
Campaign Finance Report - period of 8/14/2022-9/29/2022
Please note: This information was received by iVoterGuide after panel evaluations occurred and is for additional educational purposes only.
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
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Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
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ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
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School districts should be able to use taxpayer money for lobbying the state legislature.
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What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
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RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.
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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.
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Students should not be allowed to pray in school.
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EDUCATION
What is the function of the local school board?
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Who should have the authority to set curriculum and determine resources used in those curricula?
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When should parents be restricted from speaking in school board meetings?
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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
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American civics education should emphasize our nation's founding principles of liberty and equality.
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.
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The loss of local control in education is too high a price to pay in exchange for federal dollars.
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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.
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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.
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VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a practicing Roman Catholic.
I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
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Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
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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
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Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
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No healthcare diagnosis or treatment, whether mental, reproductive, or otherwise, should be given to a child without first receiving written consent from the parent.
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No school official should be involved in the sexual transitioning of a student, including the use of alternative names and pronouns.
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ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
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ABOUT YOU
Which of the 11 objectives specified in the Texas Education Code is your highest priority?
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Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
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A candidate's personal moral values should not be relevant when considering a candidacy for elective office.
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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?
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Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
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Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
WHY I’M RUNNING My family and I have lived in our school district for over 8 years. I have 4 children currently enrolled in the district attending elementary through junior high. I am running for a seat on the school board because as the father of 4 Conroe ISD children, I am fully invested into the success of our schools. I have experience first-hand the education many of our children are receiving in our school district. I have seen the incredible love and sacrifice our school district employees have given to teach our kids, and I have observed the strain imposed upon them by the rapid growth of our district. Two years ago I decided to run because I felt our school district needed to focus more on the areas most important to the education of our kids. It is my goal in running to do just that. I will strive to put a focus on teaching our children the skills and knowledge they will need to be successful once they graduate from high school. It is my goal to focus on academics. It is my goal to focus on education. Our district is good, but it can be better. Conroe ISD is considered a “B” (89) school district according to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) this year. I intend to focus on what it will take to become an A school district. This focus is important to our children today, and it is important to the children that will come through our district in the future. The unfortunate truth is that although we have parts of the district that are A-rated, parts of the district are C-rated. The confluence of these areas brings our overall average level to a B. If we want to improve our district, we must put more focus on these areas and ensure that our educators have the resources and support they need to be successful. It is our responsibility to ensure every child of Conroe ISD is given the best education possible. I am running because I have ideas I believe will benefit all schools in our district. A key focus will be to lower the student-to-teacher ratio. According to our district's home page, we have “68,000+” students. According to the TEA, we had 4,110 full-time equivalent teachers in 2021. This makes our student-to-teacher ratio a little over 16.5:1 when the average in Texas is 15:1. Focusing on improving this metric is one way we can improve all of our children’s educations. I think we have a good, strong school district, but believe there are several areas we can focus on and improve. Improve our teacher-to-student ratio as this directly affects how well teachers teach, and how well our children learn. Our district’s growth has outpaced the number of teachers we have and this is directly affecting our children’s education. We must hire more teachers. Ensure our teachers have highly competitive pay. We must seek to retain the valuable men and women that work tirelessly to educate our children from kindergarten through 12th grade. Increase the availability of after-school academic activities. I have a passion for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and would encourage us to improve our district in these subject areas. I’m particularly passionate about competitive UIL mathematics. It’s available in our district but its reach can be widened. Ensure a diploma from Conroe ISD will mean more in the future. Our district needs to focus on making sure our children are well prepared for college, life, and work after graduating high school. I believe my perspective and experience will help improve our district. I will be a tireless advocate for improving our children’s education and making our Conroe ISD even stronger.
2ND AMENDMENT
Teachers who are licensed to carry should be allowed to carry guns at school.
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OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Under what circumstances (if any) should schools be allowed to require vaccinations?
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I support mask mandates.
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