By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Texas State Representative Vikki Goodwin, who is running for lieutenant governor, attended Galveston’s Juneteenth Festival on Saturday. During her visit, she stopped to share her concerns about education in the state of Texas with me.
“On the way here, I was reading about school district budget deficits. School districts are really struggling,” said Goodwin.
Goodwin is on the state appropriations committee, and she explained to me that 4 billion dollars was left on the table that could have been spent per the state rules.
“We sent a billion dollars to vouchers,” said Goodwin. “There’s money in our budget that could be moved to our public schools.”
Goodwin earned both a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and Government and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin. She is also a small-business owner and real estate broker.
In addition to education funding, Goodwin expressed concerns about the future impact of data centers on Texas infrastructure and the growing threat posed by the screwworm.
While discussing public policy issues with festival attendees, she also took time to enjoy the celebration and visit with the vendors.
