Brandi Burkman

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Brandi Burkman

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Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Odessa High School

Personal

Birthplace

Lubbock, Texas

Religion

Christian

Profession

Healthcare management

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal Instagram

Brandi Burkman ran for election to the Leander Independent School District to represent Place 4 in Texas. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Burkman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Brandi Burkman was born in Lubbock, Texas. She earned a high school diploma from Odessa High School and attended the University of Texas. Her career experience includes working in healthcare management.

Elections

2024

See also: Leander Independent School District, Texas, elections (2024)

General election

General election for Leander Independent School District Place 4

Incumbent Anna Smith defeated Brandi Burkman and Zach Zayner in the general election for Leander Independent School District Place 4 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Anna Smith (Nonpartisan)	48.8	35,024
	Submit photo	Brandi Burkman (Nonpartisan)	38.4	27,582
	Submit photo	Zach Zayner (Nonpartisan)	12.8	9,174

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 71,780
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Burkman in this election.

2022

See also: Leander Independent School District, Texas, elections (2022)

General election

General election for Leander Independent School District Place 2

Incumbent Gloria Gonzales-Dholakia defeated Brandi Burkman in the general election for Leander Independent School District Place 2 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Gloria Gonzales-Dholakia (Nonpartisan)	50.6	31,998
	Submit photo	Brandi Burkman (Nonpartisan)	49.4	31,177

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 63,175
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Brandi Burkman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Burkman's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

We bought our home in Leander over 20 years ago and am a mother of three children that have gone through the Leander ISD system through different capacities. My oldest two children had the opportunity to experience LISD when it was a destination district, but I have recently enrolled my youngest daughter in a local charter in order to protect her from ideologies that do not align with our family’s religious and moral values. I have been an outspoken voice in the community about the decline in academics, sexually explicit reading material, and concerns over the district’s wasteful spending of educational funds.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Academics have declined in LISD. MAP assessment results show that kids perform better at the beginning of the year than they do at the end of the year. This trend must be reversed. Software spending has increased 237% while textbook spending has declined 74% and every software curriculum vendor is aligned to Common Core State Standards and infuses SEL. Returning to more traditional methods of learning with textbooks as the core curriculum source will get children's learning back on track.
• Teacher Retention is a critical issue. LISD loses on average 500 teachers each year. In every other industry, it's well known that people quit managers, not jobs. Our teachers deserve to be supported and that starts with ending restorative justice practices and returning the authority of the classroom back to the teachers.
• The most recent budget LISD approved is over an 80% increase since 2018, the last year, LISD was actually a fast-growth destination district, while enrollment has only increased 8% during the same time frame. Salary data indicates that school, student-facing, positions have increased 27% and all other departments have increased 126%. Superintendents and chief positions alone have increased 92%. Funds are not being prioritized for our schools and classrooms. Educational funds are being wastefully spent on lobbying, experimental testing, and consulting fees. The community deserves to know how the money is being spent and education should be prioritized.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

All aspects are equally important and drive me.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Jesus

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Accountability and transparency

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am transparent, honest, and ethical.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Commitment to the oath of office and respect for parental rights

What legacy would you like to leave?

I'm working on this now with how I raise my children.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was in middle school when the police chase of OJ in his white Bronco was on all the tv channels.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

In high school I did data entry on a really old computer for a small loan office for about six months.

What is your favorite book? Why?

1984 has become profound. I've had both of my teens read it too.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Nancy Drew

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

It is Well by Kristene DiMarco

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Telling my husband that he was right.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The two most important are hiring & firing of the superintendent and approving the budget.

Who are your constituents?

Everyone living within the LISD bounds is a constituent.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

Respect and adhering to policies and state and federal laws.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

The door will always be open, but I believe we need to focus locally on education first.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

Teachers and principals are the experts in this arena and I'd like them to be driving voices on the subject.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

The district has many different learning opportunities like this, but I know that certain programs are only offered at certain schools. I'd like to look into if there is a demand to expand into other schools, especially for skilled trade trainings.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

I believe the district is fully funded already; funds are just not being used appropriately. We need a full financial audit.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

The state has mandated certain safety features. I'd like for staff, parents, and the wider LISD community to weigh in on what's the best fit for LISD though.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

Many children are struggling and my family has been no different. Healthcare decisions for children reside with parents. Healthcare and education are two separate businesses. In fact, HHS does not define school districts as covered entities, subject to HIPAA regulations and therefor school districts should not be generating or handling PHI because this information is at risk of not properly being protected.

Tell us your favorite joke.

I have a knock knock joke, but you need to start it.

What existing district policies would you like to change, or what new policies would you like to implement?

There is no need for the recently adopted DEI policy AEA.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Williamson County Republican Party, Travis County Republican Party, Moms for Liberty

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

Across the state there are over 10,000 kids on charter waitlists due to parents seeking more traditional learning opportunities. In order to be competitive with new charter schools, public schools need to move away from screen learning and back to textbooks.

How do you feel like your school district handled the coronavirus pandemic? What, if anything, would you do differently in the future?

I don't want to place blame on the school district for the covid response. Our entire nation fumbled on this.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

Parents need to feel welcome in schools and I'd like to establish opportunities to hear directly from parents and the community.

What are your preferred strategies for faculty, staff, and administration recruitment?

I'd like to better understand why teachers are leaving and review exit interview responses. Teaching is a calling so I am sure leaving the profession is not an easy decision. LISD should have no problem with prioritizing funds to offer teachers a competitive salary.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

It's the law.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2022

Brandi Burkman did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

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Leander Independent School District Place 4

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