Danny Surman (Texas)

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

Danny Surman

---

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 1, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Macalester College, 2010

Other

University of Houston, Clear Lake, 2016

Personal

Birthplace

Webster, Texas

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Instructional coach

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign X

Danny Surman (Republican Party) ran for election to the Texas State Board of Education to represent District 7. He lost in the Republican primary on March 1, 2022.

Surman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Danny Surman was born in Webster, Texas. Surman earned a bachelor’s degree from Macalester College in 2010 and a degree from the University of Houston at Clear Lake in 2016. His career experience includes working as an instructional coach for social studies teachers in Dickinson Independent School District and a U.S. history teacher. Surman served as a board member for the Greater Houston Republican Liberty Caucus and the precinct chair of the Galveston County Republican Party.

Elections

2022

See also: Texas State Board of Education election, 2022

General election

General election for Texas State Board of Education District 7

Julie Pickren defeated Daniel Hochman and Alan Pyeatt in the general election for Texas State Board of Education District 7 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Julie Pickren (R)	60.6	346,419
		Daniel Hochman (D)	37.4	213,742
	Submit photo	Alan Pyeatt (L)	2.1	11,835

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 571,996
= 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas State Board of Education District 7

Daniel Hochman advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas State Board of Education District 7 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Daniel Hochman	100.0	58,897

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 58,897
= 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas State Board of Education District 7

Julie Pickren defeated Michael Barton, Danny Surman, and Abolaji Tijani Ayobami in the Republican primary for Texas State Board of Education District 7 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Julie Pickren	50.5	66,229
		Michael Barton	31.5	41,349
	Submit photo	Danny Surman	14.6	19,096
		Abolaji Tijani Ayobami	3.4	4,415

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 131,089
= 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.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Texas State Board of Education District 7

Alan Pyeatt advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas State Board of Education District 7 on March 19, 2022.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Alan Pyeatt (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= 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

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Danny Surman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Surman'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.

I am a history teacher. I taught 8th grade US History for 5 years in Galveston, and today I work as a Social Studies Instructional Coach in Dickinson ISD. As the only teacher in this race, we need someone ready to speak on our state education standards (the TEKS) and our textbooks on day one. I also previously served as a board member of the Greater Houston Republican Liberty Caucus and several stints as a local Republican Precinct Chair in Galveston County.

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?

• Teach civics, not critical race theory. My district does not teach CRT and it should not be taught in public schools. However, we also must clearly say what we are FOR teaching. We must teach social studies, history, and our system of government. Even though we have social studies TEKS that are supposed to be taught in elementary and middle school. they are often skimmed over. That needs to change. Social studies should be required all four years of high school.
• Increase teacher pay. Pay should be increased for all teachers and particularly for teachers who receive their certification through an institution of higher learning. Two weeks in an alternative certification program is not enough to prepare teachers for a challenging career.
• Fiscal conservatism, local innovation. Districts should have more flexibility to spend their money as federal ESSR funds are phased out. Chromebooks should not have to be paid for through bond elections, and state law needs to catch up to modern needs.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a social studies teacher, I am passionate about education and civics. We live in trying times, and what better time than now to make sure our children are learning our nation's history and its system of government. I am the only social studies teacher in this race. I am the only candidate that has the experience needed to get to work on our state's education standards and instructional materials on day one.

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

As a history nerd, the example of James Madison looms large. James Madison was "the Father of the Constitution," the leading author of that document at the Constitutional Convention. He also provided a massive service to future historians by taking the most detailed notes of any attendee of the convention, helping me to answer the constant student question of "How do we know this really happened?" Finally, he served as the most influential author of the persuasive masterpiece The Federalist Papers, writing a series of essays that break down the strengths of the Constitution and our system of government.

I admire Madison because our work as State Board of Education members is similar. We receive hundreds of pages of packets through which we must read, analyze, and form clear opinions before each meeting. We must cast decisive votes determining what standards our children learn and the materials they will likely learn it through. And, at the end of the day, we must form persuasive arguments to convince our colleagues to vote with us on behalf of 5.5 million Texas children. If more of our office-holders followed the example of James Madison, our republic would prove more resilient.

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

In Federalist #57 James Madison argues that elected officials should be "[M]en who possess the most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society..." But what does this mean?

Elected members of the State Board of Education (SBOE) must have the "wisdom to discern" well-written TEKS and standards from those that are poorly written. They must have the wisdom to trust teachers, administrators, parents, and other stakeholders and balance their opinions appropriately.

However, SBOE members must also have virtue, clearly navigating between passionate interests to vote for the most straightforward and yet rigorous TEKS and instructional materials against which student achievement can clearly be measured. Finally, their vote should have the "common good of the society" in mind, knowing that students with high achievement will be best positioned to serve as productive citizens after graduation.

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

I am thorough in my work. I conduct research on the latest best practices in education, buy and read outside history books to ensure I have the widest knowledge possible to assist teachers and students in mastering social studies, and spend countless hours developing new engaging activities, readings, and assessments to provide a variety of ways to teach and measure achievement in Texas and US History.

State Board of Education (SBOE)meetings require a similar attention to detail, with packets hundreds of pages long that members must not only read but understand well enough to ask meaningful questions and produce amendments that work. This job is not one you can skip the homework, something an actual teacher understands all too well.

I am also passionate about what is needed for the job. We have a civics crisis in this country, and I truly believe the answers start with virtuous SBOE members who are willing to advocate for a strong education in history, geography, and our country's system of government. 5.5 million children in Texas hang in the balance, an overwhelming obligation. We must ensure those children get an education that truly prepares them to be effective and responsible citizens in the real world.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book is Watership Down by Richard Adams. Ostensibly a children's book about rabbits, the story serves as an allegory for both societies that have grown complacent and those that sacrifice their freedoms for security. I think it has much to say for people concerned about our current situation in goverment as well as just being a great adventure for all ages.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

The single most important role of the State Board of Education is the development and adoption of the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Standards) that are taught to the over 5.5 million children of Texas. These TEKS are developed through a working group process in which teachers, professionals, and other stakeholders participate. In the past, some board members have used their position to push ideological or personal agendas. However, members of the Texas State Board of Education should preside over the working group process to develop the best TEKS, not swoop in at the last moment with biased edits.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The State Board of Education reviews standards written by the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC). Due to the ongoing teacher shortage in Texas and nationwide, school districts rely too much on alternative certification programs that teacher candidates rush through in just weeks. While these programs fill the emergency need, we must also incentivize Texas teachers to reach a higher standard. Not only should ALL Texas teachers receiver higher pay; we also need to raise pay for higher qualified teachers certified through an established institution of higher learning.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Given the major role of the State Board of Education in developing curriculum and instructional materials in Texas, we need officeholders who have actual experience in education. I am the only teacher running for the Texas State Board of Education Position 7. I analyze the TEKS on a daily basis, write lessons and assessments, and actively communicate with parents, administrators, and other teachers. I am the only candidate in this race who has real-world experience in the classroom and with curriculum.

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.

Campaign website

Surman's campaign website stated the following:

“	Teach Civics, Not Critical Race Theory Critical race theory (CRT) should not be taught in school, and I teach in a school district where such a biased curriculum is not taught. Unfortunately, recent legislation only muddied the waters for Texas teachers, making it unclear what should or should not be taught. But we must answer the question: what should be taught? While the CRT debate rages, Texas legislators ignore a crisis. Many public schools don’t bother to teach social studies in elementary or middle school in a meaningful way. Students are passed along year after year without learning basic facts about our country’s history or government. If we want our children to leave school as productive citizens, we need to teach civics and facts, not critical race theory. Raise Standards and Pay for Teachers With over 5 million children in Texas public schools, our state is struggling to meet the demand for teachers. This shortage is made worse by the troubling fact that almost half of all teachers quit within the first five years of their career. Alternative certification programs help, but more must be done. Educators who complete specialized teacher preparation programs, especially those that are longer-term or in-person, ought to be financially rewarded for their thorough preparation to teach the next generation of Texans. Legislators, SBOE members, institutions of higher learning, parents, and local districts must partner together to craft teacher preparation programs that meet the high expectations of Texas parents and children. Fiscal Conservatism, Local Innovation I will carefully manage the funds in the Permanent School Fund. Fast population growth makes education more and more expensive. In response, local school districts should have more financial flexibility to innovate. Strict restrictions on revenue with confusing acronyms like M&O and I&S make it difficult for districts to put their money where they need it most right now: keeping good teachers and hiring better ones.	”
—Danny Surman's campaign website (2022)

See also

2022 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Heart of the Primaries The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Texas State Board of Education District 7

Website

Facebook

X