Fact check: Does Texas House candidate Thomas McNutt want to centralize control of education?
February 26, 2016
By Karen Shanton
Thomas McNutt is challenging Texas Rep. Byron Cook (R-Corsicana) in the Republican primary in Texas House District 8. In a February 3 interview with the Palestine Herald-Press, Cook claimed that “my opponent Thomas McNutt and his supporters want to take money and local control away from our rural and small public school districts and then centralize the control of education with a single state agency in Austin.”[1]
Is Cook’s claim that McNutt wants to centralize control of education true? We found just the opposite. McNutt has actually called for increasing local control over education and reducing state involvement.
Background
Cook, a businessman and rancher, first won election to the Texas House in 2002.[2] Last legislative session, he served as chair of the House Committee on State Affairs and a member of the House Calendars Committee.[3]
McNutt, who is vice president of the family-owned Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, announced his candidacy for the District 8 seat on May 26, 2015.[4] The 25-year-old McNutt has not previously held elected office.[5]
According to the Texas Tribune, the District 8 race is one site in a statewide battle between incumbent members of the Texas State Legislature and conservative challengers.[6]
McNutt’s position on state control of education
McNutt’s campaign pointed Verbatim to two public statements about his education policy: a video on his campaign Facebook page and the 'Issues' section of his campaign website.[7] The Facebook video, which was posted on January 27, is captioned, “Education reform to me means less overreach from the state and federal government, more control at the local level, a focus on trade school education, killing Common Core, and supporting our rural schools.”[8] In the video itself, McNutt says,
| “ |
As I’ve gone door to door to thousands of homes in our district, I’ve talked about education reform… What people are saying at the door is that we have too much control at the state level and we need more control to make independent school districts more independent. Let’s trust our school systems, let’s trust our superintendents, let’s trust our teachers to make the decisions more at the local level.[9] [10] |
” |
The education section of his campaign website similarly calls for greater independence for the state’s independent school districts.[11]
Because McNutt has not previously held elected office, the public record on his policy positions beyond campaign materials is limited. However, a review of other public comments by McNutt about his candidacy did not reveal any statements that advocated increasing state control over education or reducing local control.[12]
The Cook campaign has not responded to requests for the source of Cook’s statement. We will update this article if we hear from the campaign.
Conclusion
Cook claims that his opponent, McNutt, wants to shift control of education in Texas from rural and small public school districts to a single state agency. However, that claim is at odds with McNutt’s public position on education. He has advocated shifting control of education from the state to the local level, not the other way around.
Launched in October 2015 and active through October 2018, Fact Check by Ballotpedia examined claims made by elected officials, political appointees, and political candidates at the federal, state, and local levels. We evaluated claims made by politicians of all backgrounds and affiliations, subjecting them to the same objective and neutral examination process. As of 2025, Ballotpedia staff periodically review these articles to revaluate and reaffirm our conclusions. Please email us with questions, comments, or concerns about these articles. To learn more about fact-checking, click here.
Sources and Notes
- ↑ Palestine Herald-Press, "The Race for Texas House District 8," February 3, 2016
- ↑ Texas House of Representatives, "Biography," accessed February 25, 2016
- ↑ Texas House of Representatives, "Biography," accessed February 25, 2016
- ↑ Thomas McNutt for State Representative, "About Thomas," accessed February 25, 2016; McNutt Campaign Twitter Account, May 26, 2015
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "In Final Weeks, Millions Spent in Handful of House Races," February 24, 2016; The Texas Tribune, "Cook Re-election Bid Already Rancorous," November 2, 2015
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Bongs, Fruitcakes Energize Central Texas House Race," February 5, 2016
- ↑ Phone conversation between Karen Shanton and Thomas McNutt for State Representative Campaign Manager Cary Cheshire on February 18, 2016
- ↑ McNutt Campaign Facebook Page, January 27, 2016
- ↑ McNutt Campaign Facebook Page, January 27, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Thomas McNutt for State Representative, "Issues," accessed February 25, 2016
- ↑ Campaign for Liberty, "Texas 2016 State Legislative Survey Results," accessed February 25, 2016; Kaufman County Tea Party, "ENDORSED: Candidate for Texas House District 8 - Thomas McNutt Questionnaire," January 31, 2016; Ladies, Can We Talk?, "Interview with Thomas McNutt, Candidate for Texas House District 8," January 24, 2016; Palestine Herald-Press, "The Race for Texas House District 8," February 3, 2016; Your East Texas, "Interview: State Representative Thomas McNutt," February 9, 2016
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