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Julie Pickren

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Julie Pickren
Image of Julie Pickren
Texas State Board of Education District 7
Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor
Prior offices
Alvin Independent School District, Position 1

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 8, 2022

Personal
Birthplace
Houston, Texas
Religion
Christian
Profession
Business owner
Contact

Julie Pickren (Republican Party) is a member of the Texas State Board of Education, representing District 7. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.

Pickren (Republican Party) ran for election to the Texas State Board of Education to represent District 7. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

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

Biography

Julie Pickren was born in Houston, Texas, and lives in Manvel, Texas. Pickren's career experience includes owning a business. She has served on the board of trustees of the Alvin Independent School District.[1]

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
Image of Julie Pickren
Julie Pickren (R) Candidate Connection
 
60.6
 
346,419
Image of Daniel Hochman
Daniel Hochman (D) Candidate Connection
 
37.4
 
213,742
Alan Pyeatt (L)
 
2.1
 
11,835

Total votes: 571,996
Candidate Connection = 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.

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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
Image of Daniel Hochman
Daniel Hochman Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
58,897

Total votes: 58,897
Candidate Connection = 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
Image of Julie Pickren
Julie Pickren Candidate Connection
 
50.5
 
66,229
Image of Michael Barton
Michael Barton Candidate Connection
 
31.5
 
41,349
Danny Surman Candidate Connection
 
14.6
 
19,096
Image of Abolaji Tijani Ayobami
Abolaji Tijani Ayobami
 
3.4
 
4,415

Total votes: 131,089
Candidate Connection = 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
Alan Pyeatt (L)

Candidate Connection = 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 finance

Endorsements

To view Pickren's endorsements in the 2022 election, please see https://juliepickren.com/endorsements.

2015

See also: Alvin Independent School District elections (2015)

The general election on May 9, 2015, in the Alvin Independent School District featured three seats up for election. Since only one candidate filed for each seat, the district opted to cancel the election. Newcomer and Position 1 candidate Julie Pickren replaced Mike Lansford, who chose not to seek re-election, while Regan Metoyer and Cheryl Harris retained their Position 2 and 3 seats, respectively.

Results

Julie Pickren won election without opposition.

Endorsements

Pickren did not receive any official endorsements for this election.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Julie Pickren completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Pickren's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I believe together we can ensure that each child's education prepares them to achieve The American Dream. Every Child is unique and has different educational needs. I am running for State Board of Education to ensure Every Child has an Equal Opportunity Education with Texas Values! God Bless Texas.
  • No Critical Race Theory in Education for students or teachers. CRT is Socialism and will kill The American Dream for our children.
  • Protect Parent's Rights. Children belong to their Parents, they do not belong to the government. Trust and communication must be protected between teachers and parents for children to be successful.
  • Follow The Texas Constitution. It is imperative that we teach our children how to think instead of what to think so we can preserve our Liberties and Freedom.
I advised The Texas Legislature on the following bills that are now law -
Ban of Critical Race Theory in Texas Education, Protect Girls' Sports Bill, and The National Motto In Schools Bill.
The State Board of Education is crucial to the future of Texas and The Texas Econmy. Article 7 of The Texas Constitution states that a free and public education is necessary to preserve our Liberties and Freedom. The SBOE decides textbooks, curriculum standards, teaching certificate standards, and manages the Permanent School Fund.
I am a Christian. The Bible is a guiding force in my life and is a constant reminder of standards I try to live up to. My personal favorite is The Golden Rule - Treat others how you wished to be treated.
The Bible. Great books written by David Barton, Thomas Sowell, books and essays written by Booker T. Washington, and Dr. Carol Swain's 1776 Report.
Belief that America and Texas are Great and have made huge impacts for good in the world. Faithfulness to The Constitution of The United States of America and The Texas Constitution. Responsible to carry out the duties of the office. Willing to listen to people and be available to their constituents.
My business experience has contributed to my successes as an elected official. I understand complex budgets, building community relationships, and leading teams to success.
Justly consider all Charter School Applications. Rightly govern The Permanent School Fund. Streamline Teaching Certificates and Professional Development. Most of all, ensure Every Child has an Equal Opportunity to a Great Education.
Every Child in Texas has a great education so they can live out their dreams in The Greatest Country in the world. Every Child in Texas deserves the opportunity to live out The American Dream.
The first historical event that I clearly remember is President Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall" speech in Berlin in 1987. Which lead to the subsequent fall of The Soviet Union. I was 13 years old.
My very first job was when I was 16 years old working as a part time receptionist. I stayed in that position for 2 years.
The Bible first. Other than that, I enjoy reading biographies. One of my favorites was an Exhausted Biography of Cleopatra which showed how her exceptional education was key to her success as Pharaoh.
N/A. I'm thankful for who God made me and honestly life can be stranger than fiction.
Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Diana Ross
God's grace has been very good to me and my family. The Bible says "All things work together for good for those who love The Lord." In the struggles and the successes I have learned to be content and trust God.
Textbook selection is the most important because the textbooks that Texas adopts is what is used throughout the country.
The Permanent School Fund is the fund that guarantees Independent School District's Bond Debt. We need to examine how we can better serve taxpayers by reducing property taxes and I believe responsible management of The PSF can help.
I believe it is important for anyone seeking this role to have leadership experience and also understand how to work within a governing body. There are 5.5 million children in Texas that relying on the State Board of Education leaders to ensure they have a great education.
Knowledge of Education and how Texas Education works. Relationships with diverse communities and leaders to ensure Every Child is being served. Strong moral compass to guide decisions.
Silly Dad Jokes are always my favorite.

What do you call a cow with no legs?

Ground beef.

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

Pickren's campaign website stated the following:

Julie Pickren wants the best for our children and will do everything in her power to ensure that they receive a quality education. She pledges to focus on the following if elected:

  • Ban Critical Race Theory – Ban / Remove Critical Race Theory from every aspect of education in Texas. CRT is rooted in socialism and opposes Texas Values and the American Dream. All children are equal and deserve equal access to a college ready education, career ready certificate, or military preparedness to serve our country after graduation.
  • Follow the Texas Constitution – The Texas Constitution will be the driving force for Julie’s State Board of Education decisions. The Texas Constitution states the purpose of education in Texas is to “Provide a general diffusion of knowledge being essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people.” It is crucial we teach children how to think, not what to think, so we may preserve our liberties and rights.
  • Create Opportunity Audits – Julie believes in Opportunity Audits. We have to ensure that every child, regardless of skin color, economic class, native language, or disability, has equal access to a great education. Providing every child with a great education is critical to student success.
  • Financial Responsibility – We owe it to our children to be financially responsible. The debt that schools incur today will be paid for by our children later. Julie will govern the Permanent School Fund with the understanding that tax dollars belong to the people and will advocate for property tax relief.[2]
—Julie Pickren's campaign website (2022)[3]

2015

Ballotpedia survey responses

Candidate Connection Logo - stacked.png

Pickren participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

We are a rapidly growing district. So my top priority is making sure new schools are going where they will be the most utilized and be the most cost effective for the tax payers. A top priority also is making sure our schools have great leadership that inspire teachers and create a great environment of learning for the students.[2]
—Julie Pickren (2015)[4]
Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:

Education policy
Education Policy Logo on Ballotpedia.png

Click here to learn more about education policy in Texas.
Education on the ballot
Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking Issue
1
Improving college readiness
2
Balancing or maintaining the district's budget
3
Expanding career-technical education
4
Improving education for special needs students
5
Expanding arts education
6
Closing the achievement gap
7
Expanding school choice options
Positions on the issues

The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:

Question Response
What is your stance on implementing Common Core standards?
"They should not be implemented."
Should your district approve the creation of new charter schools?
"We are a rapidly growing area so we are opening several new schools."
Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system?
"Yes."
Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement?
"Standardized testing is a good tool when used in conjunction with other forms of measuring achievement."
How can the district ensure equal opportunities for high and low achieving students?
"Every child should be treated equally and given the same opportunities."
How should expulsion be used in the district?
"Expulsion should be used for serious offenses to ensure the safety of other students as well as the integrity of education at district schools."
If a school is failing in your district, what steps should the school board take to help the students in that school?
"There would need to be an evaluation of the school's leadership and processes to identify the problems the school is having. Also, a meeting with the teachers would be beneficial because they are the ones in direct contact with the students and parents. Next, a meeting with the parents would be good so they can share their thoughts and ideas about how to fix the problem. I am sure the parents would appreciate the district listening to their concerns and taking action accordingly. A school failing is a serious issue, so I think it would require full attention of the administration and school board."
Do you support merit pay for teachers?
"Yes."
How should the district handle underperforming teachers?
"Offer additional training options."
How would you work to improve community-school board relations?
"I would work to improve communtiy school board relations by several ways. First, I would have more localized meetings. Our district spans a large area, so smaller meetings within different communities would be beneficial. Also, I think social media is important. It seems many times the community does not here the good happening in our schools. If each school has a blog that parents can subscribe to or a facebook page, then the parents can easily see what is new and exciting in our schools. Last, I would like to see more business involvement in our schools. Whether supplying professionals to guest lecture of by providing financial sponsorships in our schools."

See also

Texas State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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External links

Footnotes

  1. Julie Pickren for State Board of Education Place 7, "About," accessed February 8, 2022
  2. 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  3. Julie Pickren for State Board of Education Place 7, “Issues,” accessed January 22, 2022
  4. Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Julie Pickren responses," April 21, 2015

Political offices
Preceded by
Matt Robinson (R)
Texas State Board of Education District 7
2023-Present
Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
-
Alvin Independent School District, Position 1
2015-2021
Succeeded by
-