Pam Little

Pam Little

Republican Party

Texas State Board of Education District 12

Tenure

2019 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

6

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Stephen F. Austin High School

Bachelor's

Texas A&M University, 1975

Personal

Birthplace

Childress, Texas

Religion

Christian

Profession

Politician

Contact

Official website

Official Instagram

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Pam Little (Republican Party) is a member of the Texas State Board of Education, representing District 12. She assumed office on January 1, 2019. Her current term ends on January 1, 2029.

Little (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Texas State Board of Education to represent District 12. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

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

Biography

Pam Little was born in Childress, Texas. She earned a high school diploma from Stephen F. Austin High School. Little attended Texas A&M and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston in 1975. Little's professional experience includes serving on the Fairview Town Council and working as an educational publishing executive, a community college Instructor, a business owner, and a politician. Little has served with Samaritan Inn, Republican Women of Greater North Texas, the Allen-Fairview chamber, Plano Rotary, First United Methodist Finance, the Texas Federation of Republican Women, the advisory committee for the Junior League, and the Garden Club for a Title 1 school in McKinney.

Political career

Texas State Board of Education (2019-present)

Little was first elected to the board in November 2018 and took office in 2019.

Elections

2024

See also: Texas State Board of Education election, 2024

General election

General election for Texas State Board of Education District 12

Incumbent Pam Little defeated George King in the general election for Texas State Board of Education District 12 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pam Little (R)	63.3	565,011
		George King (D)	36.7	327,645

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 892,656
= 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 runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Texas State Board of Education District 12

Incumbent Pam Little defeated Jamie Kohlmann in the Republican primary runoff for Texas State Board of Education District 12 on May 28, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pam Little	50.8	31,968
		Jamie Kohlmann	49.2	30,948

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 62,916
= 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 12

George King advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas State Board of Education District 12 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		George King	100.0	50,744

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 50,744
= 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 12

Incumbent Pam Little and Jamie Kohlmann advanced to a runoff. They defeated Chad Green and Matt Rostami in the Republican primary for Texas State Board of Education District 12 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pam Little	36.4	63,633
✔		Jamie Kohlmann	27.0	47,288
		Chad Green	20.3	35,446
		Matt Rostami	16.3	28,542

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 174,909
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Little in this election.

2022

See also: Texas State Board of Education election, 2022

General election

General election for Texas State Board of Education District 12

Incumbent Pam Little defeated Alex Cornwallis, Christy Mowrey, and Rosiland Davis in the general election for Texas State Board of Education District 12 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pam Little (R)	61.0	400,089
		Alex Cornwallis (D)	36.1	236,589
		Christy Mowrey (L)	2.8	18,671
	Submit photo	Rosiland Davis (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	219

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 655,568
= 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 12

Alex Cornwallis defeated Roberto Velasco in the Democratic primary for Texas State Board of Education District 12 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Alex Cornwallis	51.4	28,985
		Roberto Velasco	48.6	27,403

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 56,388
= 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 12

Incumbent Pam Little advanced from the Republican primary for Texas State Board of Education District 12 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pam Little	100.0	121,622

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 121,622
= 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 12

Christy Mowrey advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas State Board of Education District 12 on March 19, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Christy Mowrey (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.

2018

See also: Texas State Board of Education election, 2018

General election

General election for Texas State Board of Education District 12

Pam Little defeated Suzanne Smith and Rachel Wester in the general election for Texas State Board of Education District 12 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pam Little (R)	49.4	334,584
		Suzanne Smith (D)	47.9	324,307
	Submit photo	Rachel Wester (L)	2.7	18,002

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 676,893
= 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 runoff election

The Democratic primary runoff election was canceled. Suzanne Smith advanced from the Democratic primary runoff for Texas State Board of Education District 12.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Laura Malone-Miller (D)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas State Board of Education District 12

Suzanne Smith and Laura Malone-Miller advanced to a runoff. They defeated Tina Green in the Democratic primary for Texas State Board of Education District 12 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Suzanne Smith	48.1	35,460
✔	Submit photo	Laura Malone-Miller	26.3	19,426
	Submit photo	Tina Green	25.6	18,883

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 73,769
= 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 12

Pam Little advanced from the Republican primary for Texas State Board of Education District 12 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pam Little	100.0	82,548

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 82,548
= 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

Pam Little completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Little'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'm a 5th generation Texan, a mother and grandmother, married to my high school sweetheart. I have served on the Texas State Board of Education for 6 years, 4 of those as the Vice Chair of the board. As a former community college instructor and retired educational publishing executive I have lots of experience to serve on the board. For over 20 years I worked with the board as they approved new curriculum standards then the publishing companies would develop instructional materials to align with these standards. Part of my responsibilities were to work with teachers and administrators as they implemented these instructional materials. I retired in 2008 as a regional vice president of Houghton Mifflin.

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?

• Student Success The curriculum standards approved by the board must provide for student success. Whether that is college bound students or career and technology students it is imperative that all students have the opportunity to be successful and productive as adults.
• Age Appropriate Standards and Instructional Materials In addition to approving the curriculum standards the board also approves instructional materials. It is important that these materials reflect age appropriate content for students to master.
• Math and Social Studies Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills The board will be reviewing the math standards to determine if these standards are preparing our students for jobs of the future. The board will be reviewing the social studies standards to reflect the richness of our American and Texas history. Critical thinking is an important part of these standards.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Student Success
Our students need to be reading on grade level by 3rd grade as from then on they learn by reading.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The importance of this office lies in the approval of curriculum standards, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, which by law all public school districts are required to teach.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

I can't think of one
My philosophy is to vote with integrity and to understand the issues upon which to be voted.

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

Honesty, Integrity and Transparency. Elected officials should also listen to their constituents and their voting should reflect the values of the communities they represent.

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

I grew up in the Bryan-College Station area with the military influence of Texas A&M. This instilled in me an appreciation of our country and the freedoms we enjoy and the price paid for these freedoms.

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

The State Board of Education is in the Executive Branch of the government and as such create policy and rule test to enforce legislation passed by the Texas Legislature.

Approving curriculum standards and instructional materials
Approving Charter School applications

Approving

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

Approval of the curriculum standards and approval of instructional materials.

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

Most people do not know the importance of the curriculum standards and how they impact the lives of educators and students.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes - Knowledge and understanding of the Open Meetings Act and Roberts Rules of Order are important to understand when serving as an elected official. I previously served on the Fairview Town Council for two years.

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

Experience in curriculum writing and instructional materials.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

See website
pamlittle.com

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Absolutely we must have transparency in all areas of government.

Would a state ballot initiative process be good or bad for your state?

No comment

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

Pam Little did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2018

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Pam Little completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Little's responses.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

Student success - Critical Thinking Working with local school districts

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Educating our students to be productive, responsible and patriotic

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

Tincy Miller for her work with Dyslexia awareness and the creation of the Dyslexic Handbook

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

Common Sense, Experience and Integrity

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

Working in educational publishing for over 20 years I understand the state's curriculum and testing. Part of my responsibility was to work with the State Board of Education to develop instructional materials to meet the state's curriculum.

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

Upcoming for the State Board will be to streamline the TEKS (state's curriculum) and over see a quality review component of the instructional materials.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Strengthening the career and technology programs to make students more responsible - example adding a personal finance course.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes - they will have an understanding of how boards/councils operate

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

Knowledge of the State's curriculum and having children who attended public schools.

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.

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Texas State Board of Education District 12

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Texas State Board of Education District 12 2019-Present	Succeeded by -