Tiffany Perkinz
Tiffany Perkinz (Democratic Party) (also known as Rider) is running for election to the Texas State Board of Education to represent District 7. She is on the ballot in the Democratic primary runoff on May 26, 2026. She advanced from the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.
Biography
Tiffany Perkinz earned a bachelor's degree in language arts education, a master's degree in English, and a master's degree in education from Lamar University. Her career experience includes serving as an English teacher, an assistant director of study abroad, and the owner of Perkinz with a Z Education.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Texas State Board of Education election, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on May 26, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Texas State Board of Education District 7
Incumbent Julie Pickren (R) is running in the general election for Texas State Board of Education District 7 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Julie Pickren (R) | |
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Democratic primary runoff
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary runoff for Texas State Board of Education District 7
Debra Ambroise (D) and Tiffany Perkinz (D) are running in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas State Board of Education District 7 on May 26, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Debra Ambroise | ||
 | Tiffany Perkinz | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for Texas State Board of Education District 7
Tiffany Perkinz (D) and Debra Ambroise (D) advanced to a runoff. They defeated Janell Burse (D), Ben Estrada (D), and Adam Khan (D) in the Democratic primary for Texas State Board of Education District 7 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tiffany Perkinz | 31.3 | 40,096 |
| ✔ | Debra Ambroise | 26.2 | 33,505 | |
| Janell Burse | 17.5 | 22,355 | ||
 | Ben Estrada | 15.6 | 19,918 | |
 | Adam Khan | 9.5 | 12,142 | |
| Total votes: 128,016 | |||
| = 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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Republican primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Republican primary for Texas State Board of Education District 7
Incumbent Julie Pickren (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas State Board of Education District 7 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Julie Pickren | 100.0 | 132,216 |
| Total votes: 132,216 | |||
| = 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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Endorsements
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Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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Campaign website
Perkinz's campaign website stated the following:
What are My Priorities?
Tiffany’s priorities reflect years of classroom experience, thousands of hours tutoring students, and a deep belief that education must be honest, inclusive, and free from political interference.
Academic Freedom
The right to learn. The right to teach. Without fear.
Academic freedom protects students’ right to learn and teachers’ right to teach without political interference. When politics enters the classroom, learning suffers.
Academic freedom is the foundation of strong public education. It allows students to think critically, ask questions, and engage honestly with the world. It allows teachers to do the jobs they were trained to do: teach rigorous, state-approved curriculum with professionalism and integrity.
Right now, that freedom is under attack in Texas.
Classrooms are being turned into political battlegrounds. Teachers are being surveilled, second-guessed, and punished for teaching approved standards. Students are being denied access to literature, history, and science because adults are afraid of ideas.
This is not education. This is censorship.
What Academic Freedom Means
Academic freedom means:
Students have the right to learn honest history, inclusive literature, and evidence-based science
Teachers have the right to teach state-approved curriculum without fear of retaliation
Curriculum decisions are guided by educators and experts, not political pressure
Classrooms are spaces for learning, not ideological enforcement
Education prepares students for the real world, not a sanitized version of it
Academic freedom is not about pushing an agenda.
It is about protecting truth, professionalism, and intellectual growth.
Why This Matters
When academic freedom is taken away, real harm follows.
Students lose access to books that help them think and grow.
They are shielded from history instead of learning from it.
They are taught to avoid questions instead of asking them.
Teachers stop taking risks.
They stop trusting their training.
They leave the profession altogether.
Families lose confidence that schools are preparing their children for college, careers, and citizenship.
A system built on fear cannot produce confident learners.
The Problem We Face Today
Across Texas, political extremism is being used to rewrite curriculum, weaken standards, and intimidate educators.
Books are challenged not because they are inaccurate, but because they are uncomfortable.
History is questioned not because it is wrong, but because it is honest.
Science is undermined not because it lacks evidence, but because it conflicts with ideology.
Public education cannot serve students when it is hijacked by culture-war politics.
My Commitment
As a former public school teacher, private school educator, and the owner of a tutoring and teaching business, I understand how damaging political interference is to classrooms.
On the State Board of Education, I will fight to:
Defend teachers from retaliation for teaching approved curriculum
Protect students’ access to honest, rigorous academic content
Ensure the TEKS are inclusive, accurate, and grounded in evidence
Reject censorship disguised as “parental rights” when it undermines learning
Keep political and religious indoctrination out of public schools
I trust teachers as content-area experts.
I trust students to engage with complex ideas.
And I trust families to want schools that prepare their children for the real world.
This Is Bigger Than Politics
Academic freedom is not a partisan issue.
It is an education issue.
It is a community issue.
It is a future issue.
When we protect academic freedom, we protect:
Intellectual honesty
Teacher professionalism
Student opportunity
Public trust in education
I am running to ensure Texas classrooms remain places of learning, not fear.
Teacher Support
Respect the profession. Trust the experts. Protect those who teach.
Teachers are the backbone of our public education system. When they are supported and trusted, students thrive. When they are silenced, attacked, or driven out, everyone pays the price.
Texas is losing educators at an alarming rate. Not because teachers don’t care, but because they no longer feel respected, protected, or heard.
This must change.
Teachers Are Professionals
Teachers are not political operatives.
They are trained professionals with deep knowledge of their subject areas, their students, and effective instruction.
Teacher support means:
Trusting educators as content-area experts
Respecting professional judgment in the classroom
Allowing teachers to teach approved curriculum without fear
Treating educators with dignity, not suspicion
When teachers are trusted, classrooms become places of growth instead of fear.
The Reality Teachers Are Facing
Across Texas, teachers are being:
Targeted for teaching state-approved materials
Accused of ideological agendas they do not have
Pressured to self-censor out of fear
Asked to navigate constantly shifting political demands
Many are exhausted.
Not from teaching.
From defending their right to teach.
No profession can function under constant threat.
Why Teacher Support Matters
When teachers are unsupported, students feel it immediately.
Teacher shortages grow.
Class sizes increase.
Course offerings shrink.
Burnout replaces innovation.
Students lose stability, mentorship, and opportunity.
Supporting teachers is not optional. It is essential to student success.
My Commitment to Teachers
As a former public school teacher, private school educator, and the owner of a tutoring and teaching business, I know what it takes to teach well and how deeply political interference harms classrooms.
On the State Board of Education, I will:
Defend educators from retaliation for teaching approved curriculum
Advocate for teacher autonomy and professional respect
Support clear, stable academic standards so teachers can plan and teach confidently
Oppose policies that encourage harassment or surveillance of educators
Elevate teacher voices in curriculum and policy decisions
I believe teachers should be partners in education policy, not targets of it.
Teachers Deserve to Be Heard
Teachers are leaving not because they lack passion, but because they lack support.
They want:
Clear expectations
Professional trust
Safe classrooms
The freedom to teach honestly
When we listen to teachers, we strengthen schools.
This Is About Our Future
Teacher support is not a partisan issue.
It is a student issue.
It is a community issue.
It is a future issue.
If we want strong schools, we must stand with the people who make them strong.
I am running to ensure teachers are respected, protected, and empowered to do what they do best: teach.
Curriculum and TEA
Honest education. Public accountability. Schools that serve students, not political agendas.
What is happening in Texas classrooms right now is not accidental.
It is the result of deliberate policy choices that weaken public education, restrict learning, and place political ideology ahead of students.
The Texas Education Agency and the State Board of Education play a powerful role in shaping curriculum, guidance, and accountability. When that power is used responsibly, students thrive. When it is used to advance political agendas, public education becomes vulnerable.
That is where we are today.
The Truth About “School Choice” and Vouchers
Texas leaders are promoting so-called “school choice” vouchers as a way to give families more options. What they are not being honest about is how these programs actually work.
Voucher programs are funded by taxpayer dollars that are redirected away from public schools. That means:
Public schools lose funding even though they still serve the majority of students
Rural and underfunded districts are hit hardest
Private schools are not required to accept all students
Students with disabilities, language needs, or behavioral supports are often excluded
There is little transparency or accountability for how public money is used
This is not choice for most families.
It is defunding public education and leaving schools more vulnerable, understaffed, and unsupported.
Public schools are being asked to do more with less, while private institutions receive public money without public responsibility.
That is not equity.
That is not accountability.
And it is not honest.
Ideological Indoctrination Has No Place in Our Schools
At the same time public schools are being defunded, ideological organizations are being welcomed into Texas classrooms.
Groups like Turning Point USA are being allowed into high schools under the guise of “civic engagement,” while promoting partisan ideology and misinformation. This is not neutral education. It is political indoctrination.
Public schools should be places where students learn how to think, not what to think.
Education should encourage critical thinking, respectful dialogue, and evidence-based learning.
It should never be used as a pipeline for political movements or ideological recruitment.
Curriculum Is Being Rewritten, and Students Are Paying the Price
Across Texas, curriculum standards and instructional guidance are being altered to remove or minimize key historical events, perspectives, and realities.
This includes:
Downplaying or omitting difficult chapters of American history
Narrowing literature to avoid “controversial” ideas
Weakening science standards that conflict with ideology
Reframing facts to fit political narratives
This does not protect students.
It limits them.
Students cannot understand the present without learning the truth about the past.
They cannot succeed in college or careers without strong literacy, historical knowledge, and scientific understanding.
Whitewashing history does not build unity.
It builds ignorance.
The Chilling Effect on Teachers and Administrators
These policies do not just harm students. They silence educators.
Teachers and administrators are now being subjected to:
Vague and shifting guidance from the state
Fear of retaliation for teaching approved curriculum
Pressure to self-censor to avoid complaints
Increased surveillance and politicized oversight
As a result, educators are forced to ask not “What do students need?” but “What will get me in trouble?”
A system built on fear cannot produce strong schools.
This is one of the reasons Texas is losing teachers and administrators at alarming rates.
What TEA and the State Board of Education Should Be Doing
The role of TEA and the State Board of Education is not to advance ideology.
It is to serve students, support educators, and protect public trust.
That means:
Clear, consistent, evidence-based curriculum guidance
Honest academic standards that reflect reality
Transparency in decision-making
Accountability for how public funds are used
Protecting public schools as a public good
Public education should strengthen communities, not divide them.
My Commitment
As a former public school teacher, private school educator, and the owner of a tutoring and teaching business, I see the consequences of these policies every day.
On the State Board of Education, I will:
Oppose voucher programs that drain public school funding
Defend public education as the backbone of our communities
Push back against ideological groups influencing curriculum and classrooms
Fight for honest history, strong literacy, and evidence-based science
Protect teachers and administrators from political intimidation
Demand transparency and accountability from TEA
Public education should serve students, not special interests.
This Is About the Future of Texas
The choices we make now will determine whether Texas has:
Strong public schools or weakened ones
Informed citizens or misinformed graduates
Trusted educators or silenced professionals
I am running to protect public education, defend academic freedom, and ensure Texas classrooms remain places of learning, not political battlegrounds.
— Tiffany Perkinz's campaign website (January 20, 2026)
Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Texas State Board of Education District 7 |
Personal |
Footnotes
