April 2, 2024 • 40 mins
In this episode of "Conversations From The Hill Country," host Adam West sits down with Dr. Merrie Fox, a seasoned educator and Democratic candidate for Texas Senate District 25. We talk about the enduring and oft-controversial subjects surrounding Texas's education system, including the proposed voucher bill, school funding, and public school indoctrination fears.
We take a look at the complex issues of religion's infiltration into the education system, political sway on education, and the struggle for equal representation of diverse religions in a learning environment. Our discussion includes the alarming trend of diminishing public school libraries, the adverse effects of static school funding, and the controversial topic of school vouchers.
We also talk about school safety measures, specifically the proposal of arming teachers, and hear a first-hand account from Dr. Fox, a former principal staunchly opposed to such measures. Also, get a glimpse of Dr. Fox's principled stance on practical firearm regulation and her critique of fear mongering tactics disrupting sensible legislation.
Other topics include serious environmental concerns haunting Texas, including the degradation of water systems and the faults within the energy sector, particularly ERCOT. As the conversation concludes, follow the personal journey of Dr. Fox's campaign trail, her approach of servant leadership, and her commitment to understanding and addressing the concerns of Texas citizens.
Be ready for an eye-opening discussion that explores the pressing issues in Texas and the steps Dr. Merrie Fox plans to implement as a senator to make a difference for Texans. Listen, reflect, and be part of this important dialogue.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
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Music.
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From the Hill Country, the podcast. I'm Adam West.
Today, we spend some time talking to Dr. Mary Fox, Democratic candidate for
Texas Senate District 25.
We talk about her 31 years in education, school funding, and the proposed voucher
bill, fears of public school indoctrination, school safety, the Second Amendment,
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and Texas water issues, among other things.
Dr. Mary Fox, Starbucks, Texas Senate District 25 candidate.
How are you? Thanks for being here. I'm great. Thank you. Thank you for having me today.
All right. Mary, now we've talked a little bit in the past, and you have an
interesting background, particularly 31 years in education as a teacher,
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principal in public schools, right? Yes, sir.
That's your main background? That is my main background, 31 years,
11 as a teacher and 20 as a principal.
What did you teach? I taught middle school science, sixth, seventh,
and eighth grade at different times.
And I also taught physical education and coached. Okay. And then you've also been a principal.
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Which public schools were you involved with? Sure.
So I was an assistant principal at Bill Brown Elementary and at Smithson Valley
Middle School here in Comal, and then a principal at Raul Pulverde Elementary
and a principal at Randolph Field ISD at the middle school.
Wow. Okay. So you've been around the block or two. I have. You know a thing or two about education.
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I do indeed. All right. Well, let's talk a little bit about education in the
state of Texas, because that's pretty controversial right about now.
Public education funding is one thing, and this big push by Governor Abbott for school vouchers.
So explain to me a little bit about exactly how the voucher system would work.
Sure. So the state of Texas provides funding for public schools in part, and so per student.
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Schools are allotted or school districts are allotted $6,150 per child to attend a particular district.
So what vouchers would do instead is they would send that money to wherever
that child went to school. So the money follows the child.
So if a student wants to go to a private school or secular or religious,
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either way, the money instead of going to the school district would then follow
that child and the money would go to the school of choice.
In addition to that, though, interestingly enough, the vouchers,
they are talking about sending $8,000, $10,000 instead of the $6,150.
So it's actually more money than the public schools would be getting.
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And some of that money then, I guess, would be a parent's choice,
could be used for homeschooling, correct? correct? It could indeed.
The voucher program, the last option that was presented by the legislature did include homeschool.
An issue with that certainly is that the homeschool system is not regulated
at all. There is no oversight. There's no monitoring.
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The same can be said for private schools, although there tends to be a system
in place, at least with people watching and parents and advocates.
But with homeschool, they are on their own and whatever they want to do with that money, they may.
Why are there no standards for homeschooling? I believe it's just never been
a priority for our legislature.
And when you start monitoring and telling people exactly how to educate their
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children in their homes, I think that causes a problem for them.
Well, not even telling them what they can teach them, for example,
but maybe meeting some testing standards, at least, you know,
some basic, it's pretty obvious about, you know, reading, writing, arithmetic, right?
Absolutely. Some kind of accountability and assurance that that child is getting an education.
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There's not even accountability that a particular curriculum or any curriculum
is being provided to that child. That makes no sense.
Not at all, particularly when the state legislature continues to increase accountability
measures for public schools.
And I'm assuming that a lot of this push is over right-wing overreaction to
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what they see as indoctrination of some sort in public schools. Is that right?
I believe so. I think that's part of it. I think that's part of it.
I think it's a huge part of it. It is quite irritating and frustrating.
You're probably going to have to cut some of this out because I have curse words
on the tip of my tongue. Don't worry about it.
By the way, in podcasts, there's no rating system. and we can say whatever the
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hell we want. That's right. So that's fantastic.
So I believe the idea of indoctrination of children in public schools is absolutely ridiculous.
The state legislature sets our curriculum and exactly what students have to
learn. And then teachers teach that. They...
Teachers don't have time to indoctrinate children with anything other than the
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curriculum provided by or mandated by the state.
That was my next question. There is a curriculum that is regulated.
And like you were saying, it should be regulated by the Board of Education and not by politicians.
Right. That is true. Unfortunately, our legislators on the House and the Senate
side tend to micromanage our state board of education and, you know,
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feed a lot of that fear mongering into into our curriculum.
That's why we have an absence of our black history curriculum and and rewriting some history.
Absolutely. When you take out slave and you replace that with indentured servant,
that matters. It makes a huge difference.
It's all just another example of what feel good legislation.
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It absolutely is. You know, I remember growing up, you know,
my parents were not racist particularly. But even then, I remember I didn't
know anything about any race other than my own.
I wasn't taught that in school and we didn't have friends of other ethnicities.
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And so even as an adult, I remember my perceptions were so far off as I grew
up and got out into the world. And I discovered that I had been held in this
little bitty bubble and that and, you know, it is what it is.
But but the purpose of our public schools is to, you know, public schools are
a microcosm of our society.
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And it is our responsibility to to make sure that we understand each other,
that we know of each other, that we celebrate each other because we're better together.
That goes without saying. Now, along those lines, how do they determine?
I guess that this also falls in line with the talk about banning books in schools
and in public libraries, right? Yes, it does. Goodness gracious.
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So you want to bring, I think the idea is to raise children to be critical thinkers
and to, you know, be open minded so they can learn all aspects of certain subjects, for example.
Absolutely. That is the purpose of public education. And part of that is the
library system within the school and also public libraries.
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The idea of banning books, again, is about fear mongering. And when you talk
about that schools have pornography in their libraries, there is not a teacher.
I have worked 31 years in public education and I have come I have worked with
hundreds, hundreds of teachers and not one of them would ever approve of having
any kind of pornography in the in the library of the school,
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much less in their classroom.
Room and nor would they let children be exposed to that.
And so the idea that we have pornography or that we are indoctrinating children
to feel bad about our history or that one race is superior to all of those, it's not true.
It's just simply not true. Well, history is...
Factual. And it either was or it wasn't, you know.
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And so, again, that's never made any sense to me.
And then as far as what's labeled as pornography, if it's education about sexuality.
That's not pornography, right? Agreed. And absolutely.
And if it is age appropriate. And again, teachers, educators,
principals, we want age appropriate materials for our students because we want
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We want them to have the knowledge that they need in order to be their best selves.
And so we would not put a book on elementary library shelf that talked about
sexuality or dating, but we
would put that perhaps on a middle school or a high school library shelf.
And those things are important. And when we talk about the LGBT community.
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They, particularly our young folks, they are at a huge disadvantage because
they don't have the information, the factual information that they need in order
to live happy, healthy lives.
And so when we keep that from them, we, one, tell them that you're not worth
being on the library shelf.
You're not worth being represented in a public school or in a public library.
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And two, we keep information from
them that can be harmful to them to to developing a happy, healthy life.
Sure. That makes perfect sense, which also ties in with the talk about health
care and about, you know, availability for kids that may be going through that.
Maybe I'm misspeaking. No, not at all. So we have our trans population.
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Transgender population, and we have, you know, there are hundreds, thousands.
I don't know the statistic, but there are many, many people,
young and older, who are transgender.
Their sexual identification at birth, their sex assigned at birth does not match
their feeling of their gender.
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And so some of them go through some parents and some authority figures assume
that kids are just too young to even know.
So they just try to just avoid the conversation altogether. Right.
Because if we don't talk about it, then it doesn't exist.
Or if we don't talk about it, it's never going to happen.
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That's kind of the mantra that applies to sex education as well.
Absolutely. Goodness gracious. And we all know that that is not the case.
So I was actually at an event in San Marcos about two weeks ago,
and it was for transgender health and support and advocacy.
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And I met a family there and it was a mom and a dad and a little girl and she
had long hair and she was super cute and had a little dress on.
And I went up and I talked to them later. I said,
I did not know if they were there because their child, that little girl,
is transgender or they had someone else in there. I didn't know.
And so as I talked to them, they talked about their little girl.
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And yes, she was at birth assigned male because of her genitalia.
But when she was about three, she wanted to wear dresses.
And so she just that's what she felt most comfortable in. And so her parents,
mom and dad, decided, you know what, if you want to wear a dress because that's
what makes you feel good and whole and happy, then absolutely you can wear that dress.
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And then when the child got to be about five and six, she wanted to be called
she and her because that's who she felt like she was.
It's kind of like being right handed or left handed. If as a right handed person,
if I pick up a pencil or a pen in my left hand, I know that's not right for
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me. That doesn't work for me.
But if I pick up a pencil or a pen in my right hand, it's very natural.
And I think even young kids realize whether they're left handed or right handed.
It's kind of like saying that kids can't, don't understand that they are heterosexual.
Who is anybody to say when someone realizes who they are attracted to or who
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they're not or who they feel that they are on the inside?
Yeah, I think that's so true. You've got, and you don't have to,
you don't have to understand it to respect it.
Absolutely. It is true.
You don't have to understand it yet. I mean, you don't even really have to.
Personally, I can't imagine ever being in that situation, but I can certainly
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accept people, you know.
Sure. Because it doesn't it doesn't impact you.
Right. So that family has every right. That little girl has every right to be who she is.
And those parents have the right to let her be who she is.
And the idea that parents now cannot provide gender affirming care to their
children, whether they were in that process when that law came into effect or not,
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to say that they don't have the authority or even the knowledge or the ability
to say what is best for their child is asinine, absolutely asinine.
How can we say that parents should have all these rights over their children, over the curriculum?
They want to know exactly what their children are being taught because parents
know what's best for their child.
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But parents don't have the authority to decide what's best for their child in
the medical sense if the child is transgender.
Yeah, that's absolutely true. And I think that takes us to health care because
obviously there's a lot of limitations for doctors both in that regard and as
far as women's reproductive rights,
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too. you know, what's going on in this state, I swear.
I think it's about power and control and money and, you know,
the Christian evangelism that they're trying to push.
And honestly, I don't understand. I don't understand it because I am very much
of, you know, my rights extend until yours begin.
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And what I want to do in my life and for my family is up to me.
And what you want to do for yours is is up to you and yours doesn't doesn't impact me. And so I don't,
do not understand the need for the control and the power over the lives of other
people, whether it's about health care or religion or money or anything.
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Yeah. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this country, one of the basic founding principles
is the separation of church and state.
Yes. This Christian was not, I mean, this country was not founded as a Christian nation.
Freedom of religion and freedom from religion. Yes, it was founded so that you
can be Christian or Buddhist or an atheist or anything that you choose to be. Right, right.
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So, yeah, I know there's been a big issue about posting the Ten Commandments
in school classrooms, for example.
Yes. My opponent, Donna Campbell, actually sponsored that bill, co-wrote it.
And the idea of it was to the purpose of it was to have that make it a law that
the Ten Commandments had to be posted in every single classroom.
And that that is I can't think of a word strong enough that I'm allowed to say on air.
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But but I but I want to say that is absolutely not OK.
Asinine. Can we say that is asinine? Yes, it is.
Because every one because there there should be a separation of church and state.
And two, because what about the kiddos that are sitting in that classroom that
are not Christian, whose parents choose not to practice that religion?
And what you tell that child that when their religion is not represented,
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that they are not they're not good enough. They're not OK. They're not worthy to be represented.
Yeah, absolutely. I understand that. And there are schools specifically for
a Christian education already.
So and if you want your child to have that type of education, more power to you.
But public funds should not be sent to private schools.
Public funds are for public schools because they benefit the public.
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Absolutely right. And that's always been an issue, funding public schools to
the levels they need to be.
Yes, which, can I bring up a topic? Yeah. It kind of reminds me of...
The library situation in Spring Branch ISD.
That which was just in the news recently. Yes, it was. And it is on the heels
of a situation in Houston ISD.
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At the beginning of this past school year in August of 2023,
Houston ISD, well, they had been taken over by TEA and Mike Miles was appointed
by Commissioner Mike Marath to serve as a superintendent or the director or
the overseer year of Houston ISD.
And so he made the decision in an attempt to redirect resources,
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according to him, that libraries in many of the schools, interestingly,
in the low performing areas, would not serve as libraries, but instead would
serve as kind of detention centers for students that are not behaving.
We had cafeterias for that when I was in detention. Right.
Yes. Yeah. So so in many of those Houston ISD schools, the when a student misbehaves
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and has to be removed from the classroom, then they are sent to the library
where one person can monitor the behavior of all these kids.
And they are they they receive their instruction through Zoom.
And so you think, well, what happened, you know, so that they can still receive
the instruction, but they're not with the general population of the students.
And so what happened with the rest of the library, all those books are still sitting there.
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Well, what they have done is say that we're going to check out the books on
an honor system so students come in and they can get a book if they want or
they can't. And the issue that I have with that is they can't track how many
books are being checked out.
There's no advocacy for children to go to the library to check out a book.
You can't tell which books have been checked out and which haven't.
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So you can't update your collection.
There is no one overseeing the collection. So the library, in effect, is dead.
There is no library there. There is a room with some books and also some kids who are misbehaving.
Yeah. Right. So in Spring Branch ISD, they have decided to not have librarians
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next year in their libraries,
but instead replace them with staff members that, you know, they don't cost
as much money for payroll.
And so that's a cost savings initiative.
My issue with that is twofold. One is that librarians do more than check out
books and receive books.
So librarians, they are advocates for literacy and they collaborate with teachers
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in order to enhance instruction and to provide materials.
Libraries are a place where students can come and collaborate and receive guidance
about research projects. It's almost, I think about it, kids in classrooms,
they get all of the information and then they are able to go to the library
and put that information.
Knowledge into effect, kind of put it all together with the guidance of the librarian.
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And so when we talk about replacing librarians with really a paraprofessional
who is not required to have any kind of education, we are simply saying that
the library is only to check in and check out books. And that is absolutely not the case.
And the other issue that I have with that whole idea is that why are we having
to cut librarians from public schools?
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Well, it's because the state legislature has not funded public schools,
increased funding for public schools since 2019.
So we're talking about five years ago before COVID. And we're talking about
inflation rates that have, as we all know, have caused increased prices in the
grocery stores and in Walmart and everywhere else we want to shop.
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So schools are expected to do the same work, if not more work,
with less money or the same amount of money that they were using five years
So it is absolutely a library problem.
It is also absolutely a funding issue.
I think, too, the library issue is partly the result of this idea of banning
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the books, which we've already talked about a little bit. And I think it's an issue.
Easy way for the district to avoid any kind of confrontation with the public
and with parents who disagree with whatever library books are in the library.
There's already a system in place by law that the list of library books has
to be provided to parents and that parents have the right to come in and view
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any materials that children are using or looking at.
So the idea that we need to not have an actual librarian who has a master's
degree in library science.
This is not just a teacher who's taken out of their classroom and put into a
space with these library books.
This is someone who is dedicated part of their education to understanding and
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advocating for how a library should work and the purpose that it serves.
So when we talk about vouchers, we understand that that money is going to private,
it's going to wherever the child is going homeschool, private school, religious or secular.
And yes, that what that does is it causes a problem for the public school system
because public schools still have to turn their lights on and they still have to function.
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They still have to roll their buses and they have to pay their teachers.
You know, the kiddos that are going to leave public school to go to private
schools when the vouchers come are, I think, in large majority kids that are
already attending public or private schools.
There are already kids attending private schools and their parents then would
be able to subsidize the tuition cost for that private school.
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So our more conservative legislators tout school vouchers as a program that
allows parents to have choices when their kids are in lower performing schools.
Those are not the kids we all know. It is obvious.
Those are not the kiddos that are going to be able to go to private schools
because there's no transportation provided.
The amount of the voucher is not going to cover the cost of the tuition.
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There's no free lunch and breakfast programs.
There are no there's no mandate for special education services or Section 504
services or ESL services.
And those are the kids that are going to need that extra help.
And so what's going to happen is that our kids.
Kiddos who don't need all of those things are going to go to private school
and take that money with them. Right.
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And then the kiddos who do need those services and those services are expensive
and they're left with less.
The districts are left with less money in order to serve those same students.
Sure. Yeah. And you bring up a good point there. The free lunches and so many
other programs in the community that serve, you know, families and children
besides, Besides, you know, the books and the basic classroom teaching and so forth.
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And then with the voucher thing, Governor Abbott's tried to pass that a couple
of different times. Right.
And it's been shot down even by Republican legislators.
It has. It's it has been brought.
There has been a bill filed for several legislative sessions over the years
for voucher programs, and they have enveloped it in different names to try to
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get it passed like the tax saving credit. You know, that sounds like a really great thing.
But when you really look at the bill, it was a voucher program.
And so, yes, it's a bipartisan issue because, as we know, education affects everybody.
And Republicans and Democrats alike believe that that vouchers are not what's
best for our public school system or our communities and society.
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However, most recently, Governor Abbott had called that fourth session in the
88th legislative session and the.
Purpose of it. I think the only purpose of it was to pass school vouchers.
And so the Republican members who, again, voted against school vouchers because
they believe they know that it's not what's best.
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Governor Abbott and Kim Paxton and Dan Patrick,
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, have raised a lot of money and they were able
to they have accumulated a lot of money and they They have put that toward candidates
who want school vouchers or who will
be yes men to governor Abbott and do exactly what he wants them to do.
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And unfortunately, I know that nine of those races, I believe the candidates
or the legislators that had voted against school vouchers lost their primary.
And in some of those races, they are uncontested by a Democrat.
And so we know that is a vote that is going to go toward school vouchers in
the future. And meanwhile, you have to consider how many rural communities there are.
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And that's where a lot of the public that is against school vouchers is coming
from, because it's just going to be more difficult for them to attend a private
school that's way out of their way when they depend on public schools for so
many things. That's right.
There are very few private schools out in the rural community.
And so when the government is talking about, the state legislature is talking
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about taking money away from their public schools, it is only going to hurt them. That's right.
It's going to hurt rural residents, mostly rural residents, who in most cases,
by historical standards, vote Republican. Absolutely.
It's going to be a tough choice, I think, for those voters because we have on
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our issues coming up are vouchers for private schools as well as women's rights.
And I think that both of those things are bipartisan issues.
Yeah. So before we get away from the school issue, I know one of the...
Thoughts among parents about why they want to homeschool is because they're
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afraid of safety in public schools because of shootings.
So what can be done about that? I know they've talked about arming teachers.
They've talked about, you know, reinforcing entry doors or whatever.
How does that make sense? Would you feel comfortable as a principal having teachers that are armed?
Absolutely not. I said from the beginning when that idea was put forth and it
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was was passed into law that school districts could do that.
I said, I will not work at a school as a principal or as a teacher or in any
capacity where teachers are armed.
I think that is a dangerous situation, a dangerous precedent to set.
You know, I talked to the superintendent in the district where I was and I asked,
I just don't understand how this is going to help because if the teacher has
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the weapon on them with the ammunition and a child gets that gun or the teacher sets it down,
which has happened in school districts in, I think in Texas, that is a safety issue.
And if the gun is not on the person...
And it is stored away so that it's more safe, then they don't have access to
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it. It's not accessible when they need it. That's right. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
Yeah, it's counterintuitive for sure. And for those parents who are afraid about
safety for their kiddos in schools,
I do want to point out there have been shootings in movie theaters and at Walmart
and in just the Kansas City Chiefs Parade. They're everywhere.
I don't actually believe school safety is about schools. I don't think schools
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are where we need to fix that.
We we have made great strides about locking those doors and about just the safety protocols.
We have brought awareness to. We all know about all the all the failures in Uvalde.
Sure. But it's it's a societal problem, really. And it's a it's a gun problem. It is a gun problem.
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And as for every time someone says or I hear that, well, I have a Second Amendment right.
Absolutely, you do. I do not want to take your guns. I absolutely do not want
to take your guns. Nobody wants to take your guns. Amen.
I do, however, want to have sensible gun control and regulation.
I don't believe that an 18-year-old has the mental capacity to be in charge of an AK-47.
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Personally, I don't think anybody needs them, but particularly an 18-year-old. Yeah.
And from what I've read, the majority of NRA members are in favor of common
sense gun laws to make sure people are qualified and that they understand, you know.
But when that issue is presented to the general public,
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I think our state leadership presents it in such a way that it's all or nothing,
that if you have anybody, a candidate who is for sensible gun ownership.
What they really mean, the state legislature or the state leadership will say
they're really about taking away your guns.
Again, it's about fear mongering and not being truthful.
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Exactly right. Yep. Yep. And why people don't look beyond the rhetoric to realize
that's not, you know, what's being proposed is another another issue. But yes.
OK, now on some of these things that you're talking about, how much power would
you have as a senator to get you would propose bills?
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Is that how that would work? And then do you go into committee and discuss how
to get these these get legislation passed? From my perspective as a current
non-legislator, I believe that my power as a senator.
Comes with my vote. And it also comes with developing relationships with other
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legislators and building collaborative teams and helping people to reach a better
understanding of what the real issue is and how we can best move forward.
I feel like as a candidate, I've got a lot of experience in that.
Principals walk that fine line between teachers and parents and teachers in the district office.
And it is so very important to have the skill set to be able to bring people
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together and find common ground so that we can find solutions for everybody.
And obviously, it makes more sense to have somebody with a background in education
to be looking at education-related legislation as opposed to career politicians.
Feel-good legislation, basically.
I agree. I agree. And I think that anybody who says, well, but,
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you know, you could choose any any of the issues, health care,
for example, my opponent is a former physician.
I get that. But but education is the basis of everything. Education is our foundation.
We have to have a solid public education system for our democracy.
I believe I heard it. Get out the vote training not long ago,
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a few months ago that Texas is not a red state.
Texas is a non-voting state. That's right. And so while in these rural areas
and even in the more urban areas, we do have a lot of signage for the Republican
Party and our more conservative candidates.
I believe there are more people out there that believe in solutions that are better.
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Best for people as a whole, for our society. And it's just going to be a matter
of getting them out to vote.
Yes, it is. Yeah. I also believe that the vast majority are moderate,
you know, whether they're Republican or Democrat. Yes.
It's just the loudest noises are coming from the conservative side.
That's exactly right. It's like this coming Saturday, the Trump train will be
(30:53):
organizing in New Braunfels as they do each month.
And I was thinking I saw on Facebook about, Oh, y'all stay away from,
you know, downtown New Braunfels because Trump train is organizing.
And my thought is, heck, no, I'm not staying away. I'm going to be right there
with them because I think that it is important to stand up and say this is not OK.
(31:15):
And I think it does two things. I think it shows them that there are people
who do not agree with them.
But it also shows people who don't agree with them that there are more of us
out there, that they are not alone in what they believe.
Yeah, that's something that we've encountered when we moved to this state,
you know, is that it turns out there is quite a bit of support for the other
(31:38):
side. I believe there is.
And for those who are going into the election thinking, well,
I, you know, I don't like Biden and I don't like Trump.
The best thing you can do is the right thing. And the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing.
The worst possible thing you can do is nothing. So by not voting,
you are in essence voting for whoever wins that race.
(32:02):
And that is frightening. And when the conservative party, the Republicans have
put it out there in Project 2025 exactly what they are going to do,
and you read that, I find it hard to believe that anybody would be okay with that.
Well, Mary, let's talk about some other issues.
One that is very important to our area here in the Hill Country is water issues.
(32:24):
Tell me a little bit about. Yeah. So I've been doing a lot of research and a
lot of talking with members,
Senate District 25, particularly out in the Hill Country and Wimberley and Dripping
Springs, and about the rivers drying up and the springs drying up and the commercial
development that is coming out.
And even the subdivisions that are, you know, we're just, this population is
(32:46):
exploding. We are in a high.
Fast growth area. Fast growth area. Yes, sir. One of the fastest in the country. Absolutely.
And so, you know, I asked today, I was on a conference call about this issue and I said,
so is it that we need to say we can't let subdivisions come in or is it that
we need to change the way we're doing that we're managing our water system?
(33:10):
And they said sometimes it's both, but it is particularly how we manage it.
And one example that they gave was that it's all about how the different entities impact each other.
And so the legislature impacts the legislature.
Local municipalities, and then who set then the rules about who's going to be
(33:30):
able to come in and develop.
And then there are large organizations such as Texas Aquifer.
They have been permitted to make developments out in the whole country,
and they are pumping thousands and thousands of gallons of water out,
and there's no incentive for them to not do that because there's no penalty.
And so it's systems like that that have to be changed in order to help preserve
(33:54):
the water that we do have.
And to educate the public, myself included, I am learning as much as I can about that.
One misnomer that people believe is that the Trinity Aquifer,
which is largely responsible for our water source, is huge and it's got plenty
of water. Well, there is a lot of water in it.
But what I learned today, a lot of that water is what they call older water,
(34:18):
and it's got a high rate of solid particles in it.
It's not drinkable. In order to make that potable, the cost is tremendous.
And so conserving and just putting all of those pieces together,
I think, is really important. Unfortunately, I don't think it's a topic that
many people talk about, much less understand.
(34:39):
You know, we see the rivers, and yes, they're low, but rains will come and they'll
fill up. But that's not... We've had some good rains early part of this year.
But of course, you always hear after a rain. And ever since I've lived in Texas,
but the drought's not over.
It seems like a never-ending drought. It sure does.
And what I learned today, too, was that the water, the rains do help and they
(35:00):
fill up the rivers. But the water often runs off and doesn't soak down into
the aquifers and then leaves us without enough water to be sustainable.
Let's talk a little bit about another important issue for the state of Texas is the power grid.
Yes. Yes. Let's talk about that. Don't get me started.
(35:20):
But yeah, yeah, yeah. So you've got, you know, power grid issues.
You've got ERCOT and their problems. their problems.
But then you also have like companies bringing in,
But Bitcoin mining that uses just tons and tons of, you know,
how can we sustain that? We can't, can we? We cannot.
And again, why is that? And again, I believe it is because of its power and control and money.
(35:46):
And we just like in schools, when you look at a at a campus budget,
you know exactly what is important to that campus because we fund what we want to be successful.
And the power grid does not seem to be a major concern for our state leadership,
unfortunately, because there are solutions out there, but we choose not to to take them.
Well, it's been in the news. So, I mean, the public is or somewhat aware anyway.
(36:12):
I don't know how many people read the newspaper anymore.
Yes, but it is our responsibility as constituents to get out and vote because
that is how we're going to make the change. Absolutely.
There was something I'd read about, you know, yeah, we have a huge number of
registered voters, but apathy is probably our biggest enemy.
Because they feel like their vote, I believe, because they feel like their vote
(36:34):
doesn't matter. I'm just one vote. What does it matter?
Sure. But it does matter. I heard that time and time again.
Okay. Well, Mary, so how can people get a hold of you?
Are you, do you have a social media presence? I am growing my social media presence.
I'm on Facebook and it is my Facebook handle is Fox for Senate District 25.
(36:55):
And my Web site is D.R.
M.E.R.R. I.E.F.O.X. Dot org.
I have an Instagram Instagram account, but I am learning how to use that. Okay.
Do you have a TikTok? No. Well, I do. I do have a TikTok.
I just have to put a TikTok on there. And they may be outlawing TikTok here in a minute.
(37:19):
But anyway, okay. But you're also on, and I've seen some good video of you on
YouTube, on the, what is it, KDEM?
KDEM, yes. I have a video out when I first launched my campaign.
And then I'm excited to say that I am going to make another video on April 12th,
which will be a two to three minute topical interview, and I'm super excited about that.
(37:40):
So search KDEM on YouTube, and
you can find out about a lot of different candidates. Sure, absolutely.
All right. Well, thanks, Mary, for spending the time with us today.
We've learned an awful lot about very important issues and about your campaign.
And are you going to be out and about doing like meet and greets or,
(38:02):
Or, you know, block walking, that kind of thing.
I absolutely am going to. We can visit with you and maybe ask you,
the general public can ask you questions or whatever. Sure.
Yes, I love talking to people. I think that's been the most my favorite thing
about this campaign is just getting out and talking with people and learning
what is important to them and hearing their stories.
It's super fun. I was at Johnson City a couple of days ago with the Blanco County
(38:26):
Dems, and I met a man who is 86, and he spent 46 years in the classroom.
And I was talking to him. You know, he's, mind you, he's dressed in jeans and
a plaid shirt and his little overalls and a little straw hat, cutest thing.
And he taught AP physics.
And it was the epitome of don't judge a book by its cover. And I just told him,
(38:48):
Jules and your crown for for for the number of years that you spent teaching children.
And he said, I don't need anything.
It was an honor to get to do that. So to be able to hear people's stories and
learn what is important to them has been a great advantage or great thing about this.
That is truly a special calling teaching because Lord knows they don't make
(39:08):
enough money. That is that is for sure.
But I would say it's a special calling to be a be a candidate as well. Well, sure.
And it's one of the things that is so important to me, I think,
about servant leadership.
And that's what I love about the possibility of that's what I love about the
idea of being a senator. It's much like being a principal.
It was never about the control or the power of the title.
(39:29):
It was about being in a position where I could help people.
And I believe that the same is true when I go to the Senate in January of 25.
I want to talk with people and I want to hear what is important to them so that
I can best serve them. So accessibility is important for sure.
Yes. And I'll be scheduling meet and greets. I've got some on the books already
(39:49):
and I'll post those on my website and on my Facebook.
And I hope to see everybody come out and let's do this.
All right. Terrific. Well, thanks again, Mary Fox. Dr. Barry Fox.
Thank you, Adam. I appreciate it. Your family, your future, your vote.
Conversations from the Hill Country is a production of the Kamal County Democratic Party Precinct 204.
(40:11):
Precinct Chair and Podcast Director, Teresa Patrick.
Deputy Chair and Podcast Executive Producer, Donna Kelter. Music provided by John Mullane.
Online at j-o-n-m-u-l-l-a-n-e dot bandcamp dot com. We.
Music.
Music.
(00:09):
From the Hill Country, the podcast. I'm Adam West.
Today, we spend some time talking to Dr. Mary Fox, Democratic candidate for
Texas Senate District 25.
We talk about her 31 years in education, school funding, and the proposed voucher
bill, fears of public school indoctrination, school safety, the Second Amendment,
(00:31):
and Texas water issues, among other things.
Dr. Mary Fox, Starbucks, Texas Senate District 25 candidate.
How are you? Thanks for being here. I'm great. Thank you. Thank you for having me today.
All right. Mary, now we've talked a little bit in the past, and you have an
interesting background, particularly 31 years in education as a teacher,
(00:54):
principal in public schools, right? Yes, sir.
That's your main background? That is my main background, 31 years,
11 as a teacher and 20 as a principal.
What did you teach? I taught middle school science, sixth, seventh,
and eighth grade at different times.
And I also taught physical education and coached. Okay. And then you've also been a principal.
(01:15):
Which public schools were you involved with? Sure.
So I was an assistant principal at Bill Brown Elementary and at Smithson Valley
Middle School here in Comal, and then a principal at Raul Pulverde Elementary
and a principal at Randolph Field ISD at the middle school.
Wow. Okay. So you've been around the block or two. I have. You know a thing or two about education.
(01:36):
I do indeed. All right. Well, let's talk a little bit about education in the
state of Texas, because that's pretty controversial right about now.
Public education funding is one thing, and this big push by Governor Abbott for school vouchers.
So explain to me a little bit about exactly how the voucher system would work.
Sure. So the state of Texas provides funding for public schools in part, and so per student.
(02:04):
Schools are allotted or school districts are allotted $6,150 per child to attend a particular district.
So what vouchers would do instead is they would send that money to wherever
that child went to school. So the money follows the child.
So if a student wants to go to a private school or secular or religious,
(02:27):
either way, the money instead of going to the school district would then follow
that child and the money would go to the school of choice.
In addition to that, though, interestingly enough, the vouchers,
they are talking about sending $8,000, $10,000 instead of the $6,150.
So it's actually more money than the public schools would be getting.
(02:49):
And some of that money then, I guess, would be a parent's choice,
could be used for homeschooling, correct? correct? It could indeed.
The voucher program, the last option that was presented by the legislature did include homeschool.
An issue with that certainly is that the homeschool system is not regulated
at all. There is no oversight. There's no monitoring.
(03:10):
The same can be said for private schools, although there tends to be a system
in place, at least with people watching and parents and advocates.
But with homeschool, they are on their own and whatever they want to do with that money, they may.
Why are there no standards for homeschooling? I believe it's just never been
a priority for our legislature.
And when you start monitoring and telling people exactly how to educate their
(03:34):
children in their homes, I think that causes a problem for them.
Well, not even telling them what they can teach them, for example,
but maybe meeting some testing standards, at least, you know,
some basic, it's pretty obvious about, you know, reading, writing, arithmetic, right?
Absolutely. Some kind of accountability and assurance that that child is getting an education.
(03:55):
There's not even accountability that a particular curriculum or any curriculum
is being provided to that child. That makes no sense.
Not at all, particularly when the state legislature continues to increase accountability
measures for public schools.
And I'm assuming that a lot of this push is over right-wing overreaction to
(04:17):
what they see as indoctrination of some sort in public schools. Is that right?
I believe so. I think that's part of it. I think that's part of it.
I think it's a huge part of it. It is quite irritating and frustrating.
You're probably going to have to cut some of this out because I have curse words
on the tip of my tongue. Don't worry about it.
By the way, in podcasts, there's no rating system. and we can say whatever the
(04:40):
hell we want. That's right. So that's fantastic.
So I believe the idea of indoctrination of children in public schools is absolutely ridiculous.
The state legislature sets our curriculum and exactly what students have to
learn. And then teachers teach that. They...
Teachers don't have time to indoctrinate children with anything other than the
(05:01):
curriculum provided by or mandated by the state.
That was my next question. There is a curriculum that is regulated.
And like you were saying, it should be regulated by the Board of Education and not by politicians.
Right. That is true. Unfortunately, our legislators on the House and the Senate
side tend to micromanage our state board of education and, you know,
(05:22):
feed a lot of that fear mongering into into our curriculum.
That's why we have an absence of our black history curriculum and and rewriting some history.
Absolutely. When you take out slave and you replace that with indentured servant,
that matters. It makes a huge difference.
It's all just another example of what feel good legislation.
(05:44):
It absolutely is. You know, I remember growing up, you know,
my parents were not racist particularly. But even then, I remember I didn't
know anything about any race other than my own.
I wasn't taught that in school and we didn't have friends of other ethnicities.
(06:05):
And so even as an adult, I remember my perceptions were so far off as I grew
up and got out into the world. And I discovered that I had been held in this
little bitty bubble and that and, you know, it is what it is.
But but the purpose of our public schools is to, you know, public schools are
a microcosm of our society.
(06:26):
And it is our responsibility to to make sure that we understand each other,
that we know of each other, that we celebrate each other because we're better together.
That goes without saying. Now, along those lines, how do they determine?
I guess that this also falls in line with the talk about banning books in schools
and in public libraries, right? Yes, it does. Goodness gracious.
(06:51):
So you want to bring, I think the idea is to raise children to be critical thinkers
and to, you know, be open minded so they can learn all aspects of certain subjects, for example.
Absolutely. That is the purpose of public education. And part of that is the
library system within the school and also public libraries.
(07:13):
The idea of banning books, again, is about fear mongering. And when you talk
about that schools have pornography in their libraries, there is not a teacher.
I have worked 31 years in public education and I have come I have worked with
hundreds, hundreds of teachers and not one of them would ever approve of having
any kind of pornography in the in the library of the school,
(07:34):
much less in their classroom.
Room and nor would they let children be exposed to that.
And so the idea that we have pornography or that we are indoctrinating children
to feel bad about our history or that one race is superior to all of those, it's not true.
It's just simply not true. Well, history is...
Factual. And it either was or it wasn't, you know.
(07:57):
And so, again, that's never made any sense to me.
And then as far as what's labeled as pornography, if it's education about sexuality.
That's not pornography, right? Agreed. And absolutely.
And if it is age appropriate. And again, teachers, educators,
principals, we want age appropriate materials for our students because we want
(08:18):
We want them to have the knowledge that they need in order to be their best selves.
And so we would not put a book on elementary library shelf that talked about
sexuality or dating, but we
would put that perhaps on a middle school or a high school library shelf.
And those things are important. And when we talk about the LGBT community.
(08:39):
They, particularly our young folks, they are at a huge disadvantage because
they don't have the information, the factual information that they need in order
to live happy, healthy lives.
And so when we keep that from them, we, one, tell them that you're not worth
being on the library shelf.
You're not worth being represented in a public school or in a public library.
(09:00):
And two, we keep information from
them that can be harmful to them to to developing a happy, healthy life.
Sure. That makes perfect sense, which also ties in with the talk about health
care and about, you know, availability for kids that may be going through that.
Maybe I'm misspeaking. No, not at all. So we have our trans population.
(09:25):
Transgender population, and we have, you know, there are hundreds, thousands.
I don't know the statistic, but there are many, many people,
young and older, who are transgender.
Their sexual identification at birth, their sex assigned at birth does not match
their feeling of their gender.
(09:46):
And so some of them go through some parents and some authority figures assume
that kids are just too young to even know.
So they just try to just avoid the conversation altogether. Right.
Because if we don't talk about it, then it doesn't exist.
Or if we don't talk about it, it's never going to happen.
(10:06):
That's kind of the mantra that applies to sex education as well.
Absolutely. Goodness gracious. And we all know that that is not the case.
So I was actually at an event in San Marcos about two weeks ago,
and it was for transgender health and support and advocacy.
(10:27):
And I met a family there and it was a mom and a dad and a little girl and she
had long hair and she was super cute and had a little dress on.
And I went up and I talked to them later. I said,
I did not know if they were there because their child, that little girl,
is transgender or they had someone else in there. I didn't know.
And so as I talked to them, they talked about their little girl.
(10:48):
And yes, she was at birth assigned male because of her genitalia.
But when she was about three, she wanted to wear dresses.
And so she just that's what she felt most comfortable in. And so her parents,
mom and dad, decided, you know what, if you want to wear a dress because that's
what makes you feel good and whole and happy, then absolutely you can wear that dress.
(11:10):
And then when the child got to be about five and six, she wanted to be called
she and her because that's who she felt like she was.
It's kind of like being right handed or left handed. If as a right handed person,
if I pick up a pencil or a pen in my left hand, I know that's not right for
(11:30):
me. That doesn't work for me.
But if I pick up a pencil or a pen in my right hand, it's very natural.
And I think even young kids realize whether they're left handed or right handed.
It's kind of like saying that kids can't, don't understand that they are heterosexual.
Who is anybody to say when someone realizes who they are attracted to or who
(11:51):
they're not or who they feel that they are on the inside?
Yeah, I think that's so true. You've got, and you don't have to,
you don't have to understand it to respect it.
Absolutely. It is true.
You don't have to understand it yet. I mean, you don't even really have to.
Personally, I can't imagine ever being in that situation, but I can certainly
(12:16):
accept people, you know.
Sure. Because it doesn't it doesn't impact you.
Right. So that family has every right. That little girl has every right to be who she is.
And those parents have the right to let her be who she is.
And the idea that parents now cannot provide gender affirming care to their
children, whether they were in that process when that law came into effect or not,
(12:39):
to say that they don't have the authority or even the knowledge or the ability
to say what is best for their child is asinine, absolutely asinine.
How can we say that parents should have all these rights over their children, over the curriculum?
They want to know exactly what their children are being taught because parents
know what's best for their child.
(13:00):
But parents don't have the authority to decide what's best for their child in
the medical sense if the child is transgender.
Yeah, that's absolutely true. And I think that takes us to health care because
obviously there's a lot of limitations for doctors both in that regard and as
far as women's reproductive rights,
(13:20):
too. you know, what's going on in this state, I swear.
I think it's about power and control and money and, you know,
the Christian evangelism that they're trying to push.
And honestly, I don't understand. I don't understand it because I am very much
of, you know, my rights extend until yours begin.
(13:41):
And what I want to do in my life and for my family is up to me.
And what you want to do for yours is is up to you and yours doesn't doesn't impact me. And so I don't,
do not understand the need for the control and the power over the lives of other
people, whether it's about health care or religion or money or anything.
(14:02):
Yeah. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this country, one of the basic founding principles
is the separation of church and state.
Yes. This Christian was not, I mean, this country was not founded as a Christian nation.
Freedom of religion and freedom from religion. Yes, it was founded so that you
can be Christian or Buddhist or an atheist or anything that you choose to be. Right, right.
(14:27):
So, yeah, I know there's been a big issue about posting the Ten Commandments
in school classrooms, for example.
Yes. My opponent, Donna Campbell, actually sponsored that bill, co-wrote it.
And the idea of it was to the purpose of it was to have that make it a law that
the Ten Commandments had to be posted in every single classroom.
And that that is I can't think of a word strong enough that I'm allowed to say on air.
(14:51):
But but I but I want to say that is absolutely not OK.
Asinine. Can we say that is asinine? Yes, it is.
Because every one because there there should be a separation of church and state.
And two, because what about the kiddos that are sitting in that classroom that
are not Christian, whose parents choose not to practice that religion?
And what you tell that child that when their religion is not represented,
(15:15):
that they are not they're not good enough. They're not OK. They're not worthy to be represented.
Yeah, absolutely. I understand that. And there are schools specifically for
a Christian education already.
So and if you want your child to have that type of education, more power to you.
But public funds should not be sent to private schools.
Public funds are for public schools because they benefit the public.
(15:38):
Absolutely right. And that's always been an issue, funding public schools to
the levels they need to be.
Yes, which, can I bring up a topic? Yeah. It kind of reminds me of...
The library situation in Spring Branch ISD.
That which was just in the news recently. Yes, it was. And it is on the heels
of a situation in Houston ISD.
(16:01):
At the beginning of this past school year in August of 2023,
Houston ISD, well, they had been taken over by TEA and Mike Miles was appointed
by Commissioner Mike Marath to serve as a superintendent or the director or
the overseer year of Houston ISD.
And so he made the decision in an attempt to redirect resources,
(16:21):
according to him, that libraries in many of the schools, interestingly,
in the low performing areas, would not serve as libraries, but instead would
serve as kind of detention centers for students that are not behaving.
We had cafeterias for that when I was in detention. Right.
Yes. Yeah. So so in many of those Houston ISD schools, the when a student misbehaves
(16:48):
and has to be removed from the classroom, then they are sent to the library
where one person can monitor the behavior of all these kids.
And they are they they receive their instruction through Zoom.
And so you think, well, what happened, you know, so that they can still receive
the instruction, but they're not with the general population of the students.
And so what happened with the rest of the library, all those books are still sitting there.
(17:10):
Well, what they have done is say that we're going to check out the books on
an honor system so students come in and they can get a book if they want or
they can't. And the issue that I have with that is they can't track how many
books are being checked out.
There's no advocacy for children to go to the library to check out a book.
You can't tell which books have been checked out and which haven't.
(17:31):
So you can't update your collection.
There is no one overseeing the collection. So the library, in effect, is dead.
There is no library there. There is a room with some books and also some kids who are misbehaving.
Yeah. Right. So in Spring Branch ISD, they have decided to not have librarians
(17:52):
next year in their libraries,
but instead replace them with staff members that, you know, they don't cost
as much money for payroll.
And so that's a cost savings initiative.
My issue with that is twofold. One is that librarians do more than check out
books and receive books.
So librarians, they are advocates for literacy and they collaborate with teachers
(18:17):
in order to enhance instruction and to provide materials.
Libraries are a place where students can come and collaborate and receive guidance
about research projects. It's almost, I think about it, kids in classrooms,
they get all of the information and then they are able to go to the library
and put that information.
Knowledge into effect, kind of put it all together with the guidance of the librarian.
(18:41):
And so when we talk about replacing librarians with really a paraprofessional
who is not required to have any kind of education, we are simply saying that
the library is only to check in and check out books. And that is absolutely not the case.
And the other issue that I have with that whole idea is that why are we having
to cut librarians from public schools?
(19:03):
Well, it's because the state legislature has not funded public schools,
increased funding for public schools since 2019.
So we're talking about five years ago before COVID. And we're talking about
inflation rates that have, as we all know, have caused increased prices in the
grocery stores and in Walmart and everywhere else we want to shop.
(19:24):
So schools are expected to do the same work, if not more work,
with less money or the same amount of money that they were using five years
So it is absolutely a library problem.
It is also absolutely a funding issue.
I think, too, the library issue is partly the result of this idea of banning
(19:45):
the books, which we've already talked about a little bit. And I think it's an issue.
Easy way for the district to avoid any kind of confrontation with the public
and with parents who disagree with whatever library books are in the library.
There's already a system in place by law that the list of library books has
to be provided to parents and that parents have the right to come in and view
(20:08):
any materials that children are using or looking at.
So the idea that we need to not have an actual librarian who has a master's
degree in library science.
This is not just a teacher who's taken out of their classroom and put into a
space with these library books.
This is someone who is dedicated part of their education to understanding and
(20:29):
advocating for how a library should work and the purpose that it serves.
So when we talk about vouchers, we understand that that money is going to private,
it's going to wherever the child is going homeschool, private school, religious or secular.
And yes, that what that does is it causes a problem for the public school system
because public schools still have to turn their lights on and they still have to function.
(20:51):
They still have to roll their buses and they have to pay their teachers.
You know, the kiddos that are going to leave public school to go to private
schools when the vouchers come are, I think, in large majority kids that are
already attending public or private schools.
There are already kids attending private schools and their parents then would
be able to subsidize the tuition cost for that private school.
(21:17):
So our more conservative legislators tout school vouchers as a program that
allows parents to have choices when their kids are in lower performing schools.
Those are not the kids we all know. It is obvious.
Those are not the kiddos that are going to be able to go to private schools
because there's no transportation provided.
The amount of the voucher is not going to cover the cost of the tuition.
(21:39):
There's no free lunch and breakfast programs.
There are no there's no mandate for special education services or Section 504
services or ESL services.
And those are the kids that are going to need that extra help.
And so what's going to happen is that our kids.
Kiddos who don't need all of those things are going to go to private school
and take that money with them. Right.
(22:01):
And then the kiddos who do need those services and those services are expensive
and they're left with less.
The districts are left with less money in order to serve those same students.
Sure. Yeah. And you bring up a good point there. The free lunches and so many
other programs in the community that serve, you know, families and children
besides, Besides, you know, the books and the basic classroom teaching and so forth.
(22:27):
And then with the voucher thing, Governor Abbott's tried to pass that a couple
of different times. Right.
And it's been shot down even by Republican legislators.
It has. It's it has been brought.
There has been a bill filed for several legislative sessions over the years
for voucher programs, and they have enveloped it in different names to try to
(22:49):
get it passed like the tax saving credit. You know, that sounds like a really great thing.
But when you really look at the bill, it was a voucher program.
And so, yes, it's a bipartisan issue because, as we know, education affects everybody.
And Republicans and Democrats alike believe that that vouchers are not what's
best for our public school system or our communities and society.
(23:11):
However, most recently, Governor Abbott had called that fourth session in the
88th legislative session and the.
Purpose of it. I think the only purpose of it was to pass school vouchers.
And so the Republican members who, again, voted against school vouchers because
they believe they know that it's not what's best.
(23:32):
Governor Abbott and Kim Paxton and Dan Patrick,
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, have raised a lot of money and they were able
to they have accumulated a lot of money and they They have put that toward candidates
who want school vouchers or who will
be yes men to governor Abbott and do exactly what he wants them to do.
(23:54):
And unfortunately, I know that nine of those races, I believe the candidates
or the legislators that had voted against school vouchers lost their primary.
And in some of those races, they are uncontested by a Democrat.
And so we know that is a vote that is going to go toward school vouchers in
the future. And meanwhile, you have to consider how many rural communities there are.
(24:16):
And that's where a lot of the public that is against school vouchers is coming
from, because it's just going to be more difficult for them to attend a private
school that's way out of their way when they depend on public schools for so
many things. That's right.
There are very few private schools out in the rural community.
And so when the government is talking about, the state legislature is talking
(24:39):
about taking money away from their public schools, it is only going to hurt them. That's right.
It's going to hurt rural residents, mostly rural residents, who in most cases,
by historical standards, vote Republican. Absolutely.
It's going to be a tough choice, I think, for those voters because we have on
(24:59):
our issues coming up are vouchers for private schools as well as women's rights.
And I think that both of those things are bipartisan issues.
Yeah. So before we get away from the school issue, I know one of the...
Thoughts among parents about why they want to homeschool is because they're
(25:20):
afraid of safety in public schools because of shootings.
So what can be done about that? I know they've talked about arming teachers.
They've talked about, you know, reinforcing entry doors or whatever.
How does that make sense? Would you feel comfortable as a principal having teachers that are armed?
Absolutely not. I said from the beginning when that idea was put forth and it
(25:45):
was was passed into law that school districts could do that.
I said, I will not work at a school as a principal or as a teacher or in any
capacity where teachers are armed.
I think that is a dangerous situation, a dangerous precedent to set.
You know, I talked to the superintendent in the district where I was and I asked,
I just don't understand how this is going to help because if the teacher has
(26:06):
the weapon on them with the ammunition and a child gets that gun or the teacher sets it down,
which has happened in school districts in, I think in Texas, that is a safety issue.
And if the gun is not on the person...
And it is stored away so that it's more safe, then they don't have access to
(26:26):
it. It's not accessible when they need it. That's right. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
Yeah, it's counterintuitive for sure. And for those parents who are afraid about
safety for their kiddos in schools,
I do want to point out there have been shootings in movie theaters and at Walmart
and in just the Kansas City Chiefs Parade. They're everywhere.
I don't actually believe school safety is about schools. I don't think schools
(26:52):
are where we need to fix that.
We we have made great strides about locking those doors and about just the safety protocols.
We have brought awareness to. We all know about all the all the failures in Uvalde.
Sure. But it's it's a societal problem, really. And it's a it's a gun problem. It is a gun problem.
(27:13):
And as for every time someone says or I hear that, well, I have a Second Amendment right.
Absolutely, you do. I do not want to take your guns. I absolutely do not want
to take your guns. Nobody wants to take your guns. Amen.
I do, however, want to have sensible gun control and regulation.
I don't believe that an 18-year-old has the mental capacity to be in charge of an AK-47.
(27:38):
Personally, I don't think anybody needs them, but particularly an 18-year-old. Yeah.
And from what I've read, the majority of NRA members are in favor of common
sense gun laws to make sure people are qualified and that they understand, you know.
But when that issue is presented to the general public,
(27:59):
I think our state leadership presents it in such a way that it's all or nothing,
that if you have anybody, a candidate who is for sensible gun ownership.
What they really mean, the state legislature or the state leadership will say
they're really about taking away your guns.
Again, it's about fear mongering and not being truthful.
(28:21):
Exactly right. Yep. Yep. And why people don't look beyond the rhetoric to realize
that's not, you know, what's being proposed is another another issue. But yes.
OK, now on some of these things that you're talking about, how much power would
you have as a senator to get you would propose bills?
(28:42):
Is that how that would work? And then do you go into committee and discuss how
to get these these get legislation passed? From my perspective as a current
non-legislator, I believe that my power as a senator.
Comes with my vote. And it also comes with developing relationships with other
(29:02):
legislators and building collaborative teams and helping people to reach a better
understanding of what the real issue is and how we can best move forward.
I feel like as a candidate, I've got a lot of experience in that.
Principals walk that fine line between teachers and parents and teachers in the district office.
And it is so very important to have the skill set to be able to bring people
(29:27):
together and find common ground so that we can find solutions for everybody.
And obviously, it makes more sense to have somebody with a background in education
to be looking at education-related legislation as opposed to career politicians.
Feel-good legislation, basically.
I agree. I agree. And I think that anybody who says, well, but,
(29:48):
you know, you could choose any any of the issues, health care,
for example, my opponent is a former physician.
I get that. But but education is the basis of everything. Education is our foundation.
We have to have a solid public education system for our democracy.
I believe I heard it. Get out the vote training not long ago,
(30:09):
a few months ago that Texas is not a red state.
Texas is a non-voting state. That's right. And so while in these rural areas
and even in the more urban areas, we do have a lot of signage for the Republican
Party and our more conservative candidates.
I believe there are more people out there that believe in solutions that are better.
(30:31):
Best for people as a whole, for our society. And it's just going to be a matter
of getting them out to vote.
Yes, it is. Yeah. I also believe that the vast majority are moderate,
you know, whether they're Republican or Democrat. Yes.
It's just the loudest noises are coming from the conservative side.
That's exactly right. It's like this coming Saturday, the Trump train will be
(30:53):
organizing in New Braunfels as they do each month.
And I was thinking I saw on Facebook about, Oh, y'all stay away from,
you know, downtown New Braunfels because Trump train is organizing.
And my thought is, heck, no, I'm not staying away. I'm going to be right there
with them because I think that it is important to stand up and say this is not OK.
(31:15):
And I think it does two things. I think it shows them that there are people
who do not agree with them.
But it also shows people who don't agree with them that there are more of us
out there, that they are not alone in what they believe.
Yeah, that's something that we've encountered when we moved to this state,
you know, is that it turns out there is quite a bit of support for the other
(31:38):
side. I believe there is.
And for those who are going into the election thinking, well,
I, you know, I don't like Biden and I don't like Trump.
The best thing you can do is the right thing. And the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing.
The worst possible thing you can do is nothing. So by not voting,
you are in essence voting for whoever wins that race.
(32:02):
And that is frightening. And when the conservative party, the Republicans have
put it out there in Project 2025 exactly what they are going to do,
and you read that, I find it hard to believe that anybody would be okay with that.
Well, Mary, let's talk about some other issues.
One that is very important to our area here in the Hill Country is water issues.
(32:24):
Tell me a little bit about. Yeah. So I've been doing a lot of research and a
lot of talking with members,
Senate District 25, particularly out in the Hill Country and Wimberley and Dripping
Springs, and about the rivers drying up and the springs drying up and the commercial
development that is coming out.
And even the subdivisions that are, you know, we're just, this population is
(32:46):
exploding. We are in a high.
Fast growth area. Fast growth area. Yes, sir. One of the fastest in the country. Absolutely.
And so, you know, I asked today, I was on a conference call about this issue and I said,
so is it that we need to say we can't let subdivisions come in or is it that
we need to change the way we're doing that we're managing our water system?
(33:10):
And they said sometimes it's both, but it is particularly how we manage it.
And one example that they gave was that it's all about how the different entities impact each other.
And so the legislature impacts the legislature.
Local municipalities, and then who set then the rules about who's going to be
(33:30):
able to come in and develop.
And then there are large organizations such as Texas Aquifer.
They have been permitted to make developments out in the whole country,
and they are pumping thousands and thousands of gallons of water out,
and there's no incentive for them to not do that because there's no penalty.
And so it's systems like that that have to be changed in order to help preserve
(33:54):
the water that we do have.
And to educate the public, myself included, I am learning as much as I can about that.
One misnomer that people believe is that the Trinity Aquifer,
which is largely responsible for our water source, is huge and it's got plenty
of water. Well, there is a lot of water in it.
But what I learned today, a lot of that water is what they call older water,
(34:18):
and it's got a high rate of solid particles in it.
It's not drinkable. In order to make that potable, the cost is tremendous.
And so conserving and just putting all of those pieces together,
I think, is really important. Unfortunately, I don't think it's a topic that
many people talk about, much less understand.
(34:39):
You know, we see the rivers, and yes, they're low, but rains will come and they'll
fill up. But that's not... We've had some good rains early part of this year.
But of course, you always hear after a rain. And ever since I've lived in Texas,
but the drought's not over.
It seems like a never-ending drought. It sure does.
And what I learned today, too, was that the water, the rains do help and they
(35:00):
fill up the rivers. But the water often runs off and doesn't soak down into
the aquifers and then leaves us without enough water to be sustainable.
Let's talk a little bit about another important issue for the state of Texas is the power grid.
Yes. Yes. Let's talk about that. Don't get me started.
(35:20):
But yeah, yeah, yeah. So you've got, you know, power grid issues.
You've got ERCOT and their problems. their problems.
But then you also have like companies bringing in,
But Bitcoin mining that uses just tons and tons of, you know,
how can we sustain that? We can't, can we? We cannot.
And again, why is that? And again, I believe it is because of its power and control and money.
(35:46):
And we just like in schools, when you look at a at a campus budget,
you know exactly what is important to that campus because we fund what we want to be successful.
And the power grid does not seem to be a major concern for our state leadership,
unfortunately, because there are solutions out there, but we choose not to to take them.
Well, it's been in the news. So, I mean, the public is or somewhat aware anyway.
(36:12):
I don't know how many people read the newspaper anymore.
Yes, but it is our responsibility as constituents to get out and vote because
that is how we're going to make the change. Absolutely.
There was something I'd read about, you know, yeah, we have a huge number of
registered voters, but apathy is probably our biggest enemy.
Because they feel like their vote, I believe, because they feel like their vote
(36:34):
doesn't matter. I'm just one vote. What does it matter?
Sure. But it does matter. I heard that time and time again.
Okay. Well, Mary, so how can people get a hold of you?
Are you, do you have a social media presence? I am growing my social media presence.
I'm on Facebook and it is my Facebook handle is Fox for Senate District 25.
(36:55):
And my Web site is D.R.
M.E.R.R. I.E.F.O.X. Dot org.
I have an Instagram Instagram account, but I am learning how to use that. Okay.
Do you have a TikTok? No. Well, I do. I do have a TikTok.
I just have to put a TikTok on there. And they may be outlawing TikTok here in a minute.
(37:19):
But anyway, okay. But you're also on, and I've seen some good video of you on
YouTube, on the, what is it, KDEM?
KDEM, yes. I have a video out when I first launched my campaign.
And then I'm excited to say that I am going to make another video on April 12th,
which will be a two to three minute topical interview, and I'm super excited about that.
(37:40):
So search KDEM on YouTube, and
you can find out about a lot of different candidates. Sure, absolutely.
All right. Well, thanks, Mary, for spending the time with us today.
We've learned an awful lot about very important issues and about your campaign.
And are you going to be out and about doing like meet and greets or,
(38:02):
Or, you know, block walking, that kind of thing.
I absolutely am going to. We can visit with you and maybe ask you,
the general public can ask you questions or whatever. Sure.
Yes, I love talking to people. I think that's been the most my favorite thing
about this campaign is just getting out and talking with people and learning
what is important to them and hearing their stories.
It's super fun. I was at Johnson City a couple of days ago with the Blanco County
(38:26):
Dems, and I met a man who is 86, and he spent 46 years in the classroom.
And I was talking to him. You know, he's, mind you, he's dressed in jeans and
a plaid shirt and his little overalls and a little straw hat, cutest thing.
And he taught AP physics.
And it was the epitome of don't judge a book by its cover. And I just told him,
(38:48):
Jules and your crown for for for the number of years that you spent teaching children.
And he said, I don't need anything.
It was an honor to get to do that. So to be able to hear people's stories and
learn what is important to them has been a great advantage or great thing about this.
That is truly a special calling teaching because Lord knows they don't make
(39:08):
enough money. That is that is for sure.
But I would say it's a special calling to be a be a candidate as well. Well, sure.
And it's one of the things that is so important to me, I think,
about servant leadership.
And that's what I love about the possibility of that's what I love about the
idea of being a senator. It's much like being a principal.
It was never about the control or the power of the title.
(39:29):
It was about being in a position where I could help people.
And I believe that the same is true when I go to the Senate in January of 25.
I want to talk with people and I want to hear what is important to them so that
I can best serve them. So accessibility is important for sure.
Yes. And I'll be scheduling meet and greets. I've got some on the books already
(39:49):
and I'll post those on my website and on my Facebook.
And I hope to see everybody come out and let's do this.
All right. Terrific. Well, thanks again, Mary Fox. Dr. Barry Fox.
Thank you, Adam. I appreciate it. Your family, your future, your vote.
Conversations from the Hill Country is a production of the Kamal County Democratic Party Precinct 204.
(40:11):
Precinct Chair and Podcast Director, Teresa Patrick.
Deputy Chair and Podcast Executive Producer, Donna Kelter. Music provided by John Mullane.
Online at j-o-n-m-u-l-l-a-n-e dot bandcamp dot com. We.
Music.
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