Dana Van De Walker

From Ballotpedia
Dana Van De Walker
Candidate, Texas State Board of Education District 8
Elections and appointments
Next election
March 3, 2026
Education
High school
Danville High School
Bachelor's
Illinois State University, 2005
Bachelor's
Illinois State University
Ph.D
Sam Houston State University, 2021
Graduate
Illinois State University, 2006
Graduate
Illinois State University
Graduate
Sam Houston State University
Personal
Profession
Education administrator
Contact

Dana Van De Walker (Democratic Party) is running for election to theTexas State Board of Education to representDistrict 8. She is on the ballot in the Democratic primary onMarch 3, 2026.[source]

Van De Walker completed Ballotpedia'sCandidate Connection survey in 2026.Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Dana Van De Walker earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in political science from Illinois State University, as well as a doctorate in education from Sam Houston State University. Her career experience includes teaching English as a second language in South Korea, serving as an assistant professor and administrator at Daegu University, and coordinating student exchange programs at Sam Houston State University and Lone Star College.[1]

Elections

2026

See also: Texas State Board of Education election, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on March 3, 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.

Democratic primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Democratic primary for Texas State Board of Education District 8

Shahzeb Meghani (D) andDana Van De Walker (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Texas State Board of Education District 8 on March 3, 2026.

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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 8

IncumbentAudrey Young (R) andGeorge Vachris (R) are running in the Republican primary for Texas State Board of Education District 8 on March 3, 2026.

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Incumbents arebolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement,click here.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Dana Van De Walker completedBallotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Van De Walker's responses.

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When I first thought about running for office, my primary interest was simply seeing more Democrats on the ballot in my very red area (Montgomery County). Since taking the plunge into the world of running for office (my first time!), however, I have begun to see that I am uniquely qualified for the TX State Board of Education, bringing nearly 20 years of experience to the position along with progressive values and a passion for student success. I have worked in all levels of education, from elementary to postsecondary, and having worked both as a teacher and an administrator. These days, I work at Lone Star College overseeing a large student program. I originally hail from Illinois, spent eight years living and working in Korea, and have now made a home in Texas. I’m excited to take on the responsibility of fighting for Texas youth on the State Board of Education.
  • Upholding the essential Constitutional value of separation of church and state: I believe that religion has no place in our public schools and will fight to remove the Ten Commandments and any religiously-influenced curriculum, while also advocating for the rights of students to individually practice their religion. Moreover, I support a robust, science-informed curriculum, comprehensive sex education, all-gender restrooms, and the ability of LGBTQIA+ students to use their chosen name and pronouns, regardless of parental approval (or notification). I am also fiercely opposed to book bans.
  • Equitable access to education for all Texans, regardless of immigration status: This goal has several components, but most importantly to me, it includes allowing undocumented (or DACAmented) Texas residents to again qualify for in-state tuition at Texas colleges and universities. Also, I believe that ICE officials should not be allowed on any K-12 or college campus, nor should they be able to target parents or guardians dropping off or picking up students at school.
  • Opposition to school vouchers: Numerous studies have shown that school vouchers take money away from the neediest school districts and disproportionately impact students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Instead, we need to prioritize investing in public schools, including incentivizing teachers to stay.
I have experience in curriculum design, teacher training, and much more, but my personal passion is student engagement and success. I think that our students in Texas should not just meet and exceed expected educational outcomes, but should also have the opportunity to personally develop their critical thinking skills and character. One of my main interests is student preparedness for college, career, and military and I'm excited to work on this area of public policy as a member of the State Board of Education. I look forward to raising our English and math scores, but also to giving students increased career and technical options before high school graduation.
Secular Houston (I have also applied for 11-12 other endorsements and I am waiting to hear back about those)

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.


Campaign finance summary

Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available fromOpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.

See also


External links

Candidate

Texas State Board of Education District 8

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