Profiles in Courage - Dr. Marsha Farney

During her term in the Texas Legislature, State Representative Dr. Marsha Farney was a strong advocate for public education and the more than 5.4 million students attending our public schools.  But her support was one of the reasons that she had a bullseye on her back in 2016.  After a campaign by her opponent that was full of untruths, she was defeated in her bid for reelection.

Rather than complain about her loss, she recommitted herself to advancing the cause of public education in the State of Texas.  In 2017, she created an organization and web site called Texas Public School Proud; click here to access the site.  Because so many amazing public school student success stories are seldom shared beyond the boundaries of the individual school community, she is creating a repository of those untold stories on this website.  During my conversations with her and a subsequent meeting in Georgetown, she spelled out what to her is a critical need to tell the success stories of our students.

Her web site spends considerable “real estate” focusing on topics from STEM to languages other than English to personal financial literacy and a discussion of the role that charter schools play in our public education system.  Texas Public School Proud is not just a headline although it certainly would surpass the impact of the headiness others are trying to create; it is about the students in districts across the state who are making a difference.  Perhaps more importantly, it is about the future and celebrating the successes that will help to sustain Texas as a strong economy with limitless opportunities.

More recently, she has been very active on social media supporting efforts by many organizations to get out the vote and to elect candidates who are friendly to public education.  As an elected official, she worked hard for students and is now supporting those who share her passion for public education.

Sadly, Dr. Farney chose not to run for reelection in 2018 but public education advocates across the state are better for her efforts to highlight the successes we see in our classrooms every day.  And through her web site and continued efforts to support students, she may well be doing a better job of advocating than she did during the 84^th Legislative Session; that is going the extra mile!  I am proud to call Marsha a friend and she certainly is a friend to public education, continuing to focus on making education a priority in Texas.