State Representative, District 127
Two-year term. The Texas House of Representatives has 150 members from separate districts across the state. With the Texas Senate, the Texas House: enacts and amends laws; passes the state budget and raises or lowers taxes; passes proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution; and redraws congressional and legislative district maps every ten years. The Texas House has the exclusive power to impeach officials. Current annual salary: $7,200, plus $221 for every day the Legislature is in session, including any special sessions.
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Charles Cunningham
(Rep)
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Michelle Williams
(Dem)
What training, experience, and characteristics qualify you for this position?
Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the nation. What steps would you take as a state representative to ensure access to affordable healthcare, including mental health services, for residents who are currently uninsured or underserved in your district?
What measures would you support to ensure adequate state funding for public schools and accountability for taxpayer funds used in voucher or education savings account programs?
What are the two most pressing issues unique to your district, and what specific, measurable actions would you take to address them during your term?
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I spent 26 years in Texas classrooms — not as a policy expert, but as a teacher who stayed late to help struggling students, who called parents when a child needed more support, and who watched our schools do more with less year after year. I know what it feels like when a school doesn't have enough textbooks, when a teacher has to buy her own supplies, and when a family doesn't know who to turn to. Those experiences are why I'm running. HD-127 doesn't need someone who has read about our challenges from a distance. It needs someone who has lived them alongside you — and who will show up every day to fight for the schools and community our children deserve.
I've sat with parents in our community who skipped doctor visits because they couldn't afford the bill. I've seen students come to school carrying stress that no child should carry, because a family member couldn't access mental health support. That's not right, and it doesn't have to be this way. As your representative, I will push to expand affordable healthcare options and bring mental health services closer to the families who need them most — in our schools, our clinics, and our neighborhoods. Texas cannot keep leading the nation in uninsured residents and call that a win.
I taught in Texas public schools for 26 years. I know what it looks like when a classroom thrives — and I know what it looks like when the money isn't there. Voucher programs that pull tax dollars out of public schools and send them to private institutions with little oversight make that harder for every child who stays behind. I will fight to increase state funding, unfreeze the basic allotment, and make sure our teachers have what they need to do their jobs well. And if public dollars are going anywhere, parents and taxpayers deserve to know exactly where.
When I talk to neighbors at the door, two things come up every single time: "Why are our schools struggling?" and "What happens if it floods again?" Those aren't abstract policy issues — they are the real, daily worries of families right here in HD-127.
On school funding: Spring ISD is facing a $13 million budget deficit. Aldine ISD has closed nine schools in two years. These aren't numbers on a page — they are kids being bused farther from home and teachers watching their communities shrink. The state's share of education funding has dropped from 45% to 38%, and the basic allotment hasn't moved since 2019. I will fight to raise it, tie it to inflation, and fix recapture so that the taxes our neighbors pay actually stay in our neighborhood
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