Get to know Ericka Ledferd, a candidate for Texas State Board of Education, in this exclusive interview on Tejano Talks.

Fifteen people set the curriculum standards for every public school in Texas. Most voters can't name one. Ericka Ledferd who wants one of those seats. She is a mom, a twelve-year classroom teacher, and the candidate in District 9 — and on what she says is happening to Tejano, Black and Native history in Texas textbooks: "They are completely erasing."

The board is nine Republicans to six Democrats, and she says three seats is all it would take: "We only need three Democrats and we flip them."

Hiram and Domingo sit down with Ericka Ledferd — a mom, a twelve-year classroom teacher, and a candidate for the Texas State Board of Education — to talk about what the board actually controls, what she says is being cut out of Texas history books, where she stands on privatization and AI in schools, why the race at the bottom of your ballot may be the one that reaches your kid first — and, in Spanish, where her accent comes from.

Ericka Ledferd's campaign:
https://www.ledferd4texas.com/

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IN THIS EPISODE

— What the State Board of Education actually does — and why most voters can't name the person holding their district's seat
— The three-seat math: how a 9–6 board becomes a different board
— Her three pillars, in her words: privatization, the AI era, and curriculum "rooted in real opportunity"
— Why she says Tejano, Black and Native contributions are being cut out of Texas textbooks
— What twelve years in a Texas classroom shows you that a policy briefing does not
— The Spanish-language exchange about her accent, and where she's originally from
— The down-ballot problem — the race people skip on the way to the top of the ticket
— What parents can do before November 2026

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Who Ericka Ledferd is and what she's running for
00:42 "Number one, I'm a mom" — why she's running
01:20 Her three pillars: privatization, AI, curriculum
01:53 On what's being cut from Texas history books
02:26 "We only need three Democrats and we flip the board"
03:06 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
03:25 What she says has hurt Texas kids most
04:05 Domingo asks about her accent — "I immigrated from Argentina"
04:56 What the State Board of Education actually does
05:31 Go down the ballot — the race voters skip
05:48 How to reach the campaign

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ABOUT THE GUEST

ERICKA LEDFERD is a candidate for the Texas State Board of Education in District 9. She taught for twelve years at Royse City ISD, where she taught dual credit courses and served as ESL testing coordinator and director. She has also worked with East Texas A&M's TRIO Programs, Baptist Immigration Centers, and SMU's Upward Bound program, and brings more than fifteen years of board experience with community organizations. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in Spanish literature. She and her husband David have three children who attend or have attended Texas public schools. She is originally from Argentina.

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HOSTS

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years. @abogadodomingo

HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

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ABOUT TEJANO TALKS

Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia that blends cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. We're here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.

Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, TikTok, and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #TexasEducation #SBOE

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