FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2025
CONTACT: press@seekerstrategies.com
Our Schools Our Democracy welcomes Brownsville education leader as new board member
Daniella Lopez Valdez is the Board President of the Brownsville Independent School District
AUSTIN, Texas – Today, Our Schools Our Democracy (OSOD) is pleased to announce the addition of a new member of our board of directors, Brownsville ISD trustee Daniella Lopez Valdez. Born and raised in Brownsville, Trustee Lopez Valdez comes from a family of educators and public servants. In her tenure at BISD, she has supported regular increases to educator starting pay, paid parental leave for educators and staff, and thoughtful school safety reforms to protect students and educators in the classroom. She currently serves as the Board President of the Brownsville Independent School District.
“OSOD exists not only to ensure accountability and slow charter school expansion, but also to celebrate successes big and small of our public schools,” said Carrie Griffith, board chair of Our Schools Our Democracy. “With the addition of an education leader as smart and as passionate as Trustee Lopez Valdez to our board, OSOD will be even better-positioned to fight school privatization in all its forms.”
“I’m honored to join the OSOD board of directors at such a critical time for Texas neighborhood schools. In Brownsville ISD, we’ve experienced firsthand what happens when the state adopts different sets of rules for different kinds of schools. Every single member of our school community is committed to helping our students thrive, and they need both state and local leaders to share that dedication when decisions are made on public school funding and new charter campuses,” said Daniella Lopez Valdez, incoming board member at Our Schools Our Democracy and Brownsville ISD trustee. “That’s why Our Schools Our Democracy exists, and I’m excited to work alongside these experienced education leaders, local parents, and entire communities to protect the public schools we all love. Our public schools lose funding, but we never lose sight of our mission—because we serve every child, regardless of circumstance. Charter schools might work for some, but our public schools work for all. I’m committed to fighting for a system that puts kids and communities first, not profits or politics.”
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Our Schools Our Democracy (OSOD) is a Texas-based nonpartisan and independent 501c3 nonprofit organization established to educate and inform parents, taxpayers, and decision-makers about the impact of unlimited charter school expansion on our public school districts, neighborhood schools, students, and our democracy.