Press Release - January 2nd, 2008 (Dallas-TX) Carol Kent, a member of the Richardson School Board, announced today that she is running for Texas House District 102.

“It gives me great pride to announce that I will run to represent our community in the Texas House,” said Kent. “I am truly humbled by the support of so many friends, neighbors and community leaders who have encouraged me to run for state representative.”

Kent is in her second three-year term as a member of the Richardson Independent School District Board of Trustees. Prior to being elected to the school board, Kent spent over 25 years as an educator and community leader. “My experience working to improve our public schools at the local level will allow me to serve District 102 well in Austin,” Kent continued. “Our school children and their hard-working, underpaid teachers need representatives who understand our public schools and who will finally put education ahead of politics.”

A sixth-generation Texan, Kent describes herself a centrist-Democrat whose focus in Austin will be “fighting for our public schools, expanding children's health care coverage, protecting our natural resources to ensure North Texans have the air and water quality standards they deserve, lowering tuition at Texas colleges and universities, and supporting economic development in North Dallas, Richardson and Garland.”

“Texans are fed up with politicians in Austin who are too busy playing partisan politics to get real results for middle class families. I am running for state representative because I want to bring my passion for our public schools and my record of tackling tough problems to the Texas House,” Kent continued.

“We are going to work hard to earn the votes of Democrats, Republicans and Independents across this district,” concluded Kent. “After more than 20 years with the same state representative, I believe the voters in District 102 are ready for a change.”

Kent's impressive record of community leadership includes service as a Board member of the Skillman Corridor Tax Increment Financing District for the City of Dallas, chairman of the successful Vote Yes! 2001 RISD bond committee, and past President of the Richardson I.S.D. Council of PTAs. She is a Texas Fellow of the Center for Reform of School Systems, is the school board representative to the Youth Services Council, and is a member of the Exchange Club of Lake Highlands.

Carol Kent grew up in Garland and is a graduate of South Garland High School. She and her husband David live in Lake Highlands and are the proud parents of three children: John, Meredith and Robert – all of whom attended Richardson I.S.D. schools and graduated from Lake Highlands High School. She holds both Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees from Baylor University.

Kent currently works in Dallas for Baylor University. Kent was an adjunct instructor at Richland College in Dallas for fourteen years, and served as the public information officer for the Irving Independent School District. Baylor University cannot support nor oppose any candidate in an election for public office nor advocate an issue tied to a candidate or slate of candidates. “The views I express are my personal views and not that of Baylor University,” Kent stated.