Texas Senate candidate James Talarico is under renewed scrutiny following a New York Times report that contradicts the sensational classroom anecdotes he’s shared on the campaign trail.
The Lone Star Liberty PAC, which supports his Republican opponent Ken Paxton, highlighted these findings while also referencing a prior investigation into other stories Talarico has told about his teaching career.
Talarico has claimed that he taught 45 students in one classroom, stating that some children had to sit on an air-conditioning unit due to a lack of desks.
“At one point, I had 45 students in one classroom,” he stated during a CNN town hall earlier this month. “In the wealthiest country in human history — in the 21st century, children sitting on the air-conditioning unit.”
However, the Times uncovered that records from the Texas Education Agency indicated that Talarico had a maximum of just 30 students assigned at any time.
Most of his classes were populated with between 22 and 27 students, as per the records examined.
Former students and colleagues noted that while the classrooms were crowded, none recalled students being forced onto air-conditioning units.
Despite this evidence, Talarico has maintained this 45-student narrative on his campaign website, using it to justify his entry into politics and his opposition to Republican education policies.
His campaign did not contest the accuracy of the education records reported by the Times.
In response, spokesperson JT Ennis argued that Talarico initially had 45 students but worked with school administrators to lower the class size.
“After having 45 students placed in his classroom, James worked with school administrators to redistribute students across classes,” Ennis explained.
He did not agree to an interview request from the newspaper regarding Talarico.
This scrutiny follows another examination of Talarico’s teaching history, particularly his account of a troubled student named Justin, whom he frequently cites as a pivotal reason for his political aspirations.
The Texas Tribune previously reported that Justin was an 11-year-old student who had allegedly threatened a teacher with a knife. Talarico claimed to have formed a bond with Justin prior to the student’s removal from school due to a range of disciplinary and personal issues.
“We failed Justin,” Talarico remarked at a Houston campaign event. “I promised myself that if I ever got a little bit of power, I would do everything I possibly could to stop something like that from happening ever again.”
However, school officials from that time could not corroborate Talarico’s specific narrative. Although they acknowledged Justin as a problematic student who had a connection with Talarico, they could not confirm the detailed sequence of events he described.
Talarico only spent two years teaching at Rhodes Middle School in San Antonio before transitioning into a political career.
Both stories are pivotal aspects of his political identity as he aims to defeat Ken Paxton in the upcoming Senate election.
