{"id":69980,"date":"2025-02-26T14:00:11","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T20:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trta.org\/?p=69980"},"modified":"2025-02-26T10:54:51","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T16:54:51","slug":"senator-royce-west-reflects-on-the-educational-experiences-that-shaped-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trta.org\/es\/senator-royce-west-reflects-on-the-educational-experiences-that-shaped-him\/","title":{"rendered":"Senator Royce West Reflects on the Educational Experiences That Shaped Him"},"content":{"rendered":"

Royce West first became a Texas Senator in 1992, and he\u2019s served in the Texas Senate for more than 30 years. Throughout his political journey, he\u2019s always viewed public education as a priority for his legislation.<\/p>\n

“Education is important, and education is powerful. If indeed you want to succeed, you’ve got to get an education,” West said.<\/p>\n

West\u2019s belief in the power of education comes from his own experiences.<\/p>\n

He can still recall many of the teachers who had a major impact on his life. From his 7th<\/sup> grade government teacher, Gloria White, who influenced him to run for student government, to B.T. Williams, who taught him his periodic table, West holds a deep appreciation for the educators who molded him into a successful attorney and politician.<\/p>\n

However, West\u2019s educational journey wasn\u2019t without its share of adversity. West was bussed into Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas, Texas during integration, which was predominantly Anglo, and he experienced \u201cissues\u201d due to the color of his skin.<\/p>\n

On one such occasion, West was called to the Superintendent Robertson\u2019s office and confronted. West was serving as the President of the student body and Robertson had \u201ccaught wind\u201d that there was going to be a \u201cbig fight\u201d between the black students and white students. Robertson told West that West would be held responsible if anything were to happen. But West stood his ground and told Robertson that he should hold himself responsible, \u201cbecause you\u2019re allowing people to come from off this campus in order to fight us . . . you\u2019re not protecting us.\u201d<\/p>\n

West\u2019s educational path was greatly bolstered by his high school math teacher Shirley Fisher. Fisher remembers a young West as being \u201cvery studious\u201d and \u201cvery intense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fisher was a integral part of West\u2019s journey because she, along with her husband Charles, guaranteed his student loan to go to college. She remembers when West approached her and asked for her help as his family couldn\u2019t financially support his dream to attend college.<\/p>\n

Fisher knew it was a risk because if West couldn\u2019t pay the loan, it would be up to her and Charles to repay it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I can say is that it was a good investment,\u201d said Fisher. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have to pay back one penny. He went on to school and got his law degree. We were so proud of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

To this day, Fisher and West maintain a strong friendship. \u201cHe never forgets my anniversary or my birthday,\u201d Fisher said.<\/p>\n

West feels gratitude for the many public educators who have helped guide the youth of Texas.<\/p>\n

\"\"West says that these experiences influenced his determination as a Texas Senator to pass legislation related to improving public education and the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS). According to the Association of Texas Professional Educator\u2019s Teach the Vote website<\/a>, \u201cWest is a longtime advocate for increasing funding for public education.\u201d His voting record reflects consistent efforts to improve the retirement for educators including voting for the cost-of-living adjustment that retirees received in 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to say to the retirees, thank you. Thank you for all that you\u2019ve done for your country, your state, and your school district,\u201d West said. \u201cThank you for providing me the tools to be a state senator.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2024, West was honored by the Dallas Independent School District by having a school named after him. The Royce West Leadership Academy<\/a> was named for \u201cthe senator\u2019s contributions to education in Dallas and his lifelong commitment to uplifting communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

West hopes that he\u2019s remembered by future generations as a dedicated public servant who championed education.<\/p>\n

“I want them to remember that I have labored in the vineyard of education. For some 32 years, that I’ve been a public-school advocate.”<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Royce West first became a Texas Senator in 1992, and he\u2019s served in the Texas Senate for more than 30 years. Throughout his political journey, he\u2019s always viewed public education as a priority for his legislation. “Education is important, and education is powerful. If indeed you want to succeed, you’ve got to get an education,” […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":69982,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[637],"tags":[638],"class_list":["post-69980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-story"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSenator Royce West Reflects on the Educational Experiences That Shaped Him - Texas Retired Teachers Association<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trta.org\/es\/senator-royce-west-reflects-on-the-educational-experiences-that-shaped-him\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Senator Royce West Reflects on the Educational Experiences That Shaped Him - Texas Retired Teachers Association\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Royce West first became a Texas Senator in 1992, and he\u2019s served in the Texas Senate for more than 30 years. 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