MEET ROXANNE

I was raised in East Texas and I graduated from Nacogdoches High School. I met my husband in church while he was a senior at SFASU. He became a state trooper with the Texas DPS in 1986, and we married the following year.

Over the next few years, we had our daughters. We built a family and now are proud grandparents of two grandsons.

Roxanne Lathan for Texas House District 11

I received my BA from the Univ. of Texas at Dallas and my Masters in Edu. Admin. from the Univ. of Phoenix online. In 2004, I began my career in education as an elementary teacher and eventually retired as a principal. I have my teaching, principal, and superintendent certifications.

I retired from education after working 21 years in the field and that's not counting the three years as a substitute teacher.

Roxanne Lathan was raised in East Texas. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Dallas and a master's degree in education administration from the University of Phoenix. She is married and has two grandsons.

Roxanne Lathan retired as a principal after working as an elementary school teacher. She holds teaching, principal, and superintendent certifications.

Roxanne retired as a principal after working as an elementary school teacher. She holds teaching, principal, and superintendent certifications.

2026 Texas General Election

Q: Do you support a statewide minimum wage increase to at least $15/hour?

Yes, I support raising the statewide minimum wage to at least $15 per hour. No one working full-time should struggle to afford basic necessities like housing, food, healthcare, and transportation. The current minimum wage has not kept pace with the rising cost of living, especially in communities across Texas where working families are feeling the strain of inflation and stagnant wages.

Meet The Candidates: Roxanne Lathan For Texas State House District 11

Q: Should Texas end tax subsidies and abatements for large corporations?

Yes, I believe Texas should end excessive tax subsidies and abatements for large corporations. While strategic, limited incentives can sometimes play a role in economic development, too often these subsidies shift the tax burden onto working families and small businesses while large, profitable corporations receive generous breaks. That is not a level playing field, and it undermines public trust when everyday Texans are asked to do more while corporations do less.

Putting food on the table requires livable wages and economic growth. When people earn more, they can afford groceries, housing, and a better quality of life. Some ideas to bring good paying jobs to East Texas is to identify and support House and Senate bills that promote livable wages. We can better market our region and partner with businesses interested in relocating to East Texas to create higher income jobs. Advocate for small businesses for payroll tax cuts to help small businesses increase revenue. Lower taxes mean more room to hire, grow, and reinvest in our communities.

Supports raising the statewide minimum wage to at least $15 per hour.

Supports ending excessive tax subsidies and abatements for large corporations while retaining limited strategic incentives.

Plans to market East Texas and partner with relocating businesses to create higher-income jobs.

Advocates for payroll tax cuts for small businesses to support revenue growth.

- Supports raising the statewide minimum wage to at least $15 per hour.
- Supports ending excessive tax subsidies and abatements for large corporations while retaining limited strategic incentives.
- Plans to market East Texas and partner with relocating businesses to create higher-income jobs.
- Advocates for payroll tax cuts for small businesses to support revenue growth.

Economy

Safe & Secure Borders

We must use the latest technologies to patrol the border to keep out illegal drugs, weapons, and terrorists. However, people migrating to the US who have not broken any laws and apply for asylum/visas should be able to immediately apply for and become citizens within six months as long as all requirements are met.

Supports using new technology to patrol the border against drug and weapons trafficking and terrorism.

- Supports using new technology to patrol the border against drug and weapons trafficking and terrorism.

Public Safety

Everyone deserves access to care without the fear of financial ruin. There are several ways to try and solve this problem through policy reforms, such as Medicare's new drug price negotiation program under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is already working to lower prices, projected to save the government and beneficiaries billions in its first few years. We can continue to collaborate with medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies to reduce healthcare costs. Value-based care is better than traditional fee-for-service and telemedicine can lower the cost for consultations.

Supports value-based care and telemedicine as ways to reduce healthcare costs.

- Supports value-based care and telemedicine as ways to reduce healthcare costs.

Healthcare

Q: Do you oppose school vouchers and efforts to privatize public education?

Yes, I oppose school vouchers and efforts to privatize public education. Public schools are the foundation of our communities, especially in rural and small-town Texas, where they often serve as the heart of the community. Being a retired principal in public education, I am against the voucher scam. Voucher programs divert critical public funding away from neighborhood schools and send it to private institutions that are not held to the same standards of accountability, transparency, or accessibility.

Q: Should Texas guarantee free school meals to all K–12 students, regardless of income?

Yes, I support guaranteeing free school meals to all K–12 students in Texas, regardless of income. No child should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from while trying to learn. Hunger directly impacts a student’s ability to focus, perform academically, and fully participate in school.

Slow the process. Direct the SBOE to pause final adoption and convene a new work group of vetted classroom teachers, curriculum coordinators, and university-level content experts to conduct a full review of the proposed standards for accuracy, vertical alignment, and developmental appropriateness before any vote proceeds.

Texas House of Representatives public comments: State of Education

Require a fiscal impact analysis. Before adoption, the legislature should require TEA to produce a full accounting of implementation costs — curriculum materials, professional development, and projected teacher attrition and replacement — so districts can plan and taxpayers are informed of costs.

Opposes school vouchers and efforts to privatize public education.

Supports guaranteeing free school meals to all kindergarten through 12th-grade students, regardless of income.

Calls for the State Board of Education to pause adoption of proposed standards pending an expert review.

Calls for a Texas Education Agency accounting of the implementation costs of proposed standards before adoption.

- Opposes school vouchers and efforts to privatize public education.
- Supports guaranteeing free school meals to all kindergarten through 12th-grade students, regardless of income.
- Calls for the State Board of Education to pause adoption of proposed standards pending an expert review.
- Calls for a Texas Education Agency accounting of the implementation costs of proposed standards before adoption.

Education

East Texas families deserve better than the status quo. I’m running to be your voice in Austin, and I need your help to get there. I want to help those in East Texas who are struggling to put food on the table, afford healthcare and housing, and find decent-paying jobs. These are real challenges that affect families every day.

There are many other issues like fighting for our water rights, putting regulations on already built data centers and pausing those not built yet, and more.

Supports protecting water rights, regulating existing data centers, and pausing construction of proposed data centers.

- Supports protecting water rights, regulating existing data centers, and pausing construction of proposed data centers.

Energy & the Environment

Q: Do you support automatic voter registration and same-day registration in Texas?

Yes, I strongly support automatic voter registration and same-day registration in Texas. Voting is a fundamental right, and our system should make it easier—not harder—for eligible citizens to participate. Automatic registration helps ensure that more Texans are included in the democratic process, while same-day registration provides flexibility for people who may miss deadlines due to work, family responsibilities, or other barriers.

Supports automatic voter registration and same-day voter registration in Texas.

- Supports automatic voter registration and same-day voter registration in Texas.

Voting & Elections

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Roxanne Lathan

MEET‍ ‍ROXANNE

I was raised in East Texas and I graduated from Nacogdoches High School. I met my husband in church while he was a senior at SFASU.

I have my teaching, principal, and superintendent certifications.

I received my BA from the Univ. of Texas at Dallas and my Masters in Edu. Admin. from the Univ. of Phoenix online. In 2004, I began my career in education as an elementary teacher and eventually retired as a principal. I have my teaching, principal, and superintendent certifications.

Roxanne Lathan was raised in East Texas and graduated from Nacogdoches High School. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Dallas and a master's degree in educational administration from the University of Phoenix. She met her husband in church.

Roxanne previously worked as an elementary teacher and retired as a principal. She holds teaching, principal, and superintendent certifications.

We can better market our region and partner with businesses interested in relocating to East Texas to create higher income jobs. Advocate for small businesses for payroll tax cuts to help small businesses increase revenue. Lower taxes mean more room to hire, grow, and reinvest in our communities. Enhance local schools' vocational training and higher education to create a skilled workforce (no mandates without funding).

Supports ending excessive corporate tax subsidies and abatements while allowing limited strategic incentives.

Advocates for payroll tax cuts for small businesses.

- Supports raising the statewide minimum wage to at least $15 per hour.
- Supports ending excessive corporate tax subsidies and abatements while allowing limited strategic incentives.
- Advocates for payroll tax cuts for small businesses.

Safe & Secure Borders
 We must use the latest technologies to patrol the border to keep out illegal drugs, weapons, and terrorists. However, people migrating to the US who have not broken any laws and apply for asylum/visas should be able to immediately apply for and become citizens within six months as long as all requirements are met.

Develop a clear path to citizenship
 We can pass legislation that would enable both undocumented workers, who have provided valuable labor to small businesses and DACA recipients, who have lived and worked in our country since they were children, to earn their US citizenship within six months. It is unreasonable that people live here, work, pay taxes, and go to school for decades and never become a US citizen.

Streamline the process, make sure immigrants do not have a criminal history and assist with a clear and easy documentation process.

The systems that were put in place over the past decades have worked well in reference to deportation. This was the humane and dignified way to deport. No doors should be kicked in, or people pulled out of cars, or people killed.

Calls for using technology at the border to prevent illegal drugs, weapons, and terrorists from entering the United States.

Supports a six-month path to citizenship for eligible asylum or visa applicants, undocumented workers, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients.

Calls for deportations to be conducted humanely and without violent enforcement tactics.

- Calls for using technology at the border to prevent illegal drugs, weapons, and terrorists from entering the United States.
- Supports a six-month path to citizenship for eligible asylum or visa applicants, undocumented workers, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients.
- Calls for deportations to be conducted humanely and without violent enforcement tactics.

We can continue to collaborate with medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies to reduce healthcare costs. Value-based care is better than traditional fee-for-service  and telemedicine can lower the cost for consultations. We have to bring down costs across the board to help hardworking people in East Texas not just survive, but thrive.

Advocates for value-based care and telemedicine to reduce healthcare costs.

- Advocates for value-based care and telemedicine to reduce healthcare costs.

Voucher programs divert critical public funding away from neighborhood schools and send it to private institutions that are not held to the same standards of accountability, transparency, or accessibility. That weakens the very system that the vast majority of Texas children rely on. Instead of siphoning resources away, we should be fully funding public education—investing in teachers, improving facilities, expanding career and technical programs, and ensuring every student has access to a high-quality education regardless of where they live. Strong public schools create opportunity, support local economies, and prepare the next generation for success.

Lower taxes mean more room to hire, grow, and reinvest in our communities. Enhance local schools' vocational training and higher education to create a skilled workforce (no mandates without funding).
 I retired from education after working 21 years in the field and that's not counting the three years as a substitute teacher.

I retired from education after working 21 years in the field and that's not counting the three years as a substitute teacher. I know the mental exhaustion that teachers go through. Teachers in rural areas are paid low salaries and it's time that changed. We can find money for what we want to find money for.

Advocates for fully funding public education, including teachers, facilities, and career and technical programs.

Supports free school meals for all Texas kindergarten through 12th-grade students, regardless of income.

Advocates for enhanced vocational training and higher education without unfunded mandates.

Calls for higher salaries for teachers in rural areas.

- Opposes school vouchers and efforts to privatize public education.
- Advocates for fully funding public education, including teachers, facilities, and career and technical programs.
- Supports free school meals for all Texas kindergarten through 12th-grade students, regardless of income.
- Advocates for enhanced vocational training and higher education without unfunded mandates.
- Calls for higher salaries for teachers in rural areas.

There are many other issues like fighting for our water rights, putting regulations on already built data centers and pausing those not built yet, and more. Legislators always seem to find money for what they want—now it’s time we find money for the people.

Calls for regulating existing data centers and pausing data-center projects that have not been built.

- Calls for regulating existing data centers and pausing data-center projects that have not been built.

Roxanne is a retired school principal. She worked for East Texas public schools for 21 years, where she began in 2004 as an elementary teacher and eventually retired as a principal. She previously worked as a substitute teacher in rural East Texas for three years.

Supports promoting livable wages and economic growth by advocating for higher-paying jobs, supporting small businesses, and lowering taxes to enhance community reinvestment.

Supports ending excessive tax subsidies and abatements for large corporations in Texas, advocating for fair contributions from corporations to strengthen public services and support small businesses.

Supports raising the statewide minimum wage to at least $15 per hour to ensure full-time workers can afford basic necessities.

Supports using the latest technologies for border patrol to prevent illegal drugs, weapons, and terrorists, while advocating for a streamlined path to citizenship for law-abiding asylum seekers.

Supports collaboration with medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies to reduce healthcare costs, advocates for value-based care over traditional fee-for-service, and promotes telemedicine to lower consultation costs.

Wants to enhance local schools' vocational training and higher education to create a skilled workforce, emphasizing no mandates without funding.

Opposes school vouchers and efforts to privatize public education, advocating for full funding of public schools and investment in teachers and facilities.

Supports guaranteeing free school meals to all K–12 students in Texas, regardless of income, to ensure no child goes hungry and can focus on learning.

As of July 22, 2026, Roxanne Lathan’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Supports automatic voter registration and same-day registration in Texas to enhance voter participation and accessibility.

Buket Urgen

Mauricio Mendez

Joanne Shofner

- Your state representative represents the interests of your local district in the Texas House of Representatives. The State House of Representatives, along with the State Senate, makes up your state lawmaking body: the Texas State Legislature
- Your state representative can author, sponsor, and vote on bills that may become state laws. 
- There are 150 members of the Texas House of Representatives, each representing a single district. Representatives must be at least 21 years old and reside in the state for at least two years before their election. 
- State representatives are elected to two-year terms during even-numbered years. There are no term limits. 
- State representatives make $7,200 annually in addition to a $221 payment per day during legislative sessions and mileage reimbursements.

Your representative and state lawmaker in the Texas House of Representatives.