Patriot Mobile and School Board Elections?

Arlington ISD will have two school board seats on the ballot in 2026: Place 6, currently held by Brooklyn Richardson, and Place 7, currently held by Leanne Haynes. All Arlington ISD school board seats are elected at large, meaning any voter who lives within AISD boundaries may vote in these races. As school board elections approach, it is important for our community to stay informed about outside organizations attempting to influence local education decisions. One of those organizations is Patriot Mobile.

Patriot Mobile markets itself as a Christian conservative wireless provider, but it is also deeply involved in local school board elections through political funding, endorsements, and coordinated campaigns. This involvement raises serious concerns about whether its priorities align with the actual role and responsibilities of public school boards.

Patriot Mobile promotes four “Foundational Pillars” that guide its political activity:

• Sanctity of Life

• Religious Freedom

• Second Amendment Rights

• Protecting Our First Amendment Rights

Three of these pillars have no meaningful relationship to school board governance. School boards exist to carry out clearly defined public responsibilities: setting curriculum standards within state law, reviewing and adopting instructional materials, establishing graduation requirements, overseeing public education funds, and ensuring that policies serve all students. Their work is conducted through regular public meetings, with transparency, public testimony, and accountability to the community. School board members are not tasked with advancing ideological positions on religion, reproductive policy, or gun rights. They are charged with stewarding public education in a way that is lawful, inclusive, and focused on student learning.

The one pillar that does overlap with school board work, Protecting Our First Amendment Rights, is also where Patriot Mobile’s approach deserves closer attention.

Patriot Mobile has repeatedly demonstrated that it defends the First Amendment selectively. Its advocacy has focused on restricting access to books, limiting speech and expression related to race and LGBTQIA+ identities, and promoting policies that elevate certain religious viewpoints over others in public schools. Protecting the First Amendment means safeguarding everyone’s right to free speech and expression, not only speech that aligns with a specific ideology.

Public schools serve students from many lived experiences, beliefs, and identities. School boards must uphold constitutional principles fairly and consistently, not use them as a tool to advance one set of beliefs while silencing others.

As voters, we should be cautious of candidates and mandates funded or supported by organizations whose stated priorities do not reflect the nonpartisan, student-centered mission of public education. Local schools should be guided by educators, families, and community members, not by corporate political agendas operating at the state or national level.

As school board elections near, it is imperative that our community stays vigilant. We encourage voters to:

• Examine whether outside organizations align with the true role of school boards

• Support leaders committed to serving all students, not ideological mandates

We will report on Arlington ISD School Board donations to support keeping the community informed. 

Our schools belong to our community. Protecting them means ensuring decisions are made locally, transparently, and in the best interest of every student.

Sources and Further Reading

This post reflects our analysis and interpretation of publicly reported information.

APM Research Lab
Analysis of campaign finance in school board elections, documenting the role of outside political organizations and the growing influence of PAC-funded candidates in traditionally nonpartisan races.

Houston Chronicle
Coverage examining Patriot Mobile’s involvement in Texas public schools, including actions that raise concerns about church-state separation and selective application of constitutional principles.

NBC News
Reporting on Patriot Mobile’s coordinated strategy to influence and win school board elections across multiple Texas districts, including financial backing and candidate recruitment.

Patriot Mobile
Patriot Mobile official website and public statements outlining its mission, political advocacy, and “Foundational Pillars.”

Patriot Mobile Action (political advocacy arm)
Information on Patriot Mobile Action, the organization’s political arm focused on funding, endorsing, and supporting conservative candidates, including in school board elections.

Texas State Board of Education (SBOE)
Publicly available governance documents and meeting procedures detailing the constitutional and statutory responsibilities of school boards and the SBOE, including curriculum standards, instructional materials, graduation requirements, and public accountability processes.