Overview
- The New York Times review published Wednesday found Texas Education Agency records showing the largest class James Talarico taught at Rhodes Middle School had 30 students and most classes ranged from 22 to 27.
- Talarico has repeatedly told voters he once had 45 students in a single classroom and said students sat on an air-conditioning unit because there were not enough desks.
- A campaign spokesman, JT Ennis, said Talarico worked with school administrators after 45 students were initially placed in his room and did not dispute the TEA records.
- Reporters who interviewed former students and colleagues found memories of full classrooms but no clear recollection of the extreme overcrowding Talarico described, and earlier reporting also could not verify other classroom anecdotes he has told.
- The discrepancy has been seized on by conservative outlets and outside groups as a credibility issue in a nationally watched Texas Senate race against Ken Paxton and could shape how voters and donors view Talarico before Election Day.