Edwin Flores gets the education side of his job, the most essential part. He has strongly backed Superintendent Michael Hinojosa's successful education reforms. We like the district's trend lines, so backing away from Hinojosa's course would be a mistake.

Leigh Ann Ellis' low-key, low-profile approach is both a point in her favor and an opportunity for improvement. While she has been a hard worker, she has not emerged as a vocal leader who always displays the courage of her convictions.

After more than a decade of controversy, District 9 voters deserve steady Dallas school board leadership from someone who can bridge the gap between board, superintendent and community. Our choice is Bernadette Nutall.

Texans should vote yes on Prop 4 on the Nov. 3 ballot to help propel more state universities to national prominence in lucrative research. Texas has been uncharacteristically uncompetitive in the national race for research dollars, and it's time to catch up.

For 50 years, Texans have had a clear statutory right to go to the beach. When private property owners began to fence off beach land to the public, the legislature passed the Open Beaches Act, barring them from laying claim to the Gulf shore.

For too long, state law had relatively little to say about government taking private land, leaving important questions unanswered. Prop 11 would write restrictions into the Texas Constitution, ensuring that property-owner protections could not be easily undone.

Early voting opens Monday and runs through Oct. 30 for 11 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution and three seats on the Dallas school board. (Election Day is Nov. 3.) Here is a summary of our recommendations.