Four Republicans won five issues on the Texas Board of Education on Tuesday night, giving Republicans the upper hand on the board of education responsible for deciding what the state’s 5.5 million public school children learn in classrooms. solidified the majority.
Considering election results as of Wednesday morning, the board currently consists of 10 Republicans and four Democrats. Democrats reclaimed the seat vacated by Aicha Davis, who resigned to run for the Texas House of Representatives.
Republican incumbents Tom Maynard (10th District), Pam Little (12th District), and Aaron Kinsey (15th District) defeated Democratic challengers, and Republican Brandon Hall He ousted longtime Republican incumbent Patricia “Pat” Hardy (11th District) in the primary. , also won.
As of early Wednesday, the race for the 1st District seat currently held by El Paso Democrat Melissa Ortega had not determined a winner. Ortega has decided not to seek another term. Democrat Gustavo Revelles is running against Republican challenger Michael “Travis” Stevens.
Democrats Marisa Perez Diaz (Ward 3) and Staci Childs (Ward 4) ran unopposed and retained their seats. Democrat Tiffany Clark, who is running to fill the 13th District seat vacated by Davis, also won unopposed.
The board’s 15 members will help determine what students learn in the classroom, what kids need to graduate, and the $56 billion to support Texas public schools. It plays an extraordinary role in overseeing state funds.
The stakes in the board race were especially high this year, as the organization’s responsibilities next year could include revising Texas’ social studies curriculum. Some conservatives on the Republican-dominated board campaigned on the idea that public schools were harming children by teaching them about America’s history of racism and its diversity. .
The commission has complained in recent months about the Texas Education Agency’s proposed curriculum, which, if approved later this month, would incorporate Bible teaching into elementary school reading and language arts classes. The group delayed a vote on a long-awaited Native American studies course that covers the culture and history of tribes and nations in Texas and the United States. And in recent years, the board has rejected science textbooks and rescinded their adoption of textbooks because of their messages about climate change. He opposes school vouchers, a program in which parents pool their tax dollars to pay for their children’s private school tuition.
The results of the 5 contested races out of this year’s 8 races are as follows.
District 1
A winner has not yet been announced for District 1, which includes parts of El Paso and Bexar counties.
As of Wednesday morning, Democrat Gustavo Revelles had a narrow lead over Republican Michael “Travis” Stevens. Most votes were counted.
District 10
In the 10th Congressional District, which includes parts of Bell and Williamson counties, Republican Tom Maynard defeated Democrat Raquel Saenz Ortiz.
Mr. Maynard is a native of Florence and has served on the board for 11 years. He currently chairs the board’s School Finance Committee, helping oversee the $56 billion state fund known as the Permanent School Fund. Mr. Maynard has been in education for more than 30 years, including more than 12 years as an agricultural science teacher. He also served as executive director of the Texas FFA Association. Maynard’s priorities include improving the quality of educational materials, creating and implementing a library book review process, and completing revisions to social studies and math standards as some of his top priorities. His website says he also opposes so-called “woke ideology” in public education and will “continue to fight to prevent students from being exposed to radical and inappropriate content in Texas classrooms.” I swore.
district 11
In the 11th Congressional District, which includes parts of Parker and Tarrant counties, Republican Brandon Hall defeated Democrat Rayna Glasser and Green Party candidate Hunter Crowe.
Hall, a youth pastor, said Texas has a “broken public education system” and children “face an onslaught against innocence.” Specifically, the way America’s history of racism is taught in the classroom and what he called “obscene library books.” and “sexual agenda.” On his website, Hall lists his commitment to “making quality, conservative education a reality for all students” and to making it easier to establish charter schools. He also wants parents to “play a central role in shaping their children’s education policies.”
district 12
Republican Pam Little defeated Democrat George King in the 12th Congressional District, which includes Collin County.
Fairview’s Mr Little has been a director since 2019 and is currently vice chairman of the group. She is part owner of a fencing company and has taught small business management courses at community colleges, according to her State Board of Education biography. Her campaign website says few people voted against her presentation of a “biased view” of the fossil fuel industry and social studies standards that “wateres down our history”. She cited among other accomplishments during her time on the board the introduction of phonics-based curriculum standards, approval of personal financial literacy education, and updates to the Texas Dyslexia Handbook.
District 15
In the 15th Congressional District, which includes Ector and Lubbock counties, Republican Aaron Kinsey defeated Democrat Morgan Kirkpatrick and Libertarian Jack Westbrook.
Kinsey, a Midland resident, was elected to the board in 2022 and was appointed chair by Governor Greg Abbott last December. Kinsey is a former Air Force pilot who now oversees an aviation oilfield services company in Midland, according to his online biography. At this year’s Texas Republican convention, Kinsey said he didn’t know much about the State Board of Education before running, but that he “understands the greatness of Texas” and that his family’s values are reflected in public schools. He admitted that he had not done so. One of Kinsey’s top priorities, he told the convention, is for schools to teach Texas children “how to think and how not to hate themselves.” He also advocated a curriculum that incorporated “capitalism and self-reliance as a Nobel quest.” At the end of his speech, Mr. Kinsey declared, “We have a Speaker who will fight for three letter words: GO-D, GOP, and USA.”
