Attacks on Texas State Board of Education Crushed by Texas Senate

Democrat Senator Rodney Ellis surprised his fellow Senators when he offered a floor amendment yesterday to “sunset” the State Board of Education, trying to attach this amendment to a bill that had nothing to do with the State Board of Education.  Thankfully, leaders in the Senate, particularly Republican Senators Florence Shapiro and Jane Nelson, vigorously fought off the sneak attack, and the Senate emphatically rejected this effort and voted it down.  Please call Sen. Nelson and Sen. Shapiro and thank them and remind your Senator that you support the SBOE and you want Gail Lowe to be confirmed as SBOE Chairman, by the Senate!

This week, we also fought against an effort to give unelected education elites influence for our K-12 curriculum standards, like social studies, a role currently left to our elected SBOE.  HB 862, by Rep. Diane Patrick also seeks to “sunset” the SBOE but it has found no support thus far in the House and we are strongly opposed to its passage.

Finally, the Sonogram bill (HB 15) has now passed the Senate committee and is scheduled for a full Senate vote next week!