A newly elected band of bankrupt, bought, and criminal-abetting representatives joined the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) this year. The 15-member SBOE sets curriculum standards; reviews and updates instructional materials; makes decisions on new charter school applications; and oversees the state’s Permanent School Fund—a $56 billion endowment that gives Texas local public schools another form of revenue besides tax dollars.
Redistricting led the state board of education even deeper into conservative hands, increasing its Republican majority from 9-6 to 10-5 and ushering in an ever-more radical crop of idealogues. Republicans flipped District 2 in South Texas and pushed out more moderate Republican incumbents Jay Johnson and Sue Melton-Malone. The four GOP newcomers to the board—Evelyn Brooks of District 14 in North Texas, Julie Pickren of District 7 in Southeast Texas, LJ Francis of District 2 in South Texas, and Aaron Kinsey of District 15 in the Panhandle—are pushing the board further right.
Brooks, Pickren, Francis, and Kinsey all campaigned to eliminate “critical race theory” from public school curriculums and support charter schools while evoking Christian values.
