SBOE also approved what is projected to be a record distribution from the Texas Permanent School Fund to the Available School Fund; roughly $900 million more than any previous biennial distribution.  Following more than 27 hours of public testimony heard over the course of three meetings, the State Board of Education (SBOE) gave final approval to revised Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for health education. This is the first time that the standards have been revised since they were first adopted in 1998.  view article

HOUSTON — Board member Barbara Cargill spoke about what she’s heard from teachers during Wednesday's meeting of the Texas State Board of Education.  "They're, like, dying," Cargill said. "And so many of them are really thinking about leaving education. And it just breaks my heart because their gift is teaching.   It’s a job veteran Chavez High School English teacher Coretta Mallet-Fontenot certainly takes to heart.“I have had some tough days, I’ll be very honest about that,” Mallet-Fontenot said.  She said some of her colleagues thinking about calling it quits due to the pandemic. And she's among those weary from teaching in-person and at-home students simultaneously.  "But I try to show up, you know, in solidarity with the other employees who have to be here," she said. "And, you know, trying to do the best I can to be supportive of my students.” view article

Most Republicans voted against proposals to teach middle and high school students about consent, sexual orientation or gender identity. The board will take a final vote Friday.  Starting in 2022, seventh and eighth grade students in Texas will learn about forms of birth control beyond abstinence, but middle schoolers still won't have to learn about the importance of consent or the definitions of gender identity and sexual orientation. view article

HOUSTON — Board member Barbara Cargill spoke about what she’s heard from teachers during Wednesday's meeting of the Texas State Board of Education.  "They're, like, dying," Cargill said. "And so many of them are really thinking about leaving education. And it just breaks my heart because their gift is teaching.   It’s a job veteran Chavez High School English teacher Coretta Mallet-Fontenot certainly takes to heart.“I have had some tough days, I’ll be very honest about that,” Mallet-Fontenot said.  She said some of her colleagues thinking about calling it quits due to the pandemic. And she's among those weary from teaching in-person and at-home students simultaneously.  "But I try to show up, you know, in solidarity with the other employees who have to be here," she said. "And, you know, trying to do the best I can to be supportive of my students.” view article

Democrats appeared poised to gain one seat on the Republican-dominated State Board of Education early Wednesday morning, with tight races in all three they hoped to flip.  With the final votes still being counted around the state, Democrat Rebecca Bell-Metereau, a Texas State University professor, was leading Republican Lani Popp, a Northside Independent School District speech pathologist, in District 5. Incumbent Ken Mercer, a Republican who held the seat for 14 years, decided not to run for reelection in the district, which picks up communities along the Interstate 35 corridor between San Antonio and Austin and stretches into the Hill Country. view article

Texas may change how your child understands biology when taught in a public high school classroom. The Texas' Board of Education tentatively approved changes to portions of the states Biology curriculum. Instead of asking Texas public school students to “evaluate” scientific explanations for the origins of DNA and the complexity of certain cells, the state will now ask that the students "examine" the scientific explanations for the origins of DNA and complexity of certain cells. In the past, some educators have argued that the word "evaluate" encouraged students to challenge the scientific theory of evolution and opened the door to teaching creationism. view article

The Georgetown Board of Trustees has hired Fred Brent as the district's newest superintendent. view article