“It's a question of inclusivity,” said Jackie Nirenberg, regional director of Anti-Defamation League Austin, an organization fighting antisemitism and bias against Jewish communities. “It's also a very slippery slope. Because once we open the door to that kind of content, it's much easier to get more and more religious content into the curriculum.” The State Board of Education will vote on the proposed curriculum in November, which is now available for public viewing and feedback online. The proposal came after the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1605, a law that directed the TEA to create its own free-to-use textbooks with the goal of helping teachers save time preparing for classes. view article

AUSTIN, Texas – July 1, 2024 – The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) took no action against recommendations made by Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, opening the door for four new charter school operators at its regularly scheduled meeting June 25 – 28. Subject to clearing contractual contingencies, the following applicants will open new charter schools and begin serving Texas public school students in the 2025-2026 school year:  view article

EAST TEXAS (KSLA) — Voters decided a contentious runoff for the Texas House District 1 seat Tuesday (May 28). Longtime incumbent Gary Vandeaver, a retired educator who is completing his fifth term as a state representative, won re-election against challenger Chris Spencer with 54% of the votes cast Tuesday. Spencer is a Cass County businessman who had the endorsement of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. The vote count was 9,619 for Vandeaver to 8,224 for Spencer. view article

Two incumbent Republican State Board of Education Members, Tom Maynard and Pam Little, kept their seats. In Central Texas, Maynard secured his seat over current Round Rock Independent School District Trustee Mary Bone in the Republican primary runoff election for SBOE District 10. In North Texas, Little beat Jamie Kohlmann, a local real estate agent with a background in education policy, for SBOE District 12. Both Bone and Kohlmann challenged Maynard and Little from an activist standpoint, citing the need to end destructive leftist policies in schools in their campaigns. view article

The search follows the retirement last month of previous superintendent, Dr. Edna Kennedy. Board members agreed on March 19th to engage with Powell Law Group to conduct the search for a new superintendent. Dr. Rob Barnwell, a retired superintendent from Jefferson ISD, is leading Burton ISD in the interim. 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