SBOE: Now With Two-Thirds Approval?
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State Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, filed a bill today that would require two-thirds of the State Board of Education to reject recommendations from experts during the approval process for curriculum standards and textbooks.
That would mean five of the board's 15 members would have the power to block votes they don't like, giving more sway to the board's Democrats — there are four — and moderate Republicans.
In a statement, Villarreal said HB 3504 takes aim at the politicization of the board, which is charged with overseeing the state's public education system.
“Curriculum standards and textbook requirements should be written by teachers and scholars, not politicians who have little expertise in the matter,” he said. “This bill ensures that an elected board still serves as a check on the process but helps protect the education of Texas schoolchildren from personal and political agendas.”
State Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, who sits on the Senate Education Committee, is filing similar legislation in the upper chamber, according to the release.
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