Democrats and Republicans each hold seven seats on the 15-member board. The final matchup will determine which party gains majority control.
Republicans’ unrestrained dominance over what students learn in the classroom took a major hit in the last day when four new Democrats won State Board of Education seats. Now, only one seat among the 15-member group remains undecided.
Democrat Dana Van de Walker leads Republican incumbent Audrey Young by fewer than 600 votes, with only 1% of the vote in the District 8 race unaccounted for, according to unofficial returns.
It is unclear when final results will land, with provisional and mail-in ballots pending. Additionally, a candidate can request a recount in such close elections.
Not counting that race, Democrats and Republicans each hold seven seats.
Members on the 15-person board serve four-year terms, determining what schools must teach, which learning materials schools can choose, which charter schools operate in the state and overseeing a school fund worth billions.
Three middle-of-the-road Republicans decided not to seek reelection, while the GOP candidates vying to replace them appeared to embrace a disruptive brand of Christian conservative politics that values party loyalty more than bipartisan camaraderie.
A fourth seat serving the Rio Grande Valley was seen as a toss-up, with Republican incumbent LJ Francis losing in the March primary. Francis narrowly won his race in 2022, even though the district had previously leaned Democratic.
Garcia, a Democrat, won this year’s contested race by a wide margin.
Huddleston and Bumgarner of the GOP won two seats currently occupied by the consensus Republicans, but Democrat Michelle Palmer appeared to defeat Republican Tiffany Nelson.
Conservative interest groups invested tens of thousands of dollars into the races. Many of the Democratic candidates hold active classroom experience in either K-12 or higher education.
The right-wing faction of the board has publicly sparred with Texans protesting conservative changes to classroom instruction while challenging Democratic attempts to make that instruction more inclusive.
Earlier this year, members in the Republican majority approved the anti-Islamic rewrite of social studies lessons alongside the mandatory reading list for public school students that included Bible passages. A Democratic board member threatened to sue two Republicans who supported those changes, alleging harassment during heated meetings that stretched hours into the early morning.
Members have also fielded complaints about the Texas Education Agency’s error-riddled learning materials, which incorporate Bible teachings into elementary reading lessons. They have debated the merits of a Native Studies course, with some in the GOP majority calling it “junk.” Years before that, they rejected science textbooks over messaging on climate change and walked back opposition to vouchers, which allows families to use taxpayer dollars to fund their children’s private school education.
With Democrat Gina Hinojosa’s victory in Texas’ gubernatorial race, leadership on the education board could also see a shake-up. State law allows the governor to appoint the board chair from among elected members, though the selection requires Senate approval.
Texas Republicans will likely maintain control of the state Senate, albeit with Democrat Vikki Goodwin presiding over them as lieutenant governor. Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Republican Aaron Kinsey to a second term as education board chair earlier this year.
Source: Texas Tribune BY Jaden Edison
Photo: A school bus drives past the Texas Capitol Complex as State Board of Education members hold a meeting in the William B. Travis building in Austin on Nov. 17, 2023. Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune
