As a candidate for Texas State Board of Education District 10, I appreciate the work that has been done to set up the Thomas Jefferson Movement. The politically motivated, partisan decisions of the current SBOE don’t represent the values of most Texans, who care deeply about the education of our children. The decision to remove Thomas Jefferson from a list of enlightenment thinkers is just one of many partisan decisions that have provided fodder for national commentators to joke about Texas. While some try to pin these bad decisions on the population of the state in general, the fact is that we proud Texans are also concerned about the decisions of this board.

In the end, the deletion of Thomas Jefferson and the other ideological changes this board have made to the proposed social studies curriculum are a symptom of the real problems represented by the current board. The extremists on the current Board have sought the national spotlight by proposing ideological changes that do not serve our children or our schools. A small number of extremist members have disregarded the responsibilities of public office and used the SBOE as a stage from which to present an ideological agenda to the world and they have used our children and our classrooms as partisan playthings in the process. But we cannot afford for the serious business of preparing our students for the future to be treated like a game.

I am running for SBOE because I believe that the education of our children should be the first priority for the SBOE. I have no partisan ax to grind, and I will never align myself with any faction that seeks to use the SBOE to further their political ends. If the voters in District 10 choose to elect me, I will make every decision with one thing in mind: the education of our children. I will never vote for something that does not benefit our children, or the parents, teachers, and school administrators that support them.

In general, most people involved in the education of Texan children are doing their very best for our children, and we should be proud of them and our educational system. However, there are definite areas that need improvement. Unfortunately, we cannot even begin to discuss solutions to the dropout crisis, achievement gaps between children from high and low economic backgrounds, opportunities for including vocational education in high schools, or the other real issues to be tackled in a 21^st century education system, if our board is spending its time micro-managing the curriculum and seeking a national spotlight for their ideological agenda.

If elected to the SBOE, I will align with no faction, other than people who place education of our children as their first priority. I will partner with the wonderful parents, teachers, and administrators who work to make the Texas educational system a source of pride, not embarrassment, to all Texans. I will stand with people who want the SBOE to get work done, not generate publicity. Regardless of who you support in the SBOE races, please support the need of the SBOE to eliminate partisan politics.

Reading: "Hide from the Voters?" by @TFN http://ht.ly/2zjoA #SBOE #saveHistory

Updated September 3