Elected TX State Board of Education Needs Your Help! Accountability Needed!

HB 6 , (Rep. Eissler/Sen. Shapiro) is a bill impacting the authority of the elected State Board of Education.  HB 6 is expected to go to conference committee  and good language needs support for the SBOE to have approval/removal power on all textbooks and materials and to have oversight of “open source” electronic materials that are pushed into public school classrooms with no oversight by TEA, by the Education Commissioner, or the elected SBOE.  There is currently no oversight of open-source instructional materials.  These materials are fast-tracked into our public school classroom if certain university faculty members “self-certify” these instructional materials, with no oversight by TEA, the Education Commissioner, or the elected SBOE.

The House version of HB 6 has a good SBOE amendment, restoring the SBOE’s authority to remove instructional materials on the “commissioner’s list”.  The Senate version doesn’t have this amendment as the Senate version only allows the elected SBOE to “review and comment” on commissioner’s list and the “open source list.” (Senate Democrats blocked stronger version of these amendments, so they were removed for HB 6 to move forward).  An amendment preventing national standards from infiltrating Texas also had to be removed.

In conference committee, we need the conference committee members to restore the elected SBOE having the power to approve/remove instructional materials and/or textbooks from the commissioner’s list and the “open source” list.

We support HB 6 going to conference committee and support including in HB 6 the following:

(1)  Elected SBOE authority to remove instructional materials from the commissioner’s list.

(2)  Elected SBOE authority to remove instructional “open source” materials and/or electronic textbooks.

(3)  Rejection of national curriculum standard being used in Texas schools.

There are only a few days left this Texas Legislative session!!

Remember, the elected SBOE saved the teaching of Christmas, the Liberty Bell, rejected propping up socialist as models for students, and defending the teaching of our Founding Fathers, the Constitution and American Exceptionalism for K-12.

Please spread the word!

Update: Protect The SBOE Calls Needed Today! Oppose SB 1348!

Update: Senate is now set to vote on a bill, SB 1348 that undermines authority of the SBOE.  Click here for more information on defeating SB 1348.  https://texaslegislativeupdate.wordpress.com/

2:00 p.m. Update:  We are now being told that this bill will not come up for a vote.  Thanks for stepping up!

“Protect the SBOE” Calls Needed Today!

Please call the members of the House Public Education Committee and ask them to oppose HB 3257, by Democrat State Representative, Mark Strama (D-Austin).  There is pressure to pass this bill out of committee as all other bills that strip away power and authority from the State Board of Education have not moved forward.  HB 3257 puts the Texas Legislature in the position of telling the elected SBOE members when and how the SBOE is allowed to make changes and corrections to the curriculum standards, such as Social Studies, after unelected review teams make their changes to the curriculum.

You’ll recall that the elected SBOE saved from elimination the following: Christmas, the Liberty Bell, Neil Armstrong, Albert Einstein, Jonas Salk and used their current operating procedures to ensure accurate teaching about religious freedom language in the First Amendment of the Constitution.  The elected SBOE has their own operating rules and their ability to decide the content of such operating rules should not be stripped by the Texas Legislature, in regards to amendments to curriculum standards or any other matter within their rules.

Chair:	Rep. Rob Eissler (R-The Woodlands) 512-463-0797
Vice Chair:	Rep. Scott Hochberg (D-Houston) 512-463-0492
Members:	Rep. Alma Allen (D-Houston) 512-463-0744
	Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock (R-Killeen) 512-463-0684
	Rep. Harold V. Dutton, Jr. (D-Houston) 512-463-0510
	Rep. Ryan Guillen (D-Ri0 Grande City) 512-463-0416
	Rep. Dan Huberty (R-Kingwood) 512-463-0520
	Rep. Mark Shelton(R-Fort Worth)512-463-0608
	Rep. Todd Smith (R-Bedford) 512-463-0522
	Rep. Mark Strama (D-Austin-Bill Author) 512-463-0821
	Rep. Randy Weber (R-Pearland) 512-463-0707

Weekly Legislative Update Video

Legislative Update video for the week March 21-25.

 

Click here to view video interview with Rep. Eissler

Public Education Chair, Rep. Eissler, on Social Studies Standards, Gail Lowe, and Fordham Institute report

Yesterday, Jonathan Saenz with Liberty Institute spoke with Representative Rob Eissler, Chairman of the House Public Education Committee, on Texas’ Social Standards, Gail Lowe, and the Fordham Institute Report.

“I continue to support the social studies curriculum standards and the work of the State Board of Education and its chair, Gail Lowe.  Any questions I had about the process existed before I visited with Mrs. Lowe.  Now I have a greater understanding of the State Board of Education’s process.  My questions have been answered, and my concerns have been put to rest.” – Statement from Rep. Eissler

See here for official document.

To get the truth on Texas’ Social Studies standards, visit http://www.juststatethefacts.com/

See Liberty Institute’s response to the Fordham Institute’s report here.

Texas House Public Education Chair: I support the Texas Social Studies/History Standards & I Support Gail Lowe

Texas House Public Education Chair: I support the Texas Social Studies Standards and I support Gail Lowe. 

Rep. Rob Eissler expressed this to me this morning and wants to make it clear his support for both the new social studies standards and the current chairman of the State Board Of Education, Gail Lowe.  An article that ran yesterday gave the opposite impression and conclusion.

Rep. Eissler/GOP Leader Says He Supports Texas Social Studies Standards; GOP Leader Misrepresented in “History Revision” Article

An article today about the Texas Social Studies curriculum standards is going around and looks to have been picked up by the Associated Press (AP) and originated in the Houston Chronicle & San Antonio-Express News.  See one version of the article here.

Here’s the title: “GOP leaders endorse revision of history curriculum standards.”  Here’s the problem, Rep. Rob Eissler is one of the “GOP leaders” quoted in the story.  This morning he was very surprised by this story and told me point blank that he does not support the SBOE re-opening the social studies adoption process.

In regards to the Texas Social Studies standards, Rep. Rob Eissler, chairman of House Public Education said to me: “I support the content.”

The other two GOP members in the article are Rep. Charlie Geren and Rep. Jim Pitts.  More details to come.

See here a Texas Conservative Coalition (TCC) letter that Rep. Eissler signed just days before the final vote on Texas Social Studies.