11.22.24
"Victory -- TX SBOE Votes 8 to 7 for Adoption of Healthy, Classical Curriculum"
By Donna Garner
The elected members of the Texas State Board of Education voted 8 to 7 to adopt the Open Resource Materials (OER) for K-5 Reading Language Arts called “Bluebonnet Learning.”
The Bluebonnet Learning materials are designed for print. Schools that order the materials will receive pallets of printed books, teacher guides, workbooks, readers, and activity guides.
The Bluebonnet Learning materials can only be changed by a majority vote of the SBOE. Texas owns the OER and it is in no way connected to UNESCO as a few naysayers are claiming.
Texas is offering the curriculum to any education entity across the entire United States.
SO MANY COMMITTED PEOPLE INVOLVED
I commend Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath and his hard-working Texas Education Agency staff for their constant and intense work to help bring the OER K-5 RLA Curriculum to this point in time.
Untold numbers of private citizens, caring and concerned parents, volunteers, committed experts, and Texas State Board of Education members went laboriously through the curriculum materials to make sure they will help all students learn to read and to understand literary references and historical events. At the same time students will be immersed in valuable, character-building content.
After the SBOE majority voted for the adoption, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick lauded their decision and said, "The vote for high-quality curriculum will ensure all students are receiving appropriate grade-level instruction, and this is an important step to boosting student outcomes statewide.”
Mary Elizabeth Castle of Texas Values stated, “The Bible has had a colossal impact on the Western world in art, history and literature that cannot be ignored."
HOW THE VOTE TURNED OUT
L.J. Francis, Will Hickman, Julie Pickren, Audrey Young, Kevin Ellis, Tom Maynard, Leslie Recine, and Aaron Kinsey are the eight Republicans who voted FOR adoption.
The four Democrats who voted AGAINST adoption are Melissa Ortega, Marisa Perez-Diaz, Staci Childs, and Rebecca Bell-Metereau.
Gov. Greg Abbott had appointed Leslie Recine (Republican) to fill temporarily the SBOE seat for District 13 when Aicha Davis (Democrat) was defeated earlier in the year. It was Leslie Recine who helped to bring the majority vote to 8 in favor.
Three Republicans — Evelyn Brooks, Patricia Hardy and Pam Little — joined the SBOE's four Democrats in voting AGAINST the adoption.
KUDOS TO THESE ORGANIZATIONS
“Many influential organizations have joined Texas Values in support of the Bluebonnet materials since September: First Liberty Institute, Texas Eagle Forum, Concerned Women for America of Texas, Moms for Liberty, and Citizens Defending Freedom, American Principles Project."
MORE INFORMATION
11.21.24 – “Read Excerpts of What Texas Lessons May Include About the Bible, Christianity” – by Talia Richman – Dallas Morning News -- https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2024/11/21/read-excerpts-of-what-texas-lessons-may-include-about-the-bible-christianity/
11.21.24 – Opinion: A Win for Texas Students, Teachers If SBOE Passes Curricula” – by Eva Guzman, former Texas Supreme Court Justice – Austin American-Statesman -https://www.statesman.com/story/opinion/columns/guest/2024/11/21/new-texas-state-board-of-education-materials-will-help-students-opinion/76451741007/
11.21.24 – “Make Texas Public Education Great” -- By Cindi Castilla, Texas Eagle Forum -- https://mailchi.mp/5b7ecef03994/make-texas-public-education-great?e=87963ff101
11.6.24 – “Texas State Board of Education Nov. 18 Vote” -- By Susan Perez – Citizens for Education Reform -- https://conta.cc/3YYLCNn
9.1.24 – “Important! Support New Curriculum -- Returning Texas to Traditional Schooling!” -- By Carole Hornsby Haynes --
https://conta.cc/3Z4DJ9l
6.6.24 -- "Position Paper – Teaching Biblical Literature As a Part of English/Language Arts/Reading” -- From a collaboration of English/Language Arts/Reading classroom teachers ー published on July 2, 2001 -- https://donnagarner.org/6-6-24-position-paper-teaching-biblical-literature-as-a-part-of-english-language-arts-reading/