4.24.26
“10 Important Years with TX. Ed. Comm. Mike Morath”
From Donna Garner
Tx. Comm. of Ed. Morath (who is 48 years old) was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott and took office on Jan. 1, 2016.
This means that Morath has been the Commissioner of Education for 10 years -- serving longer than any other Texas education commissioner in 50 years.
During those ten years, he has guided Texas public schools through Hurricane Harvey, COVID, and two deadly school shootings in Santa Fe and Uvalde.
MORATH’S VALUES
Morath often talks about public education in spiritual terms, frequently referring to students as “souls” and teachers as the “army of angels.”
He is leading Texas conservatives to bring mainstream Christian values into public schools because he (along with the majority of other Texans and elected State Board of Education members) wants students to revere traditional values.
As stated by Comm. Morath:
“The work is sometimes difficult and often takes years to unfold, especially in order to have a sizeable impact on the roughly 5.5 million public school students around the state.”
MORATH’S JOURNEY
Morath grew up in Garland (northeast of Dallas) after his family moved there from a town in Virginia.
His caring mother contacted the TEA (Texas Education Agency) to ask for help in locating a great school in the Garland area.
Someone at the TEA suggested Garland ISD which at the time had 42,000 students, 6 high schools, was 40% Hispanic or Black, and 30% low income.
Morath graduated from Garland High School, attended George Washington University (Washington, D. C.), joined a fraternity that was historically Black (Alpha Phi Alpha), and graduated in 2 ½ years with a BBA degree.
While in D. C., he helped to establish a volunteer project at Anacostia Middle School which was in a predominantly Black neighborhood.
In 1997, he moved back to Garland, Texas, launched a tech company, and eventually became a partner in a software management company.
In 2011 he sold his share and started Morath Investments (real estate, oil, and gas holdings).
At one point, he taught an advanced high school computer science class when he was recruited to replace a teacher who abruptly resigned. This gave him personal experience with what takes place in a school classroom.
In 2011, Morath ran for the Dallas ISD School Board where he served until 2015.
As a school board member for five years, he learned much about the inner workings of a school system.
WHAT HE LEARNED FROM BEING A VOLUNTEER
Experiences as a volunteer also helped to shape Morath’s views.
In 2006, he began mentoring students through Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
One of the reasons that Morath decided to run for the Dallas ISD School Board was because of an experience he had with his “little brother” who was 16 years old and struggled to fill out a simple job application to work at a local ice cream chain.
Morath kept asking himself, “How can I let this happen?” (i.e., a 16- year-old student who could not even fill out a simple form).
When Morath became a Dallas School Board trustee in 2011, he already had some definite ideas about how to fix the schools.
He wrote down on the whiteboards in his home office various points he wanted to remember and made careful notes from his research on school improvement.
MORATH APPOINTED TO BE ED. COMM. OF TEXAS
Then on 12.14.25 Gov. Abbott appointed Mike Morath as the Education Commissioner of Texas.
On a podcast, Morath described his background as having shaped a broader sense of purpose in him.
“It’s fascinating, because you don’t know why the Lord has you on the meandering path that you have,” Morath said.
Morath had long felt that he was “called” to serve children.
Back in 2007, he traveled to southeast India with the Addison Rotary Club that brought supplies and clean water systems to orphans and students with special needs.
In describing his trip, he praised the schools for providing housing and education for the homeless.
“Each of these facilities does nothing short of God’s work, every day; it’s amazing to see.”
A MORAL OBLIGATION
Through his life experiences, Morath learned that providing a quality education for students should not just be public policy but instead is a moral obligation.
He met his future wife while they were on a mission trip to Mexico. They provided food and medical care to orphaned children.
Mr. and Mrs. Morath now have two sons and two daughters of their own.
Morath frequently refers to religion to describe his calling.
“We all have a stake in this. This is the future of our country, and we have a moral obligation to meet the needs of these wonderful little creatures.”
INSTILLING VALUES IN STUDENTS
Morath as Texas Education Commissioner has worked side-by-side with Texas legislators to embed Christian values in public schools.
These are the same values upon which our forefathers based The Declaration of Independence and the U. S. Constitution, thus forming the basis for our court system and the understanding that our rights come from God – not man.
During the last legislative session, a bill (SB 10) was passed and signed by Gov. Abbott that requires public schools to display a donated poster of the Ten Commandments in every classroom.
Initially, Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office defended SB 10 in front of only 3 judges of the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and won the right to have all of the judges hear the case (17 judges).
On 4.21.26, after SB 10 was defended in front of 17 judges of the full U. S. Court of Appeals, the majority ruled in favor of SB 10.
The Fifth Circuit judges ruled that the law does NOT establish an official state religion.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded:
“The law does not establish an official state religion. The law does not tell churches or synagogues or mosques what to believe or how to worship or whom to employ as priests, rabbis, or imams. It punishes no one who rejects the Ten Commandments, no matter the reason.”
Therefore, the Ten Commandments will now be displayed in every public-school classroom across Texas.
EXCEPTIONAL CURRICULUM
The new Bluebonnet Reading Curriculum will be a “breath of fresh air” to Texas classrooms.
The newly adopted K-12 Bluebonnet curriculum is designed for print.
Texas public school children will be holding the actual books in their hands and will not be distracted by screens.
Local school districts that choose to use Bluebonnet receive funds from the state to cover the cost of printed Bluebonnet materials, making it effectively free for the districts.
Schools that order the materials will receive pallets of printed books, teacher guides, workbooks, readers, and activity guides.
*****MY SUGGESTION: Parents and members of the public who want their local schools to teach students using “free” Bluebonnet curriculum materials need to mount pressure on local school administrators to get them to adopt it.
1.13.26 – “Bringing Traditional, Classical Literature Back to Texas Schools” -- By Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/1-13-26-bringing-traditional-classical-literature-back-to-texas-schools-by-donna-garner/
8.28.25 -- “TX Schools Using New, Printed, Character-Building Curriculum” -- From Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/8-28-25-tx-schools-using-new-printed-character-building-curriculum-from-donna-garner/
MORATH’S INFLUENCE ON TEXAS
While on the Dallas ISD School Board, Morath pushed for performance-based pay for teachers, required reading lists, standardized curriculum, and school board policies tied to student test scores.
In the ten years while Morath has been the Commissioner, these same concepts have now become a part of the state education policy including (1) the $481 Million for the Teacher Incentive Allotment Program and (2) the financial incentives for school districts that adopt the Bluebonnet curriculum.
MORATH’S VISION THE SAME FOR 10 YEARS
Even though public schools have changed over the past 10 years, the Commissioner’s role has remained basically the same.
He works with the elected members of the Texas State Board of Education; he still provides information about performance; and he personally serves as a channel of information for local education leaders.
Some aspects, however, have changed.
Under his guidance, the TEA has grown from 800 employees (2016) to 1,450 (2026).
Morath pointed to the shifting of TEA’s oversight and role.
The TEA’s staffing has increased as well as the focus on school safety. Now there is $400 Million in annual school safety grants.
In the last legislative session, SB 571 and HB 4623 were passed and signed by Gov. Abbott. Both bills went into effect on 9.1.25.
SB 571 and HB 4623 alone contain numerous and complicated requirements that involve the public schools and require more TEA staffers to implement.
For instance, now the TEA has its first Inspector General for Educator Misconduct (attorney Levi Fuller) whose job is aimed at responding to the increasing number of educator misconduct allegations.
Inspector General Fuller and his staff have taken on the new enforcement role aimed at better responding and investigating the flood of sexual assault allegations against educators. (https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/news-and-multimedia/correspondence/taa-letters/required-misconduct-reporting-and-notices-sb-571-and-liability-of-public-schools-and-professional-school-employees-hb-4623)
Educator-Sexual-Misconduct List – by Texas Scorecard:
https://texasscorecard.com/educator-sexual-misconduct-map/?utm_source
STAYING FOCUSED ON STUDENT LEARNING
Recently, Morath stated at a teacher award event that he is trying to help the TEA to be as accessible and as supportive as possible for classroom teachers.
He said that he is also keeping the focus on student academic achievement.
Because of the pandemic, schools have been forced to hire uncertified educators to fill vacancies.
“Since 2019, the overall share of uncertified teachers in Texas has roughly tripled (from about 4% to 12%), and now more than half of newly hired teachers are uncertified.”
THE PRESENT ATMOSPHERE
Morath has survived in part by choosing his battles carefully.
Public sentiment toward schools has grown increasingly polarized since the pandemic.
Dissatisfied parents along with conservative lawmakers have accused schools of promoting liberal indoctrination through DEI, LGBTQ+, and CRT.
Because of the closer scrutiny of the public schools by parents and lawmakers, Morath has more closely exercised his authority over curriculum; and he has become a trusted advisor because of his experience and command of data.
Morath and the TEA staff have helped to develop and implement the following education bills in the last few years:
HB 3 (2019)
HB 1605 (2023)
HB 8 (2025)
SB 12 (2025)
To read the bills: https://capitol.texas.gov/
GOOD EDUCATION NEWS
One of the most controversial issues in Texas has been the legislation that requires the Commissioner of Education to impose harsh consequences for five years of low academic ratings -- replacing elected school boards with state appointees -- and installing a new superintendent.
Since 2016, the state has taken over (or begun to take over) 11 school districts because of their poor academic performance, leadership, and/or financial failures.
Morath has stated:
“This leads to large numbers of students who remain below grade level and continue to struggle in math and reading…I believe there is a moral obligation to the students and a fiduciary obligation to the taxpayers for the state to temporarily intervene and correct those problems when they are truly acute.”
Morath has long believed that public schools’ failures stem from the adults in charge.
While he was a trustee on the Dallas ISD School Board, he became very involved in “the home rule movement” which was an effort to remove trustees who failed to improve school learning.
Morath learned a great deal during that time and now as Commissioner has the authority to remove local school board members who have been holding students back through bad decisions.
When Morath was on the Dallas School Board, Mike Miles was the superintendent in Dallas ISD.
Therefore, when Houston ISD (Texas’ largest public school district) needed sweeping changes, Morath chose Miles to change the trajectory of student achievement.
According to the A – F Report Card (statewide data), after two years under Miles’ leadership, the number of schools in Houston ISD rated D or F dropped from 121 to 8 with zero F-rated schools. The number of A/B rated campuses more than doubled from 93 to 197.
SOURCES USED IN THIS ARTICLE
2.4.26 – “Texas Appoints First Inspector General for Educator Misconduct” -- By Erin Anderson – Texas Scorecard -- https://donnagarner.org/2-4-26-tx-appoints-first-inspector-general-for-educator-misconduct-by-erin-anderson-texas-scorecard/
4.21.26 - “TX Ed Comm. Morath Has Served Longer Than Any Other Ed. Comm. in 50 Yrs.” – by Keri Heath – Austin American-Statesman -- https://www.statesman.com/news/education/article/texas-tea-mike-morath-10-years-21268571.php
1.13.26 – “Bringing Traditional, Classical Literature Back to Texas Schools” -- By Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/1-13-26-bringing-traditional-classical-literature-back-to-texas-schools-by-donna-garner/
8.28.25 -- “TX Schools Using New, Printed, Character-Building Curriculum” -- From Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/8-28-25-tx-schools-using-new-printed-character-building-curriculum-from-donna-garner/
MORE INFORMATION
11.22.24 -- "Victory -- TX SBOE Votes 8 to 7 for Adoption of Healthy, Classical Curriculum" -- By Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/11-22-24-victory-tx-sboe-votes-8-to-7-for-adoption-of-healthy-classical-curriculum-by-donna-garner/
11.22.24 -- “Texas Leads Counterrevolution in Education" -- By Dr. Carole Hornsby Haynes, Ph.D. -- https://donnagarner.org/11-22-24-texas-leads-counterrevolution-in-education-by-dr-carole-hornsby-haynes-ph-d/
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/
9.12.25 --“Scrutiny of TX Public Schools by Com. Morath” -- by Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/9-12-25-scrutiny-of-tx-public-schools-by-com-morath-by-donna-garner/