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ACLU of Texas Executive Director Terri Burke testifies before the Texas State Board of Education

We are not defeated, however. With a number of legislators outraged at these shenanigans – dentists and real estate salesmen pretending to be historians – and the criticisms of one former and the current U.S. Secretary of Education, there is steam for pushing the engines of change. And, with the current economic situation in Texas, a projected $18 to $20 billion state budget deficit, it is unlikely this curriculum will see a textbook any time soon. So, in fact, we may have lost only a skirmish. November holds out the possibility of new faces for the board. McLeroy and Miller won’t be returning to the board as they were defeated in their respective primaries in March by people who seem to understand the appropriate role of the SBOE. Neither face Democratic opposition in November. Cynthia Dunbar did not run for re-election and both the Republican and Democratic candidates for her seat appear to be more sensible and Ken “I’m so maligned” Mercer faces a strong opponent.

In the meantime, working with our coalition partners, we will move forward to push a number of legislative options for revamping the mission and responsibilities of the board. And an editorial in Wednesday’s Dallas Morning News (one of the state’s more conservative newspapers), although demeaning the ACLU, suggested yet another twist: demand that the new board revise the standards when they take office next year. See the recommendations we included in our report, “The Texas State Board of Education: A Case of Abuse of Power.”