Perry Has Handed The Right Wing The SBOE’s Reins
If you ever had any doubt about the reins State Board of Education being in the hands of the right wing, this will let you know it’s worse than your wildest fears:
State Board of Education member Don McLeroy of Bryan was named chairman of the panel by Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday, giving a boost to the social conservative bloc on the board.
McLeroy succeeds Geraldine Miller, who was term-limited as Chairwoman.
Dr. McLeroy is one of seven members – all Republicans – who are generally identified with social conservatives and who often vote together on key issues such as textbook selection. There are also five Democrats and three moderate Republicans on the panel.
Board members are approaching a series of important decisions over the next two years as they revise curriculum standards for English, reading and writing later this year, and for science next year. The discussions about science standards are expected to trigger new debate over the coverage of evolution in biology and other science courses.
“The most important area of responsibility for the board is setting the curriculum standards for our schools,” Dr. McLeroy said. “If we can improve standards and get them up to where they need to be, we can really help teachers in the classroom.”
Conservative groups applauded the selection, but not everyone was pleased with the new chairman.
Texas Freedom Network president Kathy Miller, whose group advocates for the strict separation of church and state, said Mr. Perry deserves an “F” for appointing “a clear ideologue who has repeatedly put his own personal and political agendas ahead of sound science, good health and solid textbooks for students.”
She noted that in 2003, Dr. McLeroy was one of four board members who voted against proposed high school biology textbooks because he felt their coverage of evolution was “too dogmatic” and did not include possible flaws in Charles Darwin’s theory of how life on Earth evolved from lower forms.
“Dr. McLeroy will now be in charge of the board’s scheduled revision of the state’s science curriculum standards, an area where he has already cast his lot with extremists who want to censor what our schoolchildren learn,” said Ms. Miller, whose group frequently battles social conservatives over textbooks and other issues.
Oh, what a disaster.
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(On Jul 18th, 2007 at 6:24 am)