Lara Solt | KERA News Special Contributor
Democrats brought a major shakeup to the Texas State Board of Education Tuesday night, shattering the Republican supermajority.
Democrats appear poised to double their number of board seats from four to eight, according to unofficial Texas secretary of state election results. According to Secretary of State results, Democrat Dana Van De Walker defeated Republican incumbent Audrey Young for the District 8 seat by just over 500 votes. Young could request a recount of the incredibly close results.
On Thursday morning, Van De Walker posted on social media celebrating her victory, but said she was still following the results.
“I’m still processing it,” Van De Walker said. “Things are not official official until the votes are certified. So we’re kind of waiting with bated breath.
Young did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether she would request a recount.
Board members set curriculum and choose instructional materials for more than five million Texas public school students. The board also sets education policies, oversees the State Board of Educator Certification — which sets standards for teacher certification — and holds the power to veto applications from charter schools as their popularity increases.
Tuesday’s election dramatically changed Democrats’ voting power on the board. For several cycles, Democrats have had little recourse to counter the ultra-conservative proposals pushed by their Republican Party board members.
The inverted picture comes with major changes in political leadership across the state. As part of her campaign, Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa promised to remove Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath along with an educator. As a result, the board will work with a new education commissioner and, as Democrats have taken control of the state’s education law, the board’s proposals or policies could be very different.
“It’s a very different world,” said Tricia Cave, a lobbyist for the Association of Texas Professional Educators. “It’s going to take Republicans and Democrats learning to work together to get things done, and the only way we can work together successfully to get things done for the people of Texas is to find consensus and compromise, and that’s not something we’ve seen from this council in quite a while.”
Brandon Hall, a Republican board member whose term ends in 2029, said on social media that in response to Tuesday’s blue wave, he would continue to represent conservative Christian values in North Texas and fight against mediocrity and woke indoctrination in the classroom.
In his position, Hall pledged to fight against any Democratic agenda.
“I will not collaborate with this, and I will not stand idly by and watch it pass,” Hall wrote. “I will not give Gina Hinojosa or her appointees a moment of passivity on the SBOE. Even if the vote count is not favorable, I will use every procedural tool available to make passage of this harmful program as cumbersome and laborious as possible. If a Democrat assumes leadership of the Council, that person should prepare for late nights and long weeks in Austin.”
This summer, the board green-lighted several controversial curriculum changes, including rewriting K-8 social studies courses to downplay world history in favor of Texas and U.S. history. The board has also been heavily criticized for its adoption of the Bible-infused Blue Bonnet program. The learning program intended for use in grades kindergarten through fifth grade included biblical teachings in reading and language arts. It was also riddled with errors. The Texas Tribune reported that correcting the errors cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
Adoption of the program comes with financial incentives. Houston ISD, the state’s largest school district, approved the program in June and its implementation brought the district more than $3 million in additional funding.
In SeptemberAfter objections during public comment, the board approved changes to history courses that present Islam in a largely negative light. These changes will take effect for the 2030-2031 school year.
According to the Associated Press, the new Democratic additions include Thomas Ray Garcia (D-2), Corretta Mallet-Fontenot (D-4), Allison Bush (D-5), Van De Walker (D-8) and Michelle Palmer (D-6). Democratic incumbent Tiffany Clark won reelection to complete the total of eight seats that will now be held by Democrats.
Republican incumbent Julie Pickren (D-7) retained her seat this year and will be joined by newcomers Kason Huddleston and Mindy Baumgarner.
Republican control of the board has continued to grow in recent cycles. Since 2020, conservative candidates have helped Republicans win a seat in every cycle. In 2022, the Texas Legislature redrew districts for board members, which helped Republicans flip District 2 covering the Corpus Christi area and much of the lower Gulf Coast. Before the new maps, the Democrats control the neighborhood for more than three decades. This year, Democrats flipped District 2.
Three Republicans — Huddleston, Tiffany Nelson and Victoria Hinojosa — received this round of large campaign donations from ultra-conservative PACs. Texans for Educational Freedom donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in mail and other advertising services, but Huddleston was the only one able to win his seat.
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