Responsibilities of the Texas State Board of Education

  The Texas State Board of Education is an elected body of 15 members.  Their purpose is to oversee educational policy for the State of Texas and the 4.8 million students enrolled in the schools.  Specifically these areas are Curriculum, the Permanent School Fund and School Initiatives.  The Board provides a framework upon which districts can add to based on their individual district needs and desires of parents in the district.

  The curriculum area covers the development and/or review of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. A part of this is to appoint members to the TEKS review committee as well as experts in the specific curriculum area.   It also includes the approval of instructional materials to support this framework.  There have been many changes in this approval process.  Electronic delivery, digital learning, and the allotment process are the new issues the board will address.  These new issues will not be solved with old solutions.

  The Permanent School Fund is the fund established by the legislature and written into the Texas Constitution as a source of funds for textbooks, now instructional materials.  Another purpose of this fund is to provide collateral against the bonds issued by school districts.  According to the annual report in 2010 the fund was worth 24.4 billion dollars.  It is the fiduciary responsibility of the board to protect this fund.

  School Initiatives cover the issuance of charters for charter schools, adult education programs and higher learning opportunities.  The purpose of the charter schools is to provide for improved student learning, provide choices for students and parents, and encourage different and innovative learning methods.

  All three of these areas are critically important to the future of education in the state and must be administered with knowledge of the subject and integrity.  My experience as a mother of children educated in the public schools, a former college instruction in business vocation courses, a background in educational publishing and a current business owner provide a good foundation to serve in any of these areas.