Some Of The Most Important Texas Elections in 2024
Curriculum and Control: The Fight for Texas' Classrooms
The Republican war on education started in 1983 under the Ronald Reagan presidency. Reagan used education as a political strategy to erode the foundation of public education. Then, George Dubya Bush further pushed the Reagan agenda with “No Child Left Behind.” The trajectory of educational policy under Republican leadership created a culture of “teaching to the test” and neglecting the needs of individual students.
With Texas under Republican rule for the last three decades, education has been one area that has consistently struggled. Whether it’s Republicans refusing to fund education and give teachers a pay raise or attacking science and history, the overall goal of our right-wing counterparts has seemed to be to keep them dumb and keep them voting red.
After all of these years, their strategy is finally paying off.
The data tells us that the more educated a person is, the more likely they are to vote Democrat. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 54% of Americans ages 16 to 74 now rank below a sixth-grade reading level.
Donald Trump knew exactly who he was targeting. He didn’t even try to hide it, at one point outright exclaiming, “I love the poorly educated.” Scholars also noted he consistently spoke below a sixth-grade level — a sharp contrast to his predecessor and the lowest of all presidents to date.
The State Board of Education is at the forefront of dumbing down Texas children.
Over the last few years, the GOP has brought a barrage of stupidity into the State Board of Education. Last year, insurrectionist SBOE member Julie Pickren participated in a stunt to try to implement PragerU in schools as a legitimate curriculum.
Ultimately, it was determined that Pickren and PragerU both lied about being picked up as essential TEKS. Why did they lie? That’s a good question. Why do any Republicans lie? We may never know.
In 2022, the Republicans on the SBOE proposed to use “involuntary relocation” to describe slavery in Texas history books. Then, last year, they took steps to put climate change denial in Texas science books.
The 2024 Republican Party is one of lies, mistruths, and distortion of facts. Are these the people we want in charge of the future minds of America?
We need to flip at least three SBOE seats to change the education path in Texas. Can we do that in 2024?
The current makeup of the State Board of Education is ten Republicans and five Democrats. We need to flip three seats in order to give Democrats a majority. If Democrats can take the majority, we can rest easy knowing that truthful science and history are entering the textbooks consumed by young minds.
Seven SBOE seats are up for election in November. Three are safe Democratic seats (SBOE-01, SBOE-03, and SBOE-04). Although the SBOE-01 Candidate will have a Republican opponent in November, none of the blue SBOE seats are in danger of flipping red. Let’s get into it.
SBOE-01 - Gustavo Reveles.
This district runs along the border from El Paso to Zapata County and reaches San Antonio. Democrats easily won this seat in 2022, considering 2022 was a low-turnout year for Democrats.
Since we expect a much higher turnout in November, keeping this seat blue should be a breeze. The incumbent, Melissa Ortega, did not run for re-election.
Gustavo Reveles is the Democrat running to replace her this year. His Republican opponent, Michael Stevens, is the same Republican candidate who ran and lost in 2022. This year will bring his second election loss.
SBOE-03 - Marisa Perez-Diaz.
Marisa Perez-Diaz has been a level head in the SBOE meetings, and we can trust her to push back against the Republican crazy. She is running unopposed and will return to the State Board of Education next year.
SBOE-04 - Staci Childs.
Staci Childs is another returning and reliable face on the SBOE who will work in the best interest of Texas children. Thankfully, she is also running unopposed this year.
SBOE-10 - Raquel Saenz Ortiz.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the Republican Civil War has trickled into the State Board of Education. The incumbent, Tom Maynard, is facing a Republican runoff election next month. Maynard has been on the SBOE for over a decade and at the forefront of nearly every idiotic Republican policy that’s come from them. Maynard’s personal Facebook page has long been littered with racism and history revisionism. Yet, for some reason, the far-right has labeled him as a RINO and is looking to replace him with voucher-aligned Republican candidate Mary Bone.
Bone’s policies are so far to the right she’s signed the “Texit Pledge,” making her the first SBOE candidate to publicly state that she’s on board with making Texas a white ethnostate (Texit).
SBOE-10 encompasses Central Texas, a fast-growing and fast-changing area. There hasn’t been a Democrat run for this seat since redistricting, so we don’t know exactly where we’re starting from, but the GOP Civil War will have a devastating impact on Republicans in this seat.
Dr. Raquel Saenz Ortiz is a Democrat running for SBOE-10. She is an experienced educator and passionate advocate dedicated to improving the quality of Texas students’ education.
Bell, Falls, and Williamson Counties will be crucial in winning this seat. If we see a 70%+ turnout in these three counties, that’ll be a good sign for Saenz Ortiz.
SBOE-11 - Rayna Glasser.
There is never a point where the Republican Civil War doesn’t make me laugh. As much as we have to deal with the awful Republican policies, we have to find the humor in the little things. The Republican incumbent Patricia Hardy was the quintessential GOP loyalist. A while back, I even saw a campaign speech of hers where she talked about “Critical Race Theory” being racist against white people. Yet, for some reason, Republicans decided she was a RINO, and in March’s primary election, they voted to replace her.
The Republican running for this seat is Brandon Hall, a pastor at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Springtown, and raised $500,000 from a far-right PAC that says “Critical Race Theory and Marxism” is being taught in Texas public schools. It is laughable to anyone who has been to school in Texas or had children in an ISD. Hall says he’s planning to bring “Christian Conservative values” back to the State Board of Education.
Rayna Glasser is a long-time Fort Worth math teacher and believes all children deserve an equitable education.
The bulk of SBOE-11 is in Tarrant County. If Tarrant County can achieve a high voter turnout this November, Glasser has a real shot at flipping this seat. Since the Republican running for this seat is a Christian Nationalism extremist, Glasser would serve her campaign well by appealing to moderate Republicans and Independent voters. She should also focus on the voucher issue since her opponent is a pro-voucher Republican. We’ll revisit this race before November.
SBOE-12 - George King.
I’ll save you the jest over the Republican Civil War again, but it hit this seat, too. The Republican incumbent, Pam Little, will face Jamie Kohlmann, a former Miss Texas (decades ago) who campaigns on “developing truthful curricula, fighting against the “leftist” agenda in education, and promoting charter schools.”
According to Republicans, Little is a Rino, and all of the worst endorsed Kohlmann (Ted Cruz, Dan Patrick, Sid Miller, etc.).
SBOE-12 consists of Dallas, Collin, and Denton Counties and several counties bordering Oklahoma. This district will be more challenging to flip, but if Collin County goes blue this year, we have a chance at this district, too.
George King is the Democrat running for SBOE-12. King has been a public school classroom teacher and campus principal for the past 40 years and has the experience it takes to become an SBOE member.
SBOE-15 - Morgan Kirkpatrick.
This SBOE district encompasses the Panhandle and a few other West Texas Counties. We need to be honest about the political state of West Texas, especially the Panhandle, and the Democrat’s chances here. West Texas is increasingly Hispanic. In fact, this district is 49% non-Anglo. However, the voter turnout, especially in Hispanic communities, is abysmal. The voter turnout in SBOE-15 in 2022 was only 10.9%.
While I hope everyone across every sphere makes it to the polls in November, we must understand that West Texas has a much bigger hill to climb than the rest of the state.
The incumbent in SBOE-15 is Republican Adam Kinsey. Kinsey is the SBOE member who spearheaded putting climate change denial in Texas textbooks last year. He’s absolutely as bad as he sounds.
Running against him this year is Democrat Morgan Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick advocates for public school students and teachers and has 14 years of teaching experience with Middle Schoolers. If we weren’t living in the 2024 version of Republican bizzaro-world, Kirkpatrick would be a natural shoo-in for this position.
The State Board of Education substantially influences educational policy, shaping public schools’ curriculum, standards, and policies.
These elected members decide on various issues, from setting graduation requirements to adopting instructional materials and reviewing new charter schools. The significance of these elections has been underscored in Texas, where the State Board of Education’s decisions directly affect over 5.5 million students across 1,200 public school districts.
Depending on the outcome, these elections can steer educational policy to the right or maintain a more centrist or left-leaning course. The candidates elected to these positions hold the power to enact policies that could have long-lasting implications on the state’s educational trajectory.
As Texans, it is our responsibility to exercise the power of our vote, understanding that in the context of the SBOE elections, it’s not just a ballot cast but a bold declaration of our commitment to education. When we vote for candidates who prioritize comprehensive education, critical thinking, and factual integrity, we are not just voting for the now but for the Texas of tomorrow—a Texas that fosters enlightened, informed citizens equipped to navigate the complexities of an ever-evolving world.
Ending the cycle of Republican stupidity in Texas starts and ends with the State Board of Education. Ending the Republican dominance on the SBOE starts and ends with voting. Remember that this November.
Important 2024 primary RUNOFF election days:
April 29, 2024: Last day to register to vote.
May 17, 2024: Last day to apply by mail
May 20, 2024: First day of early voting.
May 24, 2024: Last day of early voting.
May 28, 2024: Last day to receive a ballot by mail.
May 28, 2024: Election day.
LoneStarLeft’s Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Instagram.
in a moment of candor...Roberts County Republican couple agree Trump is a lunatic and is 'unfit' for office.
they will vote for him anyway! ka-ching!
the article didn't mention their schooling..but let's take a guess
from huff post
Thank you for discussing the importance of the SBOE. I think so many voters are not even aware of it, much less the power it wields. And thank you for pointing out that Republicans have been dumbing down the population on purpose, for decades.