“A Bible and a newspaper in every house, a good school in every district–all studied and appreciated as they merit–are the principal support of virtue, morality, and civil liberty.” Benjamin Franklin
Texas Public Schools
The following 2024 statistics are based on all 50 states and the District of Columbia
- Average SAT Scores by State: Texas ranks 41st source
- Average ACT Scores by State: Texas ranks 28th source
- Public School Rankings by State: Texas ranks 43rd source
Back in the years when I covered the entire tier of southern states, the Avis car rental agency boasted, “We’re number two!” At the time, I asked myself, “Would I boast about myself as number two?”
Indoctrination Contravenes Education
Dallas ISD in the News, The Dallas Express, February 4, 2024 | Dallas ISD Teachers Uninterested in LGBTQ Program “Dallas ISD struggled to enroll teachers in its LGBTQ program — a failure one official described as “extremely frustrating,” according to email communications obtained through an open records request filed by The Dallas Express.”
Houston ISD, March 24, 2022 | THE HISD PRIDE SUMMIT “The HISD Pride Summit empowers, instructs, and fosters a community for HISD lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer high school and middle school students. The summit offers a unique opportunity for participants to experience a sense of identity and belonging, and to develop skills for self-care, advocacy, and leadership.”
Austin ISD, March 18-23, 2024 | Austin ISD Pride Week “Every year, to celebrate LGBTQIA+ students, staff and families Austin ISD hosts its own Pride Week, a time to highlight the district’s commitment to creating a safe, supportive and inclusive environment. This year’s weeklong celebration is March 18-23, 2024, which aligns with the National LGBT Health Awareness Week.”
Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA/NEA), on the website 2024
- Celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month
- Celebrating our LGBTQ community
- NEA LGBTQ Caucus
- Social Media—A Guide for Black Lives Matter at School 2024
Why School Choice is a Priority of the Republican Party of Texas
I write as the SD2 delegate to the 2022 Texas State Republican Platform Committee. First and foremost, plank no. 101 (page 14), School Choice, is the first of several planks advocating for Parental Rights in public education.
We Republicans believe parents are the ultimate authority over the education of their children.
The platform is not the creation of the Platform Committee. We are the editors, not the originators of the planks. The planks are the products of Republican voters who submitted planks in Precinct Conventions, County and Senate District Conventions, and at the Texas State Republican Party Convention. 4,437,099 Texans voted for Governor Greg Abbott, who garnered 54.8% of all votes cast for governor.
The Republican Party, unlike the top-down Democratic Party, is grassroots, with authority over planks and elections in the hands of Republican voters, as per Article IV, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution.
The 2022 Texas state population was 30,029,572. The total votes cast for governor was 7,990,755, only 8% of the total population. Herein is the problem with elected lawmakers who do not participate in the learning experiences available through the 254 county Republican Parties: they are ignorant of the platform-building process, the role of an elected representative, and they inherently distance themselves from the Republican voters in their respective districts.
The chief purpose of our local Republican clubs is the education of voters and elected officials.
Laws Are Ineffective
Not all Texas school districts are the same. In general, the largest districts promote unwholesome indoctrination that contravenes education. Public education throughout Texas is not uniform, as you read in the preceding section, Indoctrination Contravenes Education.
Texas Education Agency, Library Materials, Avoiding Inappropriate Material (page 1 of 7): “…all material should be appropriate for students. Texas Penal Code §43.24(a)(2) describes harmful material as material whose dominant theme taken as a whole: (1) appeals to the prurient interest of a minor, in sex, nudity, or excretion; (2) is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable for minors; and (3) is utterly without redeeming social value for minors. It is an offense in Texas to distribute this material in violation of Texas Penal Code §43.24(b). No library material shall be used if it contains content that can meet the harmful material standard. Finally, collection development policies must demonstrate a commitment to compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) as specified in 47 U.S.C. §254(h)(5), including technology protection measures.”
Education Week, June 13, 2023 | Texas Bans ‘Sexually Explicit’ Books in Schools. Law ‘Gets That Trash Out,’ Gov. Greg Abbott Says “The bill was among four “parental empowerment” bills that Abbott signed. Other bills relate to the vetting process for instructional materials, a fund to help parents pay for special education services outside the classroom and a bill to let parents decide if their child should repeat a grade.”
The Dallas Morning News, January 17, 2024 | Texas ban on ‘sexually explicit’ books in school libraries halted by federal appeals court “Conservative 5th Circuit sides with booksellers and publishers, ruling the mandatory ratings violate free speech rights.”
My Opinion: The 5th Court of Appeals incorrectly ruled on the law signed by Governor Abbott. The law does not infringe on a publisher’s First Amendment rights. Instead, the state law addresses the education of minor children.
The appellate court acted on the issue of education, a federal power not enumerated in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.
Who has ultimate authority over books in school libraries?
Texas Education Agency, Library Materials, Responsibility for Selection (page 2 of 7): “The legal responsibility for the purchase of all library materials is vested in the Board. The board will provide final approval for all new materials added to the library. Recommendations for new material and reorders of existing materials shall be made by the district-level library supervisor or similar administrator designated by the Superintendent.”
John White
Rockwall, Texas
John N. White 