“Amazing News: Tex. Gov. Greg Abbott Is Two for Two”
By Donna Garner
6.20.15
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is “two for two.” Not only did Gov. Abbott make a wise choice in appointing Donna Bahorich to be the new Chair of the Texas State Board of Education, but today Gov. Abbott also vetoed SB 313 (please see both articles posted at the bottom of this page).
With these two critical moves, Gov. Abbott has helped to stabilize two important structures in Texas upon which education reform is built – a strong SBOE Chair and the Type #1 curriculum standards (TEKS) that make our state the most unique and patriotic state in the United States.
Besides giving our heartfelt thanks to Gov. Abbott, we also need to thank so many of the grassroots citizens of Texas who took their time to contact him and request that he (1) appoint Donna Bahorich as Chair and (2) veto SB 313.
These are the comments about SB 313 that I sent to Gov. Abbott on 6.18.15, and many other concerned Texans did the same thing:
Gov. Abbott, we beg of you to veto SB 313 so that Texas can retain the most fact-based, patriotic curriculum standards (TEKS) in the entire United States. No other state set up the parameters BEFORE a single word of their curriculum standards was written. Texas did.
We said that our TEKS had to be knowledge-based, academic, grade-level-specific, clearly worded, increasing in depth and complexity from one grade-level to the next grade level, and measurable with largely right-or-wrong answers. This is what is called the Type #1 philosophy of education.
If allowed to go forward, SB 313 would open up all of the TEKS in a helter-skelter, rushed manner and would invite those on the Board who are not conservatives to delete/change the wording, moving the TEKS into the same Type #2 philosophy as seen in the Common Core/CSCOPE products.
Type #2 (instead of emphasizing facts and academic knowledge) emphasizes process over the right answer, emphasizes feelings, opinions, beliefs over facts. Type #2 stresses subjectivity, relativism, and opens the door to the social justice agenda to indoctrinate children’s minds. SB 313 is not needed, and its only purpose is to trash our present TEKS.
The Texas State Board of Education and the Texas Education Agency have a well-orchestrated plan for revisiting the TEKS; and the English / Language Arts / Reading TEKS are beginning that process right now with the other TEKS in Science, Social, Studies, and Math going through that same, well-planned, systematic process in years to come.
SB 313 with its unrealistic mandates would throw that well-planned process into mass chaos. Chaos always breeds chaos which is exactly what the Type #2 proponents want to happen. Again, we beg of you to do the right thing and to veto SB 313. Thank you.
6.20.15 — “Abbott Wields Veto Pen in Final Days of Decision Period” by Patrick Svitek – Texas Tribune – http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/20/abbot-wields-veto-pen-final-days-decision-period/
Excerpts from this article:
…Senate Bill 313 was one of the more visible ones nixed by Abbott. The bill, by state GOP Sen. Kel Seliger of Amarillo, aimed to tailor the state’s K-12 standards, but critics considered it a potential back door to the Common Core national education standards dreaded by the GOP base.
Many in Abbott’s own party had urged him to veto the bill, including the Texas GOP leaders who had unanimously passed a resolution urging him to reject it. On Saturday, Abbott took to Twitter to announce his veto of SB 313 before releasing his veto statement, which said the bill “potentially restricts the ability of the State Board of Education to address the needs of Texas classrooms.”
…Abbott wrapped up his work on vetoes by 2 a.m. Saturday, well ahead of the deadline at midnight Sunday to take action.
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To learn more details about why these two decisions by Gov. Abbott are so important to the future of our Texas public school children, please see these two articles:
6.19.15 – “Texas Governor Names Conservative As State Ed. Board Chair, News Upsets Board’s Lone Lobbyist” — by Merrill Hope – Breitbart Texas — http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2015/06/19/texas-governor-names-conservative-as-state-ed-board-chair-news-upsets-boards-lone-lobbyist/
6.1.15 — “Emergency Alert: SB 313 To Mess with Texas School Children” — by Donna Garner – EdViews.org — http://www.educationviews.org/emergency-alert-sb-313-mess-texas-school-children/
Donna Garner
