TFN PRESIDENT EXPRESSES DISAPPOINTMENT IN ABBOTT’S SBOE CHAIR CHOICE

TFN PRESIDENT EXPRESSES DISAPPOINTMENT IN ABBOTT’S SBOE CHAIR CHOICE

Bahorich Appointment Almost Guarantees Continued Culture War Battles at SBOE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2015

Texas Freedom Network President Kathy Miller is expressing disappointment in Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision, announced today, to appoint State Board of Education member Donna Bahorich, R-Houston, as board chair:

“If Gov. Abbott wanted to demonstrate that he won’t continue his predecessor’s efforts to politicize and undermine our state’s public schools, this appointment falls far short. The governor has appointed as board chair an ideologue who voted to adopt new textbooks that scholars sharply criticized as distorting American history, who rejected public education for her own family and who supports shifting tax dollars from neighborhood public schools to private and religious schools through vouchers. This appointment almost guarantees that the board will continue to put culture war agendas ahead of educating more than 5 million Texas kids.”

In 2013, her first year on the board, Bahorich voted against a resolution urging the Legislature to reject private school vouchers. Bahorich also homeschooled her three sons and then sent them to private and religious school. The board adopted controversial new social studies textbooks in 2014.

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The Texas Freedom Network is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization of religious and community leaders who support public education, religious freedom and individual liberties.