Another day, another major shake-up at the State Board of Education.
Incumbent Terri Leo, R-Spring, made a surprise announcement this morning that she will not seek re-election to the seat she has held since 2002.
During her tenure on the state board, Leo has been a major ringleader of the far-right faction. She has not shied away from being a mouthpiece for radical ideas — both during meetings and in the press. A round-up of Leo’s low-lights during her tenure on the board can be found here and here.
Her press release appears in full below.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: Dec 12, 2011
CONTACT: Terri Leo
TERRI LEO ENDORSES DONNA BAHORICH FOR STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 6
It has been a great honor to serve you and the children of Texas as your conservative representative on the State Board of Education, District 6. My concerns, both as a public school teacher and as a mother, led me to make the sacrifices required to serve on the SBOE.
What an awesome opportunity and responsibility you have given me over the years. I want to thank all of you who have sacrificed with me to ensure that the District 6 seat has a conservative voice on the State Board of Education.
Those of you who know my passion for this office know that I would not step down from this seat unless I had complete confidence in someone else to take my place — someone who shares my same passion for quality and excellence in public education. I have found such an individual in Donna Bahorich, and it is with great enthusiasm that I wholeheartedly endorse Donna for the State Board of Education, District 6.
Textbook adoptions are always a critical concern. Because of Texas’ prominent place in textbook adoption and educational policy, not only are our Texas children affected by the SBOE’s decisions; but also students throughout the nation are impacted.
Donna Bahorich will uphold conservative ideals in order to provide teachers and students with error-free and academically sound instructional materials.
Donna will resist efforts to lower academic expectations. She will work tirelessly to develop state curriculum standards that are concise, measurable, and rigorous so that our Texas students are ready for college and/or the workplace.
Donna Bahorich will only vote for Health textbooks that uphold traditional definitions of marriage and family and that are abstinence-based.
Donna Bahorich will make sure History curriculum standards are maintained that emphasize patriotism, our Founding Fathers, the free enterprise system, the U.S. Constitution, and American exceptionalism.
A strong conservative voice in the State Board of Education’s management of the multi-billion-dollar Permanent School Fund will always be essential. Donna will vote consistently for traditional, conservative values in these decisions as well. The children of Texas deserve to have sound investments protecting their Permanent School Fund because these dollars ensure there will be future funding for instructional materials. Donna will work diligently to keep the PSF from being diverted to other uses.
Because Donna has worked closely for years with members of the Legislature, she will know how to keep the lines of communication open between the SBOE and other elected officials. This is essential so that students’ best interests are served.
I can leave my SBOE seat at the end of my term (December 2012) knowing that Donna Bahorich will be able to step seamlessly into position. Donna understands fully what Abraham Lincoln meant when he said, “The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation will be the philosophy of the government in the next.” Donna is capable, equipped, committed, and passionate about the future of our Texas public school students. Donna Bahorich is fully ready to serve as a member of the Texas State Board of Education, District 6.
I haven’t done any Googling yet, but I’m going to go out on a limb and make a prediction: Donna Bahorich is a wingnut.
Congratulations, TFN! Hopefully we’ll get that seat.
One endorsed who makes me want to vomit, endorsed by one who has already made me vomit….go figure.
I just recently discovered TFN through the Atheist Experience podcast. Being from PA we’ve had our share of radicals on school boards and was wondering if you had a summary of things that Leo has done or said?
Just wanting to know to compare to what I’ve seen in PA.
Thanks!
John, click the links in the body of the post for a list of some of Leo’s antics over the years.
Terri. I am so sorry to see you go. Those sour facial expressions of yours in the Texas SBOE meeting have made me fall in love with you. Could I have just one kiss before you go—a nice sloppy one?
Thank goodness! She is my “representative.” There have not been any alternatives in past elections. I really hope a qualified progressive will step forward and eliminate another theocratic position on the SBOE.
Bahorich starts with endorsements from religious conservative former Judge Paul Pressler, a law partner of the county GOP chairman in Houston, a network of loyal supporters from her work at the local county headquarters, and should be considered the strong front runner for this position.
Hm, “uphold conservative ideals in order to provide teachers and students with error-free and academically sound instructional materials” (she’s going to continue the conservative historical revisionism and anti-evolution push), “will make sure History curriculum standards are maintained that emphasize patriotism, our Founding Fathers, the free enterprise system, the U.S. Constitution, and American exceptionalism” (ditto), “will only vote for Health textbooks that uphold traditional definitions of marriage and family and that are abstinence-based” (she’s going to exclude coverage of homosexuality, and continue the abstinence-only education that’s helped Texas have one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country, and probably hasn’t helped that top-10 syphilis rate), “she will know how to keep the lines of communication open between the SBOE and other elected officials” (if she wins, she’s going to be the next SBOE chair nominee the conservatives try and get past the legislature)… sounds like a jewel from that.
Google turns up significant 2008 Huckabee support for a start. Google leads to Lead411.com suggestion she was the founder of HomeEdPlus, a Christian homeschooling supplier. Her DaughtersOfLiberty.com affiliation turns up as Harris County Republican Party Primary Director in 2010, National Delegate-RNC in 2008, and “Assistant to the Chairman-HCRP”. LinkedIn lists some other GOP jobs, but more significantly indicates (correctly?) she’s a Liberty University graduate as well as Virginia Tech – which combination should raise MAJOR alarm bells to those who’ve read Gambetta and Hertog’s paper “Engineers of Jihad”. (Amazon also has “D. Bahorich” and “Donna Bahorich” profiles that are quite unremarkable.)
Present data seems likely McLeroy/Dunbar grade Very Silly Party – even worse than Leo. On the bright side, she’s pretty clearly not going to be flying as a stealth candidate. =)
Of course, my ratings are purely subjective, and not endorsed by the Texas Freedom Network or any of their agents….
Bahorich also served or serves as a District Director for State Sen. Dan Patrick.
Wingnut.
Terri says her replacement will make sure the history curriculum is maintained with emphasis on, among other things, our Founding Fathers. However Terri and her nutjob friends on the board tried to rid Texas history books of any mention of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson because both were completely opposed to the retarded, regressive and unconstitutional agenda of the religious right. The only conclusion I can reach is that Terri is a dirty filthy liar.
Wingnut.