Because of redistricting, all 15 seats on the Texas State Board of Education will be up for grabs in the November 2012 elections. The results of those elections will determine whether the religious right’s corrosive influence over public education will weaken or grow as the board considers what the next generation of public school students in Texas will learn about sex education, social studies, science and other subjects. We plan to publish on TFN Insider candidate announcements for a seat on the SBOE. We will publish announcements in no particular order, and their publication does not constitute any sort of endorsement by TFN. We will redact requests for contributions or mentions of fundraising events from the announcements, but we will provide links to the candidates’ websites (if available).
David Williams, District 3, R-San Antonio
(Current District 3 Board Member: Michael Soto, D-San Antonio)
David Williams, an algebra teacher at a private school in San Antonio, has announced he will run for the District 3 SBOE seat currently held by Michael Soto. Williams’ website is davidwilliamsdistrict3.com.
David had the privilege of receiving certification and teaching Starbase Oklahoma, an aerospace education course sponsored by the Oklahoma Air National Guard for 7 years. He also worked three summers as an educator portfolio assessor for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. He coached the Southwest Oklahoma Math Counts All Star Team in 2007.
Before starting his career in education, David served four years in the United States Navy as a hospital corpsman and aviation medical technician, two of his assignments serving marines. An eighteen-year career in the United States Army followed, attaining the rank of Chief Warrant Officer Three. Tours of duty included infantry, armor, artillery, and maintenance battalions. He is a Persian Gulf War veteran. He is a lifetime member of Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and served as a mentor for the national Troops to Teachers program for eight years while teaching.
In 1993 while still on active duty David taught four, eight-week sessions of a moral development course at the military correctional facility on Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In 1994 he taught automotive maintenance for Central Texas College at Camp Casey, Korea for the fall semester.
David’s interest in education has been a life priority for many years, regularly volunteering to teach in the local church as the family grew. He has been a deacon, nursery worker, and Bible teacher for elementary children, middle, high school, collegiate, and adult classes. David is a small group leader for Focus on the Family’s, The Truth Project. Since returning to Texas he and Deborah have attended Cornerstone Church in San Antonio.
As a teacher, parent, and grandparent David believes that teachers and the local school are active partners with parents in preparing their children for a successful life and this responsibility should be treated as a sacred trust. The taxpayers deserve quality in all aspects of instruction. Teachers work very hard and compensation should match their professionalism and performance. Control of the local school should be kept at the local level.
Since entering the teaching profession David has not supported the National Education Association (NEA) or its state affiliates. NEA policies, core beliefs, and political activism violate his deeply held values. He instead chose an alternative professional organization that serves Christian teachers in public and private schools, the Christian Educators Association International. He serves as a regional (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas) director for CEAI. He is pro-life and believes strongly in the preservation of values that honor our American founders, men and women now serving in our military, traditional marriage, and the concept that all men have been endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that can not be denied by the state.
An issue that is one of his greatest concerns is the suppression of free speech for students and teachers whose moral values conflict those of their peers. Much positive work has been done to respond to bullying at school and should continue, but it must also not be tolerated when directed against students or teachers who speak and share their deeply held religious beliefs.
David will give 100% to represent the voters on behalf of the students of District 3 if given the opportunity to serve on the Texas State Board of Education and would love to hear from you about what concerns you most about education in District 3. Please email your questions and comments and I will get back with you ASAP. Thank you.
Another stealth candidate running for the board, cloaking his desire to teach religious beliefs as science in the guise of free speech.
What’s with Thumpers and the board of education? Dumb as a bag of hammers I tell you.
Good grief! Can any sentient human see through this right wing pseudo-Christian rhetoric! He teaches in a private school and wants to run public schools?
“David will give 100% to represent the voters on behalf of the students of District 3 if given the opportunity to serve on the Texas State Board of Education and would love to hear from you about what concerns you most about education in District 3.”
Yes, the conservative, “Christian” 100% in District 3, because after all, those are the only ones that matter, right?!?
Again, Silly Party.
Possibly but not yet clearly Very.
I do wonder what particular “NEA policies, core beliefs, and political activism violate his deeply held values”, though; and what particular “deeply held values” are thus violated.
abb3w: “Jesus rode a dinosaur.”
Check out what this bigot wrote on Family Research Council’s facebook page:
“Thank you for your support for the traditional family. In 2006 through prayer and community action a gay student club was voted down by the student government at my son’s school. The Lord has given me a new mission, to run for the Texas State Board of Education. Please pray for me and thank you for being a voice up there for those of us out here.”
This guy wants to impose his hateful views on everyone else and must be stopped!
There does appear to be a post on the Family Research Council’s Facebook page from Williams. If Williams says that the post is actually not from him, we will report that here.
Pinhead doesn’t even know the difference between “moot” and “mute.”
Does this David Williams think he is qualified to serve on the Texas Board of Education. What is it with these people like him who want to push their religion on all, and not represent all. HOW MANY KIDS COMMIT SUICIDE over being gay.This is the last kind of guy to serve on the board.
David Williams’ homophobic comments on fb are gone. He must have been thoroughly embarrassed by the replies.