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).
Veronica Anzaldua, District 2, R-McAllen
(Current District 2 Board Member: Mary Helen Berlanga, D-Corpus Christi)
Veronica Anzaldua of McAllen has announced that she will seek Republican nomination for the Texas State Board of Education in District 2. The seat is currently held Mary Helen Berlanga, who has decided not to seek re-election. Anzaldua is a high school educator in the Mission Consolidated Independent School District and her website is voteveronica.com.
MY PHILOSOPHY
I AM SOCIALLY CONSERVATIVE
1. I believe LIBERAL influence should be kept to a minimum. What does this mean? I want curriculum for students to reflect actual facts about history, science, economics etc. and not one modified to suit political correctness and liberal bias.2. I operate under a Christian world view as opposed to a secular world view. What does this mean? I believe God has a role in the lives of men and women on a personal level and the affairs of mankind in general.
I AM FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE
1. I believe the smallest and most efficient budget should be used. What does this mean? If the economy shrinks, all state agencies should shrink as well to maintain equilibrium. Each agency should strive for the smallest budget so the State can tax as little as possible.2. I am against pet projects. Any projects undertaken through the State Board of Education should benefit all districts and not favor just a few districts.
3. I believe in a minimalist governmental role. What does that mean? Hands off and free choice are better than extensive control through the agency. Local control is the best choice for schools to implement and administer curriculum and school policy as long as it follows the curriculum approved by the State Board of Education and the laws of the State of Texas.
INSTITUTING CONSERVATIVE VALUES
1. In 2011, the debate on the teaching of “Intelligent Design” in schools is one that the State Board of Education conservative members lost. I would have voted to include the theory of Intelligent Design as well as the theory of Evolution in the curriculum. “Education” is presenting both sides of an issue. “Indoctrination” is presenting one view with bias.2. My stated values would be part of the decision process in acting as a representative of constituents’ views (State Board of Education, District 2) in determining curriculum issues; however, contrary outside influence or influences that benefit only a special interest or interests would play only a minor role at best.
At least she’s up front about her delusions and her readiness to violate federal law and cost taxpayers a fortune.
“I want curriculum for students to reflect actual facts about history, science, economics etc. and not one modified to suit political correctness and liberal bias.”
Followed by……
“I would have voted to include the theory of Intelligent Design as well as the theory of Evolution in the curriculum.”
Veronica, these two statements are at odds with each other. Keep your religious dogma out of our science classes.
I feel glad you are not to decide what my kids learn. I’m glad i don’t live in the US. But lady, kids in China and India are filled with gratitude for you. With the pathetic excuse for education you intend to give your kids. You are making sure it is guaranteed that US jobs will be done by immigrants with better education than what you are offering in-house. You want science? start questioning what proofs do you have for ID, who supports that and if there are serious studies on the subject. Don’t get me wrong, but with such mentality, I hope, for the sake of children, that you are separated from your office and put in a place far, far away from education.
Keep your religion to yourself, since it is a private affair.And do says the bible. Also, I strongly advice to take a good, hard look at the Treaty of Tripoly, signed by president Adams.
Looking forward to hear from you,
Rodrigo Sierpe
At least she actually has a degree in education, which can’t be said for half of the people currently on the board. However, she still needs to keep her religion out of our schools. You want to program Christianity into a school? Charter your own private school. SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE, and education is a part of the STATE. Yeesh.
Pretty pathetic when the *first* accolade listed in her bio is I was given the distinguished Who’s Who among American Teachers Award in 2004 and 2005.
. . . which means she was nominated – maybe by a former student, maybe from a mailing list – for inclusion in a book containing thousands and thousands of other names. The prime motivation in the “Who’s Who” business is to sell copies of the books for big bucks.
Presenting “both sides of an issue” is completely stupid if one side has evidence to support it, and the other side has none. Why don’t you propose the teaching of alchemy as an alternative to chemistry while you are at it?
The rednecks in my area have a saying for gals like this one:
“Boy!!! She’s eaten up with it—ain’t she?”
B.A. degree in English – Help me out here Ben. How does a person get a degree in English, learn the fine nuances of literary analysis and writng, and be an adherent of “Biblical inerrancy” and all of the man-made garbage that underpins it. For example, there is no such thing as interpreting the Bible in its historical/cultural context. It just says what it says. You mean that it says what you think it says? “No, I mean that it says what it says.” Could one escape English 490 with an “A” and have a brain that works like that?
M.A. degree in Education – Sorry to say, whenever I see that one after a name, any name, my first inclination is to say, “Needs to go back and get a real graduate degree in a real subject area.”
Insurance adjuster – It would be hard for me to be a Christian and work as an insurance adjustor. I think the two are fundamentally incompatible.
Banker – See insurance adjustor.
Stay-at-Home Mom – Am I supposed to break out in cheers? My mother was a stay-at-home mom for 18 years, and I had to endure her mental illness the whole time. I would have been better off in another home with another mother who worked from day 1. I do not hold to the idea that doing this is part of a Christian worldview—a Christian fundamentalist sicko worldview perhaps—but not a Christian worldview.
And no Veronica. I am not persecuting you for your “true” Christian faith. This is just how I honestly feel as what you would no doubt call an “untrue” apostate Christian. Here is truth Veronica. Please read it:
http://elizaphanian.blogspot.com/2006/05/spiritual-cancer-or-why-i-hate.html
As the parent of a teacher, I’m saddened that the standards are so low in TX and that your delusions potentially affect the nation. When ignorance is the goal, it is no doubt how you keep electing the Governors you do. Please withdraw all of your children and teach them in church. The rest of the kids could use the education.
Veronica Anzaldua, intelligent design is not a theory, there has been no research, no peer review and it has not been shown to be anything more than creationism with a fancy name.
Her website says: “Help me promote Conservative Values at the SBOE!!”
Doesn’t get any more plain than that. Her political views would impact the classroom.
I could be wrong about this, but I doubt there are any left-leaning candidates out there with websites that say, “Help me promote Liberal Values at the SBOE!!”
The highlight of my day is reading Charles’ comments on tfn. Thanks!
The really frightening part of this episode is that this lady is an “educator,” with the duty to teach our children. She is the epitome of bad practice in Texas education. How do we enlighten sufficient numbers of Texas residence about the dangers within this right wing mindset? This in a state that has repeatedly elected Governor Perry!
While I agree with almost all of the posts here I think you are “preachin to the choir”. Perhaps some of you might consider re-posting on twitter or Facebook?
How does someone become this terminally stupid? Does her hair cover the lobotomy scars?
Yet she seems to be proud of her ignorance and willing to spread this manure on the feeble minded.
Is the earth 6,000 years old? Did men and women frolic with the dinosaurs?
Are all men and women created equal? What is the population of the earth right now?
What is the difference between a religion and a cult?
This is one crazy person who should not be able to hold a higher office. She should stay in a bomb shelter looking for the black helicopters and aliens wanting to probe her nether regions.
She should try to find the real Jesus rather than the plastic, corral Jesus the Pharisees taught her about as she was growing up.
Sadly, Veronica Anzaldua is misguided and would be a destructive influence on the education of children in Texas.
There is a place for intelligent design, a religious concept. That place is in the church. There is a place for evolution, a scientific theory. That place is in the school. No one is forcing evolution on Veronica Anzaldua’s church. Why should she force intelligent design, the new name for creationism, on the school? Let’s maintain the integrity of both by keeping them separate. And let’s do everything we can to insure that Veronica Anzaldua never gets elected to the SBOE!
Silly Party.
Possibly but not yet clearly Very.