“UPDATED:  TX SBOE Races — Who Intends To Fix Our Schools? 

By Donna Garner

Original article published on 1.12.22; updated on 1.17.22

All-Important Tex. SBOE Races: Who Are the Candidates?

***COMMENTS FROM DONNA GARNER: 

TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR CANDIDATES: REDISTRICTING MAPS FOR TEXAS – 12.10.21 — https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2021/texas-redistricting-map/

TO HELP YOU SEE WHAT YOUR MARCH 1, 2022 BALLOT WILL LOOK LIKE:  https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2022/texas-2022-election-ballot-primary/

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Below are my thoughts about the upcoming Texas State Board of Education races in the March 1, 2022 primary. Early voting in Texas starts on Feb. 14, 2022. 

 In my opinion, the Texas State Board of Education races are some of the most important on the ticket because of the almost 6 million Texas public school students whose lives can be irreparably damaged by the type of standards and curriculum the TSBOE adopts.

Please remember the Garner Golden Rule:  NEVER VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT FOR ANY OFFICE IN OUR COUNTRY BECAUSE THEIR PARTY HAS BEEN STOLEN BY THE FAR LEFTISTS.

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What is happening in the Texas SBOE races?  Three very good incumbents have no primary nor general race [Ellis, Young, Maynard], but three very good Republicans are being challenged [Hickman, Hardy, Little].

The future of the Texas State Board of Education being conservative and working well together could depend upon the results of the three who have challengers.

The good news is that several new, strong conservatives have stepped up to run.

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SBOE DISTRICT 1 (El Paso to San Antonio-lower West Texas):  Lani Popp (CORRECTION: Lani is not a retired educator as I reported incorrectly on 1.12.22 but is working as a Speech-Language Pathologist in an elementary school.)  Lani is a very strong conservative candidate.  Her district is quite large, but she almost won in 2020 when she was in the old 5^th District.  The other Repub against whom Lani is running is Michael “Travis” Stevens (adult education instructional coach).

The incumbent Dem Georgina Perez has decided not to seek re-election and has endorsed Melissa Ortega (a fellow Dem – no other information known about her).  Other Dems running are Omar Yanar (charter school leader) and Laura Marquez (Special Education advocate).

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SBOE District 2 (Rio Grande Valley through the Coastal Bend):  LJ Francis (Corpus-Christi-based Jamaican-American running against CRT issues); Repub opponent Hilda Garza-Deshazo (former McAllen ISD trustee).

Present SBOE member and Dem incumbent Ruben Cortez has decided to run for the Texas House.  The Dem SBOE candidates are Michael Vargas (Teach for America alum, trustee on the San Benito CISD Board); Thomas Garcia (Teach for America alum, teacher); Victor Perez (former member of Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD Board; Pete Garcia (retired educator); and Wayne Raasch (retired educator).

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SBOE DISTRICT 3 (San Antonio & South Texas) – The two Repub candidates are Lana Jean Holland (retired teacher and principal) and Ken Morrow (an insurance agent).

The Dem is SBOE incumbent Marisa Perez-Diaz who badly needs to be beaten to get her off the SBOE. She is a constant problem for those who are trying to put constructive, conservative practices into place in our state.

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SBOE DISTRICT 4 (Houston) – Unfortunately, no Repubs filed to run in this district.

Lawrence Allen (Dem) who is presently on the SBOE has decided not to run.

Five Dems are running:  Theldon Branch (aviation business leader); Staci Childs (attorney who created GirlTalk University which is an organization only for Black girls — https://www.facebook.com/girltalkuniversity/.  Question: Is this where we want students to go to get advice on intimate subjects?); Coretta Mallet-Fontenot (teacher, former unsuccessful Houston ISD Board candidate); Larry McKinzie (teacher, former unsuccessful Houston ISD Board candidate); Marvin Johnson (math professor, K-12 and higher ed).

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TEXAS SBOE DISTRICT 5 (Austin and surrounding counties)

Mark Loewe is a Republican (long-time education activist). Robert Morrow is a sexual pervert who barely lost in the previous SBOE race when it was a different district.  Please go to the Helpful Source section further on down the page to read about Robert Morrow’s sexual antics. 

Rebecca Bell-Metereau (a.k.a., RBM) is the incumbent on the SBOE who won against Lani Popp and Robert Morrow in 2020. RBM is another sexual pervert who loves to teach her students at Texas State University about the LGBTQ agenda. [Please see Helpful Sources at the bottom of the page.] The other Dems are Kevin Guico (Empower Schools, Teach for America alum); Juan Juarez (KIPP-Austin principal and Teach for America alum).

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SBOE DISTRICT 6 (Houston’s western and northern suburbs):  Will Hickman is an outstanding Republican SBOE member who was elected in 2020. He is conservative and brilliant, having completed two bachelor’s degrees from Texas A&M University (Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Distribution) and later having received his lawyer’s degrees from University of Houston Law Center. He also has a B. A. in Spanish. He has worked for a major energy company as in-house counsel since 2004 and knows the Texas Education Code thoroughly. He helped to remove the politics of climate alarmism from the science TEKS in 2021 and encouraged the SBOE to reject three radical LGBTQ textbooks because they did not align with the SBOE’s new health education standards.

Will Hickman is running against Repub Mike Wolfe (former Harris Co. Dept. of Ed. trustee).

Mike Wolfe vs. Eric Dick – allegations and feud:

4.22.19 – “Michael Wolfe claims Eric Dick offered ‘drugs and women’ for vote in suit against HCDE” – by David Yates — Southeast Texas Record — https://setexasrecord.com/stories/512449078-michael-wolfe-claims-eric-dick-offered-drugs-and-women-for-vote-in-suit-against-hcde

4.17.19 –  “HCDE board censures Trustee Michael Wolfe after judge denies restraining order” — By Shelby Webb – Houston Chronicle — https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/HCDE-trustee-Wolfe-seeks-emergency-injunction-to-13774756.php

Michelle Palmer (teacher, unelected Dem nominee in 2020) is the lone Dem.

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SBOE DISTRICT 7 (Southeast Texas): 

Matt Robinson (Repub) is on the SBOE now but has decided not to run again.

Four Repubs are running.  Julie Pickren (former Alvin ISD trustee running against CRT); Abolaji Tijani “Ayo” Ayobami (Nigerian-Amrican pastor); Michael Barton (police detective running against government schools); Danny Surman (social studies teacher/coach in Dickinson ISD).

ABOUT JULIE PICKREN: I have visited with both Julie Pickren and Michael Barton.  Both are good candidates, but I am recommending Julie Pickren because of her strong conservative values, her wide-ranging six years of experience on the Alvin ISD School Board, and her work behind the scenes to help Texas legislators to craft legislation to fight CRT. She is also strongly against the LGBTQ agenda. Julie, her husband, and two sons live in Manvel, Texas.  To see Pickren’s bio, please go to:  https://taketexasback.com/candidate/julie-pickren/

Michael Barton (Repub) seems to have a good heart and has an outstanding resume but probably does not know as much about education issues as Julie Pickren does.  Barton is a police detective with years of experience in national security (U. S. Senate, White House, and Pentagon).  He lives in Sugar Land with his wife and two children.

Daniel Hochman is the lone Dem (science professor).

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SBOE DISTRICTS 8, 9, and 10: The good news is that all three Repub incumbents in all three of these districts (Audrey Young), (Kevin Ellis), and (Tom Maynard) are running unopposed.

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SBOE DISTRICT 11 (Ft. Worth suburbs):  Because of Pat Hardy’s long track-record as a Republican leader on the Board, there should be no question about her getting elected. She is definitely one of the strong conservative leaders. She is running against Joshua Tarbay (P. E. teacher/former Weatherford ISD board member); Rebecca Garcia (no information known about her); and D. C. Caldwell (very frequent filer who has never won).

The Dems are Luis Miguel Sifuentes (Teach for America alum); James Whitfield (former Colleyville Heritage principal fired earlier this year because of CRT issues – recently dropped out of the SBOE race); D. C. Caldwell (very frequent filer who has never won).

*D. C. Caldwell has registered for both the Repub and Dem tickets. If he were to win in the primary, he would be automatically ineligible for the general election under Texas law.  

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SBOE DISTRICT 12 (Collin County and Northeast Texas):  Pam Little is the Repub incumbent and is unopposed. She is reasonably conservative.

Alex Cornwallis (former unsuccessful Prosper ISD board candidate); and Roberto Velasco (Dallas ISD administrator and former principal) are the Dems.

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SBOE DISTRICT 13 (Urban Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington): The four Repub candidates are Natalie Kohn (social media strategist), Ajua Mason (an anti-CRT activist); Kathryn Monette (no information known about her); and Denise Russell (unsuccessful GOP nominee in 2018). I feel sure most of these four would be far better than leftist Dem Aicha Davis who is presently on the SBOE.

The Dem incumbent leftist is Aicha Davis.

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SBOE DISTRICT 14 (North-Central Texas Rural and some suburbs): Repub incumbent Sue Melton-Malone (Waco) is running for re-election. My problem with Sue is that she is not a conservative leader on the Board who is willing to fight for what is right.

Entering the primary contest is Evelyn Brooks who lives in Frisco.  Evelyn told me that she had been a Dem in the past, admitted having been misled by the Dem Party, but now is a strong conservative Republican who believes in all parents having the right to decide on their children’s educational environment. She believes Texas public schools need to follow the new laws passed by the last legislative session that will protect children from the CRT materials which have seeped into almost all content areas – not just into social studies.  She also pledges to remain vigilant against Social-Emotional-Learning (SEL) lessons that promote the CRT philosophy.  

The Dem nominee is Tracy Fisher (Coppell ISD trustee).

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SBOE DISTRICT 15 (Panhandle, Plains, and Permian Basin): The Repub incumbent is Jay Johnson.  However, I am recommending Aaron Kinsey for this SBOE position. 

My problem with Jay Johnson is that he was totally unprepared to vote on the Health Education textbooks because he had not read the important information in those textbooks to verify exactly how the SBOE-adopted Health Ed standards were being covered (or not covered).

I also had real concerns when Jay Johnson voted to veto Heritage Classical Charter (Hillside College Barney school curriculum).  Instead, Jay voted to approve Essence Prep which has been in the news recently because of concerns over CRT ( https://www.texastribune.org/2022/01/06/critical-race-theory-charter-school/?utm_source=articleshare&utm_medium=social ).

The good news is that Aaron Kinsey is a great candidate for the SBOE. He is an Air Force veteran, graduated at the top of his class at Texas A&M University (accounting and finance degrees), was in the Corp of Cadets, flew 120 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, attended Harvard Business School, returned to Midland, Texas where he established his own business which is the largest aerial patrol service in the Permian Basin area for over 70 oil companies.

Aaron and his wife have three young children, and he has committed to fight on the SBOE to keep parents in charge of their children’s lives and education – free from government interference and Critical Race Theory. 

 Aaron is a logical thinker, a proven conservative, a smart businessman, a finance/accounting guru, and is committed to spending the time necessary to serve on the SBOE.

11.23.21 – “Midland businessman makes bid for SBOE” by Odessa American — https://www.oaoa.com/local-news/midland-businessman-makes-bid-for-sboe/

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HELPFUL SOURCES:

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING / CRITICAL RACE THEORY / LGBTQ

12.31.21 — “The Year of Education: 7 Seismic Moments that Redefined the Issue in 2021” – Breccan F. Thies – Breitbart — /the-year-of-education-7-seismic-moments-that-redefined-the-issue-in-2021/

12.15.21 – “Districts Have ‘Unprecedented’ Funds to Teach CRT Via ‘Social and Emotional Learning’” – by Dr. Susan Berry – Breitbart — /districts-have-unprecedented-funds-to-teach-crt-via-social-and-emotional-learning/

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LANI POPP PATRIOT – VS. SEXUAL PERVERT ROBERT MURROW 

9.28.21 — “ZuckBucks – Need To Add Hays and Travis Counties to 2020 Election Audit” – by Donna Garner – Edviews.org —  /zuckbucks-need-to-add-hays-and-travis-counties-to-2020-election-audit/

3.3.20 – “Robert Morrow, anti-Trump provocateur, clinches spot in state education GOP runoff” — By Julie Chang – Austin American-Statesman —
https://www.statesman.com/news/20200303/robert-morrow-anti-trump-provocateur-clinches-spot-in-state-education-gop-runoff

3.12.20 – “All Republicans on State Board of Education Endorse Against Robert Morrow in Runoff” – by Patrick Svitek – Bryan Eagle – https://www.theeagle.com/news/state-and-regional/all-republicans-on-state-board-of-education-endorse-against-robert/article_d2f6c31e-8c4a-5a6a-9d29-300bb8fb3f75.html

FAR LEFTIST DEM – REBECCA BELL-METEREAU PRESENTLY ON SBOE

9.12.20 — “Clear Choice for Tex. Voters:  True Patriot vs. Hard-Left Extremist for SBOE” — By Donna Garner – EdViews.org — /clear-choice-for-tex-voters-true-patriot-vs-hard-left-extremist-for-sboe/

The racialist essentialist monoclonal antibody guidelines being seen in multiple states appear to originate with the Biden administration.

Thanks, it appears, specifically to guidance from the Biden administration, rules prioritizing the medical treatment of non-white COVID patients over white COVID patients are “spreading” to more states than just New York and Texas.

Last week word emerged that the New York State Department of Health has issued new guidelines listing non-white “race” as a valid prerequisite risk factor for COVID patients seeking the use of monoclonal antibody treatments.

The ruling essentially means that all non-white COVID patients are automatically eligible for the treatment protocol. Their white counterparts, on the other hand, have to satisfy other prerequisites — being over 65, being unvaccinated, etc.

This means, in effect, that a healthy 16-year-old black boy will receive priority treatment over, say, a 64-year-old white man.

A similar policy was observed two months ago in Texas, where a white man under 65 recorded himself being denied monoclonal antibody treatments “because of my race.” The video showed a Texas hospital healthcare telling him point-blank that had he been black or Hispanic, the treatment wouldn’t have been denied.

It’s since been discovered that similar policies have been established in Utah and Minnesota.

Over in the Beehive State, guidelines published in September state that monoclonal antibody eligibility is to be determined through a point system where being non-white is worth two points, but suffering from shortness of breath, coronary artery disease, hypertension or a number of other conditions is worth only one.

And over in Minnesota, guidelines issued late last month directed healthcare workers to “consider heightened risk of progression to severe COVID-19 associated with race and ethnicity when determining eligibility for mAbs.”

In justifying this policy, the Minnesota Department of Health pointed to the guidance of the Biden Food and Drug Administration.

“The FDA has acknowledged that in addition to certain underlying health conditions, race and ethnicity ‘may also place individual patients at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19.’ FDA’s acknowledgment means that race and ethnicity alone, apart from other underlying health conditions, may be considered in determining eligibility for mAbs,” the guidelines state.

This shout-out to the Biden administration appears to be no coincidence.

Fox News suggests that the racial essentialist framework being adopted by states left and right may originate with a monoclonal antibody guidance fact sheet published by the FDA for healthcare providers nationwide.

In listing the risk factors to be considered, the fact sheet does, to the FDA’s credit, focus primarily on traditional factors such as age, pregnancy, heart condition, etc. However, it also explicitly states that “[o]ther medical conditions of actors (for example, race or ethnicity) may also place individual patients at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19.”

Fox News notes that the guidance sheet was last updated in December. It’s not clear when the guidance sheet was originally published, though the document itself does appear to show revisions dating as far back as September.

As disturbing as these findings certainly are, they’re not surprising. Since day one, the Biden administration has been clear in its support for racial essentialist policies that favor certain races (primarily blacks and Hispanics) over all other races (primarily whites, though Asians at times too).

It all stems with this Democrat administration’s fixation on “equity,” an arguably Marxist concept that calls for equal outcomes, not equal opportunities. This fixation has, unfortunately, spread from the federal government down to state and even city governments.

In New York City, for instance, last month the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity “prioritized the distribution of COVID-19 testing kits” by establishing 13 testing sites on “Staten Island’s racially diverse North Shore” but none on “the mostly white South Shore,” as reported by the New York Post.

The idea was basically that because more black people have died from COVID, testing opportunities should be denied to whites to even things out.

Writing for the Post, commentator Betsy McCaughey noted quite bluntly that “[i]f you’re the wrong race, the push for health-care ‘equity’ could kill you.”

She was not wrong.

In fact, early last year the Biden administration considered even doling out vaccines by race. Below is a tweet from Sen. Ed Markey, a Democrat, encouraging this very plan by citing “equity”:

So-called “public health experts” also backed the plan.

“Having a racial preference for a Covid-19 vaccine is not only ethically permissible, but I think it’s an ethical imperative,” Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University, told Stat News at the time.

“The reason is both because of historic structural racism that’s resulted in grossly unequal health outcomes for all kinds of diseases, and because Covid-19 has so disproportionately impacted the lives of people of color.”

The only reason the Biden administration rejected the idea was because of furious backlash. It’ll likely take the same level of backlash to stop the administration from encouraging states to prioritize monoclonal antibodies by race as well.

Source: Whites to the rear? Biden admin guidance says ‘race or ethnicity’ a factor in prioritizing COVID treatment