Good evening. Welcome to the 02/25/2026 meeting of the Texas State Board of Education special called meeting. We'd like to start tonight with the invocation and the pledges. I'd like to invite doctor Young to do those at this time. Please pray pray with me. Heavenly father, we come before you with grateful hearts lifting up the members of the State Board of Education as we serve as stewards of the next generation, grant us divine discernment as we finalize the social studies TEEX overhaul,
ensuring that Texas students are grounded in a chronological understanding of our history. Dear Lord, please, we ask for your guidance over everything related to Texas, the Texas children, and the authority placed in us for the children's education. Lord, let your spirit of peace and order prevail in our meetings and may our decision honor you and secure a bright, virtuous future for every child in Texas. In Jesus' name, amen. Please stand. I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. The Texas flag. Honor the Texas flag. Flag of The United States. Of Texas. One state under God, one in indivisible. Thank you, doctor Young. Staff, will you please call the roll? Member Revelus? Presente. Member Francis? Hear by his grace. Member Perez Diaz? Present. Member Childs? Here from Houston. Member Belmetro? Present. Member Hickman? Here. Member Pickering?
Here. Member Young? Here. Member Ellis? Here. Member Maynard? Here. Member Hall? Here. Member Little? Here. Member Clark? Here. Member Brooks? Present. Present day. Chairman Kinsey. Here. Thank you. A quorum is present. Next, we have public testimony. We have 16 signed up. I'm not sure how many are here with us, today. But if staff can go ahead and call the testifiers and brief the rules for the State Board of Education testimony. Testimony is limited to two minutes. The timer in front of you will count down the time and will show three
lights, green, yellow, and red. Green means to start speaking, yellow means you have thirty seconds left, and red means your time is up and you will also hear a beep. If you have copies of your testimony, please provide them to SDOE staff when you are about to speak. Just as a reminder, the board's operating rules state that no posters, props, flags, noisemakers, or other visual displays are allowed. Andre Saabs, Britney Scammerhorn, John McKiernan Gonzalez, Connor Braba, Taylor Fox, Francine Erickson,
Donna Birdwell, Josh Robinson, Joy McCormick, Teresa Bussell, Lisa Copeland, Idona Griffith, Maxine Hernan, Jaylen Prince, Jamali Mahmood, Heather Bailey. And that is all chair. Okay. It appears as no that so none of the testifiers are present. So we'll continue moving. The next item in the agenda is a report of the committee of full board. Item one, removal of instructional materials from the list of rejected instructional materials. Agenda exhibit I-one,
vice chair Little to read the recommendation from the committee. Mister chair, the committee of the full board recommends to the State Board of Education that they remove Kiddom Inc. Texas math grade six powered by Kiddom ISBN number nine seven nine eight eight nine four three zero eight nine five one, and Texas math algebra one powered by Kiddom, ISBN nine seven nine eight eight nine four three zero nine one zero one, Programs from the list of rejected instructional materials. K. Members, you've heard the motion which comes from a committee does not need a second.
Is there any debate on the pending motion? Ready to vote? All those in favor, please show by raising your hand. 13. Thank you. All those opposed, please show a raise in your hand. Zero thirteen zero. The motion carries. The next item is approval of updates to approved instructional materials, agenda exhibit I dash three, vice chair Little, to read the recommendation from the committee. The committee of the full board recommends to the State Board of Education that they approve request to update content previously approved through the IMRIS process from the Texas Education Agency in their materials for Bluebonnet Learning secondary mathematics for grades six through eight,
algebra one, geometry, algebra two, and grade six Spanish mathematics. Bluebonnet learning mathematics for grades five through k through five English and Spanish mathematics, and Bluebonnet learning reading language arts for grades k through five English and Spanish language arts and reading with the requirement that all approved changes be reflected in the digital formats of the materials within thirty days of approval by the SBOE and that identical updates to print formats be incorporated into the publishers or manufacturers next press run.
Members, you've heard the motion which comes from a committee who needs no second. Is there any debate on the pending motion? Great to vote. All those in favor, please show by raising your hand. Nine, thank you. All those opposed please show a raise in your hand. Six nine six, the motion carries. Item number three is approval of the required civics training program. Vice Chair Little to read the recommendation from the committee. Mister Chair, the Committee of the Full Board recommends to the state board of education that they approve the content for the required civic training program for elementary school teachers and administrators.
Okay. Members, you heard the motion which comes from a committee needs no second. Is there any debate on the pending motion? Sure. For what purpose, member Hickman? Question for staff. Be recognized. Thank you, chair. Sorry. I forgot my question earlier. So the students in the class or the the students of the training will be the teachers and administrators. Who are who are the trainers of the training? Region eighteen will serve as the trainer who trains the, service centers, the educational service centers. So each regional service center will have trained staff from Region 18.
They will then set up training dates for the districts in their in their region, where the teachers and the administrators will attend the trainings within their region. So HESC, you guys Serves as a TOT. Those teachers and administrators will go to the RSC, get this training. Correct. Okay. Thank you. Yep. Miss Monroe Brooks. Patient for the staff. I can't hear you. Information from staff? Do you recognize? So, mister Torres, will schools have to pay for this, the training? No. It's a funded mandate from the statute. Okay. So the,
funds are to pay stipends to teachers who are attending, and that was outlined, I think, in a previous, presentation. So the initial principal or administrator and teacher, there's no they're not getting an incentive, but there's no charge to the district. No charge to the district, and teachers, according to statute, may receive a stipend for their attendance. So do you have the contract for that? It's a it is Through this authority of those funds and those flow through to the ESCs,
and the ESCs distribute this type in once training is completed. Because I would imagine you would have to they would have to pay this provider for putting the book together. They had There was a training it. As we talked about, there's a guy I have the One of our old chairman. That's right. I sent it over. I apologize. To your water waters. I believe we're discussing contracts of a private corporation, and that's not germane to this item. Vice member Revelis. Thank you, chair. I have a question for staff. Purpose would you like to be recognized? I have a question for staff. Be recognized. Thank you. The the I just wanna make sure I keep hearing I I heard differently.
I said, I keep hearing you say 18 or 19. Which ESE is it? I apologize. It is 18. Remember, that was if I misspoke, I intended to say 18. Okay. So I just wanna make sure. Nineteen's the one, well, I served, I served both of them, but I wanna make sure. The other question I had, I had asked it previously, in January is what happens to, a school that loses its principal and its teacher that were trained? My guess is is they go back to training with the ASC. Is that is that the the correct answer? That is that is correct.
The training will still be required to have a representative, a teacher, and administrator on every campus. If they lose their trained staff, we will need to ensure that that training remains available, so that new staff may be trained. And and who is responsible for, making sure their school and the district's in compliance, the themselves? The school and and the school would be responsible for that, but we will keep record of all those, trained, and their certificates that they earned so that it'll be easier for for campuses to track that down. Thank you. Thank you. Purpose, mister Brooks.
One last question based off For what purpose would you like to be recognized? To ask one staff who You're recognized. Okay. Thank you. So so just to hear you correctly, I know it's being updated. Right? But once a teacher receives their certificate, it's done. Right? Like, for the entirety of their career. Correct. Mhmm. One time. Yes, ma'am. Is there further discussion on the pending motion? Ready to vote? Okay. All those in favor, please show by raising your hand. Nine, thank you. All those opposed, please show by raising your hand. Okay. The vote's ten four. The vice chair,
has voted now, so it's ten four. Motion carries. The next item is approval of required parental rights training for district trustees. Agenda exhibit I dash five twenty two. Vice Chair Little to read the recommendation from the committee. The Committee of the Full Board recommends to the State Board of Education that they postpone consideration of this item to the regularly scheduled April meeting. Members, you've heard the motion which comes from a committee does not need a second. Is there any debate on the pending motion for what purpose, doctor Ellis? Recognize for an amendment to the motion.
You're recognized? I would like to amend the main motion to say that the format of the TEA learn platform with the Microsoft immersive reading tool availability will be the platform that the training is prescribed in, not in a video format. One second. You want me to come over there, Kaye? We have a motion a second. So we've never we we never had a main motion. And so so we just had an agenda item, and we had the the motion was to postpone. So does the motion to postpone then open the main motion to amend it?
That's a good question. So, mister chair, my advice to you is that this that the motion to postpone is the main motion. It can be presented as a subsidiary motion, but it was not because the main motion was never made. So this is now a main motion, and I believe that, therefore, therefore, this amendment would be in order. It would be. I believe so because it's a main it's it's an incidental main motion, sir, if you wanna crawl into the parliamentary weeds with me,
and everyone else will hate us. Okay. As parl point of parliamentary inquiry, I just I have a question on this casing. Just a second. No. I'm both. Okay. What's your point of parliamentary inquiry? I guess my question was that we have a motion from the committee of the full board to postpone this to April, but not addressing the format that it's delivered in. So I just want a clarification on that. Because I don't think that we ever discussed or took a vote on formatting. The committee did not. The motion as read by the vice chair was the motion out of the committee.
Doctor Ellis offered an amendment to that motion that specified what's coming on the screen right now. So if we vote this motion down, mister chairman, do we come back to the original motion from the committee of the full board? That's correct. Thank you, mister chairman. You're welcome. I have a point of information. What's your point of information? We'll be able to get the actual information. If this motion to postpone prevails, will we get the information that will be in the training between now and the April meeting? You have it already. I couldn't hear you. Would you like to answer this question? Yes, chairman.
Member Charles, as the motion is written right now, the training that we have in our board books to the towards the end would be the training that would be on the, TA learn platform. With the caveat that it could be amended at the April meeting. Okay. Does that remember? The the the training itself may be amended at the April meeting. That's correct. Like, the words in in the, the training slides, member Charles, could be subject to amendment at the April meeting before adoption at that same meeting.
I see. I remember us, discussing in the committee meeting that if it was still in video format, that we would be provided a script, prior to coming before the committee of the full board. I haven't seen, like, a full script, but you're saying the training is the script. Okay. Got it. Yes. Thank you, chairman. Point of parliamentary inquiry. What's your point of parliamentary inquiry? At the April meeting, will staff have the opportunity to make edits to what's in our book currently and bring that to the April meeting? Or are we approving is it is it fixed as of today?
That's what I was explaining and clarifying on member Francis's explanation that staff, could assist us between now and April in making changes. This board or the committee of the full board could make changes or this board could make changes when constituted as a state board of education Friday of the April meeting. Okay. Great. Thank you. I think one question I had was if if if for some reason we found out we didn't we did want to do if this motion passed and then we
did decide in April, we actually wanted a video. Could we do that? And the answer to that is yes. We could. So we're not necessarily binding ourselves to that. Although, I think this is, clear guidance in what we'd be voting on. For what purpose, member Pickering? Point of information, mister What's your point of information? To the chairman's statement, every trustee in the state of Texas has to receive this training by September 1. If we choose in April, the April to turn this into a video, does TEA have enough time to make the video and distribute it to where 8,000
trustees could be could be trained by September 1? Aaron? Marion. Marion Shetty, associate commissioner of Texas Education Agency. I am currently unable to answer that question. I'd have to go back to our TEA learn staff and, get some more information around, production times, how long that would take, and the the planning and the work of that. Mister chairman? For purpose, mayor Pickering. Ask staff a question? You're recognized. So, Marion, we talked about this at links in the public hearing and in the two meetings that we had in CSI committee about this being a video, and I believe that you had already had a conversation with staff on the timing
of, making a video. So do you recall what they had what they told you or It the conversations that we had were around, it depends on the the length of the training. It depends on the the details in the addition. I think the, not knowing the extent of the edits right now potentially. I think we would, I think it would take, depending on what we would have, like, it ranges anywhere from, a week to two weeks. I think the depending on how much content,
depending on review process, depending on oversight, depending on feedback development, there's a number of factors that go into play related to that. Okay. And, Okay. And Ms. Shetty also the bipartisan request for out of CSI committee was this referred to be a video. At what point did TEA unilaterally decide that this would be an e reader? We have not. I've I think we're, presenting this today, in service of, trying to fulfill the board's request. And so, the we still have the ability to be able to do that if that is what the the board would like to do. Thank you.
Is there further debate? What purpose, sarge Clark? Comment? You're recognized. Thank you. I just wanna reiterate, regardless of the format, I still think six hours is entirely too long. That's it. That will be in a different agenda item in April, the rule text. For what purpose, member Hickman? Question for staff. Do you recognize? Miss Shetty, is the amendment on the screen the current format that you anticipated using? Is that what you presented to us in the slides and that's how you you the agency thought it would be delivered?
Does it does this capture that? Yes, sir. Okay. Thank you. But but I will also add that their, the platform could also host videos as well too. Okay. So but yeah. Sure. What purpose, doctor Ellis? Can I speak to my amendment? Please. Yeah. Sorry. I thought we did that. It's okay. We did get a second, from somebody online. It was miss Charles. It was me. Miss Charles. K. No. I would like to speak to the fact that if there is additional script out there that this board has not seen, this board,
the State Board of Education, that a video would be made from, to me, that's where this train can really come off the track in April is that we would be presented something that this board has not seen. And, again, this board, not a committee, has the authority with the assistance of TEA to develop this training. So if a video is meant to just read what the training is, that's a tool that's available under the Microsoft Immersive Reader tool. So if we vote this down and the idea is to come back and it'd be a video, I think we're we're back at Square 1 come April,
and I'm not sure we can we would have the time to get this out to all the trainer to all the school board trustees who need this training. For what purpose, mister Maynor? You're recognized. And maybe this is be a be a question for for staff, but the the mandate of the legislature is is for us to maintain this content. Correct? We have to create it, but then we would also been be responsible for maintaining and updating it as things change. Is that is that correct? And then would it be is that I would presume so.
Tim's looking it up right now. I can see. Well, so so and I think that I think that member Pickering may have made a pretty good point is is that, well, that if if you went to video production, how long would that take? And given the timeline and since that that school board trustees at this point have to be trained by September, that that's probably not gonna work. But that's not to say that we can't eventually make a video at some point in the future if we are maintaining this this content moving forward. It doesn't it doesn't preclude a video forever.
Correct? That was exactly what I was thinking, before I recognized you. That that would be a possibility at some point. Yeah. But we'll let Tim make sure and keep it straight here. Tim's agreeing. Okay. Okay. I will then I will then support the amendment. Further debate? Mhmm. You ready to vote? Motion on the floor is doctor Ellis' amendment shown in red on the screen. All those in favor of the amendment, please show by raising your hand. 10. Thank you. All those opposed, please show by raising your hand. Three ten three,
the amendment carries. Now we're back to the main motion as amended. Is there any debate on the pending motion? Ready to vote. All those in favor of the main motion as amended, please show by raising your hand. Member Childs, is your hand raised? Okay, 14. Thank you. All those opposed, zero, fourteen, zero. The motion carries as amended. This concludes the items of business from the Committee of the Full Board. Vice Chair Little, do you have anything else to report? No, sir. I do not. Okay. Well, it's been a long day. Thank you for your dedication and getting here for the special call meeting and being committed to working through the
agenda. I appreciate it. At this time, I'm gonna go ahead and adjourn us for the night, and I'll see you in April. We're returned.