There is an extreme faction on our State Board of Education (SBOE) that has a specific agenda that is not in the best interest of our children’s education. Incumbent board member David Bradley is a member of this extreme faction. He represents the seventh district on the SBOE, which includes Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Jefferson, and portions of Harris counties. The SBOE approves all public school curriculum and selects text books for our schools.
The Problem:
David Bradley is infamous among educators for stating “This critical thinking stuff is gobbledygook” while serving on the SBOE. He thinks that critical thinking is innate and therefore does not need to be taught. Also, Bradley’s staunch opposition to including comprehension as part of the state English curriculum is mind-boggling! He discounted the testimony from expert teachers and national experts in English and reading, he discounted the College Readiness Standards, and he discounted the advice of the Texas Education Agency-appointed writing teams in English and Language Arts He believes that if you just give students needed tools, they will naturally put them into sentences and paragraphs. Directed by Bradley’s efforts, the SBOE decided that the English curriculum for the 2008-2009 school year will not include reading comprehension.
The SBOE is dominated by the far right of whom Bradley is the de-facto leader. During Bradley’s watch, a textbook publisher was forced to remove a photo of a woman carrying a briefcase and replace it with a photo of a woman baking a cake. This school year, new science textbooks will be adopted. Mr. Bradley believes “the world is 6,000 years old and dinosaurs and humans coexisted.†I wonder what he will try to delete or impose on the science curriculum? Also, he thinks there is no need for curriculum specialists in schools. Bradley has never worked as a public school educator, but instead works in insurance. And while Bradley wants to continue to control public education, he does not send his children to public schools. He home-schooled his children; however, one of his sons did graduate from a public school.
David Bradley lives in Jasper which is not in the district he is running to represent, but is in district 8. He votes in Beaumont by using his business address in Beaumont. Why is David Bradley on the ballot for district 7 if he lives in district 8? Many witnesses were called to testify before a state level grand jury in Austin concerning him living in district 8, but running for office in district 7. The grand jury has not indicted nor have they no billed him. He has been indicted for open meetings violations dealing with the Permanent School Fund. It does not appear that he is eligible to be on the ballot, yet he has run in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2008. Is this who we want to return to the SBOE?
The Solution:
In contrast to Bradley, his opponent Laura Ewing would bring balance to the SBOE. Laura has been a teacher for over 30 years. She has taught in Houston, Fort Bend, Clear Creek, Spring and Cypress-Fairbanks school districts. She also was a social studies specialist in Pearland ISD. She has been named “Teacher of the Year,” “Supervisor of the Year,” and has received the “Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Private Enterprise.†Laura also has a Masters in Educational Leadership and Cultural Studies from the University of Houston and is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston at Clear Lake. In addition, she was elected to the Friendswood City Council from 2003 where she served until 2008.
Laura believes that comprehension needs to be part of the English curriculum and that critical thinking is vital for our students. Laura would like to see a greater variety of credit courses for graduation in order to meet the needs of the different learning abilities of the population. She also believes that non-English speaking students should be offered English classes as they are studying their required classes. She also believes that non-college bound students need to be able to select classes that will help them become prepared to enter the work force when they graduate.
Laura Ewing is the hope for District 7 and for the state. She will help provide a solid education and bright future for all students in Texas. She has always put education first and will continue to do that on the SBOE!
We can’t leave the education of our children up to the far-right extremists!
What can you do to help?
Spread the word about Laura Ewing.
Volunteer and make a contribution. She needs money to get the word out to all the voters in district seven.
Links:
Tribune article by Geoff Geiger
Texas Monthly article by Katy Vine
Laura Ewing Campaign
Netroots Outreach
Andy Hailey