The State Board of Education (SBOE) met in Austin on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 9 a.m. CT, and concluded Friday, Nov. 22. At this regular meeting, the board took up several items, most notably the adoption of instructional materials for reading and math and the consideration of topics for the next social studies revision.
Tuesday: Instructional Materials Review
Tuesday began with consideration of instructional materials offered for approval under instructional materials review and adoption (IMRA) Cycle 2025. Several testifiers were on hand to speak against products recommended for approval by the Texas Education Agency and the quality and suitability review teams based on their beliefs that “woke, leftist, activist authors” and ideas such as environmental activism were pervasive in some of the recommended texts.
Of the 308 materials reviewed as part of the full-subject and partial-subject math and reading language arts review this cycle:
- 70 were ineligible based on non-compliance with law and rule
- 217 were recommended for approval
- 45 were recommended for the rejected materials list
After much debate and many failed motions to remove materials that TEA had recommended, the board gave preliminary approval to add a few additional products from the list of 46 that the agency left in the “take no action” category.
Tuesday’s action represents the second cycle in the heavily revised IMRA process established by House Bill (HB)1605 (88R). Longtime readers will remember that this bill incentivizes districts with additional funding to adopt “high-quality instructional materials,” including TEA’s controversial Bluebonnet Learning.
While bill author, Chairman Brad Buckley, insisted that districts would not be required to use these SBOE-adopted materials and could still use their selected materials, HB 100 (89R) put a new twist on the process. Going forward, not only are districts unable to use any state funds to purchase rejected materials, but they also cannot use those rejected instructional materials, period.
The still new and complex IMRA process was further complicated by this addition with very real consequences for publishers — most of which are small businesses — and districts, which have been successfully using these products in their classrooms for years.
While Texas AFT has been appreciative of the SBOE’s tendency to adopt more, rather than fewer, materials in the spirit of giving district options, we also recognize the slow forward march toward more state-centered control of education rather than local control of curriculum.
Wednesday: Social Studies & Updates from TEA
During the Wednesday meeting, Texas Freedom Network held a press conference urging the board to prioritize teaching the truth and expressing concern from student, parents, and faith leaders over the appointment of three controversial “content advisors” to the board and how they might adversely impact social studies standards and instruction.
SBOE member Dr. Tiffany Clark shared the following:
“Barbara Jordan … said it plainly: “Education remains the key to both economic and political empowerment.”
If we believe that, if we claim her legacy, then the decisions made in her building must reflect inclusion, justice, and opportunity, not exclusion, not silence, not erasure.”
Her words felt prescient as just hours later, SBOE member Brandon Hall attempted to curtail the free speech rights of testifiers representing the civil rights group Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which Gov. Greg Abbott recently declared a “foreign terrorist organization.” These citizens were allowed to continue with testimony but only after being openly accused of being a public safety threat.
While the item was related to “key topics” to align with the new framework, several testifiers still expressed general disappointment in the organization of provisions and the lack of content related to geography and world history. There were a few content advisors on hand to answer the board’s questions regarding their recommendations for the key topics. Members seemed to approach the item with caution and appeared to be interested in waiting until they receive the draft standards in January before reacting too stridently. What was evident is that they know they are being closely watched by the public for the outcomes of this process.
As a reminder, the agency will need the support and experience of social studies teachers and other community experts to complete the TEKS revision work. The application to participate in a workgroup for the TEKS revision process by Jan. 19. Various workgroups will be needed throughout the revision process, expected to continue through at least June 2026.
Commissioner Mike Morath also attended the meeting to provide his usual update to the board. This meeting, he focused on two topics for his update and highlighted the investments made into both programs with the passage of HB 2 (89R):
- Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA)
- Additional Days School Year (ADSY)
In addition to the new acknowledged designation and greater ranges for compensation compared to previous designations, Morath explained the new “enhanced TIA” option, which allows districts to move to an entirely performance-based model for compensation that includes principals. He pointed to Dallas ISD (as he often does) as the model for this system in which mandatory annual pay increases are completely abandoned. Morath also reported that just over 800 districts now have some sort of TIA designation system, but not all teachers have an opportunity to earn a designation in their district.
The board also heard a deep dive into the organization and workings of Permanent School Fund (PSF) corporation. TEA staff provided an overview of the agency’s administrative and program budget for both the fiscal years and the biennium totals for 2026-2027.
In the realm of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the board considered two items related to personal financial literacy (PFL) to fulfill HB 27 (89R). That bill requires students to complete a one-half credit PFL course instead of having the option to complete either a one-half credit economics course or a one-half credit course in economics/PFL to satisfy the economics requirement under the Foundation High School Program.
TEA staff updated the SBOE on the list of literary works and required vocabulary for each grade level list required in HB 1605. Staff examined a wide range of examples from other states, summer reading programs, etc. and included responses from a teacher survey. They will submit their recommended lists to the board on Jan. 1, 2026 to allow substantial time for review before the next regular SBOE meeting. These lists are consequential because both will be adopted into the TEKS and, therefore, will be included in the statewide assessment (whether that’s STAAR or the next iteration). We have also witnessed this school year the decimation of classroom libraries in the wake of Senate Bill (SB) 13. Between a new “required” list of reading materials and a reduction in other available materials, it is difficult to imagine achieving the literacy goals state leaders say they want.
Staff also updated the board on the civics training TEA is developing in partnership with Education Service Center (ESC) 18. The board will have a future opportunity to make specific decisions about the content of the training, which is required to be completed by at least one administrator and one teacher from every Texas campus. The proposed rollout of this training is staggered, with elementary set for summer 2026 and secondary to begin the following year.
Thursday: Parental Rights Training
In the Committee on School Initiatives meeting, most of the morning was spent on topics contained in the parental rights handbook and the trustee training on parental rights required by SB 204. We were gratified to hear bipartisan agreement that charter school boards should also receive the parental rights training required for all ISD trustees, even though that was not strictly required by the bill.
The committee received an update on the Generation 31 charter applications: 18 total (9 new, 9 returning applicants). They are concentrated in Houston (8), Austin (2), and DFW (5), and TEA expects to have those applications posted for public viewing on their website in January. TEA staff also updated SBOE members on ongoing activities in the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC).
The Committee on Instruction considered several items including modifications to the innovative courses approval and renewal process. This has come under scrutiny in recent months due to the delay in renewing the American Indian Native Studies course. Advocates testified and will be providing additional feedback as the rules progress.
Friday: Closing Out
During the final day of the meeting, the SBOE began the day with a resolution honoring the winners of the 2025 National History Day Contest.
Though there were additional attempts to modify the approved and rejected materials list based on false premises, the majority from Tuesday’s deliberations held, and there were not any unwelcome changes to the final lists for IMRA 2025.