Preview: SBOE to vote on TEKS and charter schools

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The State Board of Education (SBOE) will meet in Austin beginning Mon., Jun. 22 to consider a consequential agenda. Among other items, the board will consider three controversial items that Hotline readers will be familiar with.

On Monday, the board will take up the adoption of the proposed literary lists, which will dictate required reading for every grade level in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skill (TEKS) for English language arts and reading (ELAR). The list has been available for public comment and the board will consider that feedback as part of the final amendment and adoption process. Texas AFT has maintained that the list is too long and instructionally inappropriate. In addition, there will be state assessment and fiscal implications for districts.

Tuesday will be dominated by the K-12 social studies TEKS. Hundreds of public comments have been submitted on these problematic standards. It is expected that board members will continue to amend standards at this meeting. However, it is doubtful that amendments can fix the significant knowledge gaps and whitewashing present in these standards. We have reported extensively on the standards development process throughout 2026, and this meeting should culminate in the adoption of the new curriculum standards.

The final item of note will be the board’s consideration of the lone charter application that has been recommended for approval by the commissioner. This application is concerning due to its connection to and out-of-state charter management organization (CMO) with a dubious accountability record. The board will make a preliminary recommendation on Wednesday with a final vote expected Friday.

Texas AFT will provide a full recap on the outcome of these and other decisions in a future edition of the Hotline.