No one on our board wants pro-Islamic or anti-Christian bias
By Geraldine Tincy" Miller SBOE Member for Dist. 12
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas For the first time this school year the State Board of Education (SBOE) met September 22-24th. Topics of discussion included textbook funding and a controversial resolution to keep a pro-Islamic bias out of future textbooks. However the biggest triumph was the passage of an updated version to the Dyslexia Handbook a goal I wanted to accomplish before I step down from the Board.
After dealing with the affects of my sons dysgraphia (a form of dyslexia) I knew how easy it was for these children to fall through the cracks in school and never recover from it. Thereafter I made it my primary aim to be an advocate for dyslexic children.
I have worked with the top experts in the field to produce a resource that has the most up-to-date research on this issue. The Dyslexia Handbook gives teachers an easy-to-use tool for teaching and understanding children with dyslexia.
The Dyslexia Handbook has proven invaluable giving teachers the information they need to observe success in these students.
We have updated the Dyslexia Handbook many times since it was created. The most recent updates are based on the creation of a new Licensure Law and new information related to recent scientific studies and best practices for diagnosing students with dyslexia.
The recommendations were unanimously accepted by the Board. These proposed changes bring us one step closer to a time when all of Texas dyslexic students have a chance at educational achievement.
To get a copy of the updated Handbook which should be available soon go to
the TEA 
Web site.
Perhaps the most complicated issue we faced at the Board meeting was textbook funding because of the circumstances of the economy today.
The State is forecasting an $18 billion shortfall and the Governor Lt. Governor & Speaker have asked every state agency to cut their budgets by 5 for this biennium and cut their base for the next biennium by 5 while also bringing in 10 options.
Consequently the Education Commissioner Robert Scott announced that he is cutting Reading and Science textbooks out of the TEAs budget.
The State Board of Education is given the task of overseeing the Permanent School Fund and thus votes on the payout percentage which is critical for funding textbooks. If they vote on a percentage that is too high they risk depleting the Fund for future generations to come. Therefore we must always be conservative in what we decide.
The Committee on the Permanent School Fund voted on a 3.5 percent payout percentage for this year. So with the cuts being made by the Commissioner we had to make some tough decisions.
While we could not come up with a perfect solution we settled on ordering supplemental science materials for the high school students. The high school students will be taking end-of-course exams for the first time this
spring and therefore need updated materials to prepare for their tests.
While the 3rd through 8th graders will also be taking a new TAKS exam their current materials do a better job of covering the necessary information for the test. This leaves it up to the local school districts to pay for any textbooks or materials not covered by the State.
Commissioner Robert Scott assured the Board that students would not be tested on any subject for which they dont have materials opening the possibility that the new tests will be postponed until next year.
Finally the Board also voted to change the timeline for publishers to submit bids for textbooks and to open the bidding process in order to encourage competition and drive down the future cost of textbooks.
Perhaps the topic that received the most attention was a resolution that instructs publishers to reject textbooks with pro-Islamic bias. The resolution narrowly passed the Board on a 7-6 vote. (Two members were absent)
The resolution was first presented to our Board in July by the man who lost his primary race against one of our incumbent board members from Lubbock. Apparently his information came from old textbooks published in 1999 (prior to 9/11) along with an Advanced Placement College level book that is not reviewed by the SBOE.
Some of us were surprised to see the resolution on our September agenda. When I realized the Chairman and/or TEA had not checked the resolution for inaccuracies before placing it on our agenda some of us tried to postpone and amend the resolution to make sure all books would reflect our new History TEKS for fairness balance and accuracy. (A resolution is not binding and has no authority over future State Boards of Education.)
No one on our board wants the World History books to be pro-Islamic bias and anti Christian ... in fact some of the publishers looked over the resolution at the meeting and found several errors.
Regretfully emotions led the final vote rather than thoughtful and rational reason.
As a proud Reagan Christian Conservative I could not vote for a resolution that had not been properly reviewed and checked for accuracy. If you have
any further questions feel free to contact me via my Web site at
http://www.tincymiller.com.
Wishing you a blessed and joyful new school year.
Tincy Miller represents Dist. 12 on the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE). A Member since 1984 she was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to serve as Chair from 2003-2007.
spring and therefore need updated materials to prepare for their tests.
While the 3rd through 8th graders will also be taking a new TAKS exam their current materials do a better job of covering the necessary information for the test. This leaves it up to the local school districts to pay for any textbooks or materials not covered by the State.
Commissioner Robert Scott assured the Board that students would not be tested on any subject for which they dont have materials opening the possibility that the new tests will be postponed until next year.
Finally the Board also voted to change the timeline for publishers to submit bids for textbooks and to open the bidding process in order to encourage competition and drive down the future cost of textbooks.
Perhaps the topic that received the most attention was a resolution that instructs publishers to reject textbooks with pro-Islamic bias. The resolution narrowly passed the Board on a 7-6 vote. (Two members were absent)
The resolution was first presented to our Board in July by the man who lost his primary race against one of our incumbent board members from Lubbock. Apparently his information came from old textbooks published in 1999 (prior to 9/11) along with an Advanced Placement College level book that is not reviewed by the SBOE.
Some of us were surprised to see the resolution on our September agenda. When I realized the Chairman and/or TEA had not checked the resolution for inaccuracies before placing it on our agenda some of us tried to postpone and amend the resolution to make sure all books would reflect our new History TEKS for fairness balance and accuracy. (A resolution is not binding and has no authority over future State Boards of Education.)
No one on our board wants the World History books to be pro-Islamic bias and anti Christian ... in fact some of the publishers looked over the resolution at the meeting and found several errors.
Regretfully emotions led the final vote rather than thoughtful and rational reason.
As a proud Reagan Christian Conservative I could not vote for a resolution that had not been properly reviewed and checked for accuracy. If you have 
