Starting in January, seven Republicans and seven Democrats will sit on the Texas State Board of Education, up from 11 Republicans and four Democrats. One race remains too close to call, according to election results. Democrats have not held a majority on the board since 1994.
The current board majority approved changes this summer, including a Bible-infused reading list and a social studies curriculum that linked Islam to violence. The Texas Education Agency has pushed districts to adopt Bluebonnet, state-developed instructional materials that include Bible stories. The materials have drawn criticism for containing thousands of errors.
Rep. Tiffany Clark, a Democrat, who was reelected to the board Tuesday, said the board has an opportunity to revisit policies that were put in place. The governor-elect, Democrat Gina Hinojosa, will choose the board chair, who sets the meeting agenda. It is not clear what a process to revisit learning standards would look like. The Texas Education Agency had not said whether the board has the power to do so.