Happy Wednesday, and an even happier post-Election Day!

Today we’ll take a look at some of last night’s primary election results and see how they’ll impact education across the state, including former educator James Talarico’s US Senate win. 

You’ll also find coverage on the 4,000+ errors the state found in Bluebonnet Learning, and you’ll see what banned book we’ll be reading throughout March.

If you missed last week’s edition, you can find it here.

Let’s get into it!

In case you missed it, there was a primary election last night in Texas, and several State Board of Education seats were on the ballot. Here’s how candidates on both side of the aisle faired:

➡️District 2: Democrat Thomas Ray Garcia will face Republican Victoria Hinojosa in the general election on Nov. 3 in District 2, which represents parts of Corpus Cristi and Brownsville.

➡️District 5: Allison Bush and Stephanie Limon Bazan are headed to a runoff for the Democratic primary in District 5, which includes Travis, Bastrop, Hays, Caldwell, Guadalupe and Blanco counties. The winner of the May 26 runoff election will face Mica Arellano who ran unopposed in the Republican primary.  

➡️District 6: Tiffany Nelson secured 71% of the vote in District 6, which represents Conroe and Tomball outside of Houston. She will face Michelle Palmer, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, in the general election.

➡️District 7: Tiffany Perkinz and Debra Ambroise are headed to a runoff election in the Democratic primary for District 7, which represents parts of Beaumont, Galveston, and Pearland. The winner will face Republican incumbent Julie Pickren, who ran unopposed. 

➡️District 8: Dana Van de Walker won the Democratic nomination in District 8, which represents parts of Trinity, Polk, San Jacinto, and Waller counties. She’ll face Republican incumbent Audrey Young in the general election.

➡️District 9: Republican nominee Kason Huddleston will face Democratic nominee Ericka Ledferd–who ran unopposed–in the general election on Nov. 3. District 9 represents parts of Mesquite, Longview, Nacogdoches, and Mount Pleasant. 

➡️District 13: Democratic incumbent Tiffany Clark will face Republican nominee April Williams Moore in the general election for District 13, which represents parts of Dallas, Arlington, Grapevine, Duncanville, Desoto, and Hutchins.

➡️District 14: Republican Mindy Bumgarner will face Democrat Amy Taylor in the general election for District 14, which represents Corsicana, Waco, Waxahachie, and Stephenville. Both candidates ran unopposed.

Photo via Talarico for Texas

The 36-year-old Presbyterian seminarian and former middle school teacher will face either US Sen. John Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the general election on Nov. 3.

State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin) defeated US Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Dallas) in the Texas Democratic primary for US Senate, receiving 53% of the vote to Crockett’s 45% as of early Wednesday morning.

The 36-year-old Presbyterian seminarian and former middle school teacher made a name for himself in the Texas Legislature, fighting for public school funding and against Gov. Greg Abbott’s private school voucher program. 

His populist campaign, which centered around fighting billionaires and Republican corruption, resonated with young voters across the state.

The Texas Education Agency received final approval from the State Board of Education last week to make over 4,000 corrections and changes to Bluebonnet Learning curriculum, which was created by the TEA and approved by the State Board of Education in November 2024 and uses Christian stories from the Bible in reading materials.

🙏Most Texas schools reject designated prayer time: Senate Bill 11, which went into effect on Sept. 1, required Texas school boards to decide by March 1 whether to provide a daily prayer and religious reading period for students. Districts across the state are rejecting the new policy. (Texas Tribune)

🧑‍🏫Some 180 candidates have applied to lead Fort Worth ISD: Fort Worth ISD is seeking candidates to serve on the Texas-appointed board of managers that will lead FWISD during a state takeover for at least two years. (Fort Worth Report)

✏️Texans oppose social studies rewrite: Dozens of Texans shared their thoughts on the Texas State Board of Education’s revision of the state’s social studies curriculum standards during a public hearing last week, urging the board to slow the revision process down. (Community Impact)

During the month of March, we’ll be reading “The Hate U Give,” by Angie Thomas. Thomas’s debut novel has gained national popularity and is banned across several school districts across the country. In Texas, it was banned in Nacogdoches and Lamar Consolidated ISDs.

The story follows 16-year-old Starr Carter, who  witnesses the fatal police shooting of her childhood friend. It deals with themes of racism, grief, identity, and police brutality. 

Here are some questions to help start you off:

1. Do you know what the term “code-switching” means? How does Starr navigate her two identities between Garden Heights and Williamson Prep?

2. Critics argue that the book is “anti-police.” Based on the first few chapters alone, do you think that label is fair?

3. How does the setting of Garden Heights shape your understanding of systemic inequality?

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Katie Serrano. The TexEd Report is happily free to read for everyone. Your financial support means a lot to us. Donate here.

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