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Rebecca Bell-Metereau for Texas State Board of Education District 5:

I’ve taught at Texas State University for 28 years, and our two daughters attended public school in San Marcos, in the center of the district. In talking with students, parents, educators, and community leaders, it’s clear what we need to fix a broken State Board of Education: 1) community, 2) economy, 3) respect.

The first concept of community is a theme I’ve heard from everyone. We must put students, teachers, and the local community back at the center of education. The State Board of Education has been micromanaging school curriculum for almost 20 years. Results have been disastrous, putting us in 51st place in high school graduation rates in the US. Teachers must guide this process, in collaboration with local communities.

We must also connect education to the economy and prepare students for higher education and the world of work with a 21st century education. We need a Texas State Board of Education that makes public schools an engine of the economy, coordinated with higher education and the real world of work and local communities, guided by educators, not business interests or political battles.

Finally, respect is an essential value for all people. My opponent ignores this fundamental practice, and the board’s oversight process is therefore broken. His comments about giving a "spanking" to people testifying before the language curriculum review committee shows his utter disrespect for the women and men working hard to improve our educational system. We should not have that kind of talk in the future Board of Education. We must restore a reasoned, civil, deliberative process that coordinates legislative bodies, public schools, universities, and the world of work.

Let’s stop the nonsense now! Please visit my website at voterebecca.com for more information about my background and my campaign.