I’ve mentioned before that the GOP primary for SBOE District 5 is worth watching, but I didn’t know much about it at that time. This Statesman article helps to fill in the blanks.
The brouhaha over the teaching of evolution in the science curriculum caught the attention of some in the San Antonio business community, said Carri Baker Wells, chairwoman of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.
There was a concern that decisions were being made based on ideology rather than sound science, and that affects how prepared Texas students are to compete, said Wells, adding that the chamber does not endorse candidates.
Among [challenger Tim] Tuggey’s givers are some of San Antonio’s biggest names in business, including Red McCombs, the auto magnate; Bartell Zachry, chairman of the construction conglomerate Zachry Group Inc. and former chairman of the Governor’s Business Council; and Charles Butt, president and chief executive officer of H.E. Butt Grocery Co.
“I think that our State Board of Education is somewhere between inept and dysfunctional,” said McCombs, namesake of the University of Texas business school. “The kids are entitled to more than what they’re getting.”
McCombs cites the state’s high dropout rate, in particular, as an indication that the system is broken, and he says [incumbent Ken] Mercer is a part of that system.
“He has had his turn at bat, and I’m ready to put in a new player,” McCombs said.
Obviously, I would prefer to have a Democrat in this seat, but if we can’t have that I’ll be happy with a Republican that won’t be there to do the bidding of the religious right. This race ought to be an interesting test to see which faction within the GOP is stronger.
Large contributions from wealthy donors are not the only measure of a candidate’s qualifications. The support of unions, teachers, parents, and ordinary citizens will count for a great deal in the upcoming election. As a professor at Texas State University, a Fulbright scholar and former Peace Corps volunteer, I am the only teacher and the only mother of two graduates of the public school system running for SBOE in District 5.
I have a lifelong commitment to education and, with no financial or political motives for seeking this unpaid position, I am the most qualified candidate . I have served as a Planning and Zoning Commissioner and on Solid Waste and Blue Ribbon Bond Commissions in San Marcos. Please encourage your readers to consider the Democratic candidates as well as the Republicans in this race. I have the endorsement of TSTA, and of a number of labor leaders and other groups that truly have education as their primary interest.