Democratic members of the Texas State Board of Education are asking to pause revisions to the state's K-12 social studies curriculum after finding out that a research center led by one of the content advisers received money from a conservative think tank.
In a written statement, all five Democratic board members said Donald Frazier, one of the nine content advisers, failed to disclose the grant. Federal tax filings show the Texas Public Policy Foundation gave $70,000 to the Texas Center at Schreiner University for "development of Texas Essential Knowledge Skills (TEKS) Standards."
"The failure to disclose this funding to the entire SBOE is deeply troubling, raises serious ethical concerns, and casts doubt over the integrity of the entire review process," the Democrats said.
The Democratic board members said they have concerns about conflicts of interests and asked for an independent investigation that would look into the agreement between Frazier and the organization.
"It is essential that the process remain transparent, objective and free from undue influence," they said.
Board member Marisa Pérez-Díaz, who represents District 3 that includes the San Antonio Independent School District, said it was alarming that this information was hidden from the board. She said she feels uncomfortable moving forward with the revisions.
"Because if these standards were influenced by a content adviser who was paid by a special interest group, then we need to know that," she said. "That tells us the special interest group had massive influence over the writing of these standards."
The Texas Public Policy Foundation has advocated for issues like public school vouchers, restoring Judeo-Christian faith in the country and bans on gender-affirming care for minors.
Brian Phillips, a spokesperson for the group, said the nonprofit sees this as a delay tactic from certain board members.
"They should focus on the quality and merits of the curriculum and ensure that Texas students are getting the best possible education," he said.
The State Board of Education began the process of changing the social studies curriculum last year. Critics and educators have raised concerns about the proposed changes being too Texas-centric.
The statement came in the middle of a week the board has spent revising and amending the curriculum in preparation of a public comment period.
Kate Rogers, one of the content advisers, had previously sounded the alarm about a lack of transparency throughout the process. She said she felt like some advisers had received information ahead of their discussion. Yolanda Chávez Leyva, another adviser, told KUT News that some voices in the discussion were heard more than others.
The nine content advisers are appointed by board members and tend to be subject matter experts that provide guidance on the curriculum but do not draft it. Pérez-Díaz said advisers make recommendations to workgroups made up of nominated teachers, educators and community members.
However, she said she has heard from multiple members of the workgroups that they have not been given agency to make substantive changes to what content advisers provided them, raising concerns about who drafted the proposed curriculum.
She said in a perfect world, the revision would be paused, but it's likely that it will pass on Friday, since Democrats don't have a majority on the board.
"This isn't anything other than really making sure that we're being open about how we are operating," Pérez-Díaz said. "To make really strong policy decisions in education for all of our students, and not just a particular population of students."
KUT reached out to Frazier and has not heard back.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said the Texas Public Policy Foundation had given a donation to the Texas Center. It was a grant with the purpose of developing academic standards.
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