What Does the Texas State Board of Education Actually Do?

As this campaign continues, I’ve been asked an important question: What does the Texas State Board of Education actually control, and what is the responsibility of the Texas Legislature? It is a critical distinction — and one voters should understand before casting a ballot.

What the SBOE Does

The Texas State Board of Education is responsible for the technical, detailed work that shapes what students experience in classrooms every day. Specifically, the SBOE:

• Sets curriculum standards (the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, or TEKS)

• Reviews and adopts instructional materials

• Establishes graduation requirements

• Oversees the Texas Permanent School Fund

• Appoints board members to military reservation and special school districts

• Provides final review of rules proposed by the State Board for Educator Certification

• Reviews the commissioner’s proposed award of new charter schools, with authority to veto recommended applicants

In short, the SBOE translates laws into the standards, materials, and rules that guide daily instruction in Texas schools. This is where details matter. This is where policy becomes practice.

What the Texas Legislature Does

The Legislature, by contrast, writes the laws that structure the system. Lawmakers determine:

• School funding formulas, teacher pay, healthcare, and retirement

• The structure of standardized tests like STAAR

• The design of the accountability system

• Whether voucher programs exist and how they are funded

• Discipline policies, including recent restrictions on cell phone use

• Teacher certification requirements and the creation of SBEC

• Legal restrictions on curriculum content

• Laws governing school library materials

• The overall rules for charter school authorization and expansion

The Legislature sets the legal framework. The SBOE operates within it.

Why This Distinction Matters

I have shared my positions on issues controlled by the Legislature because voters deserve to know what I support and what I oppose. However, members of the SBOE do not write those laws. We cannot create new funding formulas, abolish testing mandates, or rewrite voucher statutes. At most, we can offer advice when asked.

The real work of the SBOE requires something different.

It requires people who understand how to develop meaningful academic standards. People who know how to evaluate whether instructional materials are high quality. People who can provide careful, nuanced review of certification rules and charter applications. People who understand how laws translate into classroom realities.

This is not a legislative role. It is a technical, educational role.

So when choosing a candidate for the State Board of Education, the question should not be who has the most political experience, who can caucus most effectively, or who wants to write new laws. The question should be:

• Who has written standards?

• Who has trained teachers to teach to standards?

• Who has developed and reviewed curriculum?

• Who understands what makes instructional materials rigorous and meaningful?

• Who knows what teachers need to succeed?

The SBOE is where expertise matters most. When unqualified individuals are elected to this role, decisions are made without a deep understanding of how learning works — and our schools suffer as a result.

Texas students deserve leaders who know how to do the actual work of the State Board of Education. That is the responsibility I am prepared to carry.