(TEXAS SCORECARD) – Members of the Texas State Board of Education met this week for a preliminary vote on the new Texas Bluebonnet Learning curriculum.
The Texas Education Agency describes the new instructional materials as Open Education Resources, which means they are owned by the state, free to everyone, and can be modified over time.
SBOE members voted 8-7 to keep the new curriculum, with its references to Biblical stories, on the materials list that could be used for the 2025-26 school year.
Republican Patricia Hardy, a member of the SBOE representing Fort Worth and much of the surrounding areas, posted that although she supports biblical principles being taught in government schools, she ultimately voted to remove the curriculum from the list.
“After carefully reviewing all materials and consulting with educators and parents in my district, it became apparent that the Texas Bluebonnet Learning OER is not age-appropriate and does not follow evidenced-based methods for teaching elementary students how to read,” stated Hardy.
“Learning to read requires much practice in order to develop fluency and comprehension,” Hardy continued. “TBL OER does not provide this.”
SBOE vice-chair Pam Little (R-Fairview) also voted against the proposed curriculum.
“After carefully reviewing the Texas Bluebonnet Learning OER, I voted against its adoption because it does not meet the needs of our students. While it claims to be a return to classical education, the program has serious flaws,” Little posted on X.
Republican Evelyn Brooks (Frisco) was the third member of the Republican delegation to join four Democrats in voting to remove the curriculum from the list of approved materials.
Ahead of the preliminary vote, over 100 people came to Austin to testify both for and against the curriculum.
The SBOE’s final vote on the curriculum is Friday.