| The son of moderate Republican Bill Ratliff, Thomas, has decided to run for the State Board of Education in the highest profile district: that of Dr. Don McLeroy's. Without any Republicans voting against him, McLeroy recently lost his bid to start a new term as chair of the Board of Education. Although Democrats who voted against him said that they were not questioning his ability to serve his district, it is obvious that someone can better serve the district by making quality education policy.
SBOE District 9 is a heavily Republican district, so our tangible hopes for better representation and education out of the counties of Brazos, Collin, etc. rests in the Republican party in this case.
Burka pointed out that the Religious Right can be particularly good at winning SBOE seats, but the folks at the Texas Freedom Network and their allies have been put on enough notice that I would not be surprised to see a strong push against the Right in the 2010 educational races.
Ratliff's press release is given below the fold. |
| AUSTIN - On the heels of a legislative session that saw 15 bills filed by Republican and Democrat legislators to curtail some or all of the responsibilities of the State Board of Education, Thomas Ratliff has filed the necessary paperwork with the Texas Ethics Commission to run for the District 9 seat. The incumbent is Dr. Don McLeroy, whose nomination for chairman of the SBOE was recently rejected by the Texas Senate.
Mr. Ratliff said, "First, I want to thank Dr. McLeroy for his 10 years of service on the SBOE. I just simply have a different approach to working for the parents and schoolchildren of Texas. I am running because I want to work with educators and the other SBOE members to provide leadership for Texas' neighborhood schools, help mend the fractured relationship with the Texas legislature and restore the public's confidence in the State Board of Education."
"The SBOE has become a distraction to our neighborhood schools and a liability to the Republican Party under the leadership of Dr. McLeroy. I strongly believe we need to take politics out of our kids' education and the state board should refocus its efforts on the truly important issues facing parents, students and educators."
Part of the paperwork filed with the Ethics Commission is the appointment of a campaign treasurer. Dr. Jenny Preston, the former superintendent of Allen ISD, Forney ISD and Graham ISD, will serve as the treasurer for Mr. Ratliff's campaign.
"I believe Thomas is the right person to represent the parents, children and educators on the State Board of Education. He will bring a levelheaded approach to the challenges facing our neighborhood schools and I am proud to be involved in his campaign", added Dr. Preston.
Mr. Ratliff concluded, "I am honored to have the support of people like Dr. Preston in this campaign. In the coming months I look forward to listening to parents, school board members and educators about the challenges facing our neighborhood schools and how the State Board of Education can help them accomplish their goal of making Texas' schools the best they can be for our kids."
SBOE District 9 includes the counties of Anderson, Brazos, Camp, Cherokee, Collin, Delta, Falls, Fannin, Franklin, Freestone, Grimes, Henderson, Hopkins, Houston, Hunt, Kaufman, Lamar, Leon, Limestone, Madison, Navarro, Rains, Red River, Robertson, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt, Walker and Wood. |
