In a recent interview of candidates for the State Board of Education in District 5, Ken Mercer responds to the question: What is your position on the teaching of evolution? "My biggest quote was, 'If our kids do not have the freedom to raise their hands in science class and ask honest questions, then we are no longer living in the United States of America.' You can call it strengths and weaknesses, but we won the right for kids to ask questions in class, and that was the battle. It wasn't religion. It was just a right to ask questions."
I don't know about you but I've never been in a classroom whether as a student or as a parent observing where children didn't have the right ask questions. Our teachers encourage questions as a way to participate in class and clarify understanding. Mr. Mercer's answer is an evasion because he never states his position on the scientific validity of evolution. What he and the other conservatives on the SBOE did was encourage our children to not just ask questions but to argue with their teachers about whether or not scientific principles are appropriate to the study of biology.
Texas has some of the lowest performing schools in the nation and Mr. Mercer's actions will keep it that way. That's all the reason I need to send him packing in November by voting for Dr. Rebecca Bell-Metereau.
Often overlooked on the ballot due to their expansive nature and the difficulty of campaigning, this year will provide a banner year for voters to make real choices about the future of the Texas State Board of Education. With only 15 districts statewide, these gerrymandered seats have forced a handful of moderate Republicans and a minority Democratic caucus to control right wing anti-science, anti-education Republicans from rewriting history in Texas textbooks.
Austin is home to two State Board of Education seats, both held by Republicans and stretching off into the hinterlands. For those voters south of the river, we encourage you to vote for Rebecca Bell-Metereau in the Democratic primary.
Rebecca Bell-Metereau is a Professor of English and Film at Texas State University and given decades of service to the field of education. We encourage you to review her extensive qualifications and educations background. The State Board of Education needs more rational voices and more experienced board members who have proven their commitment to our state's intellectual future. Rebecca Bell-Metereau has done so and we are proud to endorse her campaign in District 5.
A big endorsement in the State Board of Education District 5 race today -- Henry Cisneros endorsed Rebecca Bell-Metereau. From the Houston Chronicle:
"Rebecca Bell-Metereau is the kind of person Texas families need at the State Board of Education. She'll stand up for our neighborhood schools, our children and our future," Cisneros said.
"She knows that the State Board of Education should focus on our children and schools, not a right-wing agenda. That's why I'm supporting her--Rebecca will stand up for Texas kids," he said.
Former Mayor Henry Cisneros Bell-Metereau, an English professor at Texas State University, is making the board's political fighting over ideology a key part of her campaign. The State Board of Education is made up of 15 members. District 5 covers northern Bexar County and southern Travis County and 11 other central Texas Counties.
Dr. Rebecca Bell-Metereau, candidate for the State Board of Education District 5, spoke at a meeting I attended recently and I found her presentation refreshing. She told us about her years in education as a teacher and her experience developing programs at Texas State University to improve student retention. Dr. Bell-Metereau also told us about the academic challenges faced by Texas students who attend out of state colleges due to their poor preparation in Texas public schools.
Dr. Bell-Metereau explained her work on a community board in San Marcos where she successfully worked with people across the political spectrum to accomplish the board's goals. She is running for a seat on the SBOE because she was asked to run and was encouraged by her daughter who has suffered under the current board's dumbed down curriculum standards which are supported by inaccurate texts chosen to meet a political agenda. She told us she respects the all volunteer writing teams and the hard work they do in an effort to give students the best possible curriculum but is appalled at the disrespectful attitude displayed by the incumbent who casually discards their work in favor of hastily crafted partisan based materials.
Dr. Rebecca Bell-Metereau promises to responsibly and ethically manage the Permanent School Fund without regard to personal financial rewards. I'm confident that if elected Dr. Bell-Metereau will be able to enhance the quality of our children's educations through respectful exchanges with the other members of the SBOE.
David reported earlier this week that Texas State Professor Rebecca Bell-Meterau would be running for the State Board of Education's 5th District. She's not the only one.
In the comments, as well as in emails we have received, we learned that a guy named Daniel Boone was also running. Yes, it's no coincidence that he has the same name as that Daniel Boone. Apparently, he's related.
Daniel also ran for House District 73 in the 2008 cycle, getting about 26 percent of the vote against Republican Doug Miller. It was not his first run for this seat: he was a write-in candidate in 2006 when he received 2,690 votes (5.64%) when there was not a Democratic Party candidate. Boone was a career Air Force officer, rising to Lt. Colonel. Also, with a PhD in Experimental and Clinical Psychology, he has served as an Adjunct Professor at several universities, including the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Although some might consider him an also-ran and find more excitement in Bell-Meterau, it is exciting in general to know that multiple people are taking a jab at this seat, just like SBOE 10.
Rebecca Bell-Metereau, a professor of English at Texas State University, will be a Democratic candidate for State Board of Education District 5. District 5 is currently represented by Republican incumbent Ken Mercer.
In 2006, over half the money Mercer raised was from James Leininger. Mercer, a former Texas House member, did not face strong opposition when he was elected to his first term. Bell-Metereau, with a profile that seems tailor-made for this district, could change that in 2010.
District 5 includes parts of Travis (south of the river), Bell and Bexar counties along with all of Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Comal, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Hays, Kendall, and Llano counties.
Bell-Metereau has taught at Texas State since 1981 and she and her husband have two grown daughters who attended San Marcos public schools. Her community involvement includes service on the San Marcos Planning and Zoning Commission, the San Marcos Solid Waste Committee, San Marcos 1990 Blue Ribbon Bond Commission, and as a representative to the San Marcos Council of Neighborhood Associations.
Prior to moving to San Marcos, Bell-Meterau served in the Peace Corps, teaching English in Chad and serving as an English interpreter on relief-flights to other African nations. She later received a Fulbright Scholarship that enabled her to retun to Africa to teach at a university in Senegal for one year.
Bell-Metereau's campaign treasurer is Teresa Hobby, the daughter-in-law of former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby.
It is exciting for Democrats to field a candidate with such strong credentials and a profile that really fits this district. Democrats appear poised to run strong campaigns in two Central-Texas based districts, SBOE Districts 5 and 10. While both were drawn to elect Republicans, they are both also very winnable. Having a strong candidate like Rebecca Bell-Metereau is the first step to winning in districts like this and restoring some balance to the State Board of Education.
