Texas school board flips to Democratic control after Tuesday vote

Unofficial election results released by the Texas Secretary of State indicate Democrats will hold eight of the eleven seats on the State Board of Education. This outcome breaks a long-standing Republican supermajority and alters the voting power for a body that oversees curriculum for more than five million public school students.

The closest race occurred in District 8, where Democrat Dana Van De Walker defeated Republican incumbent Audrey Young by a margin of just over 500 votes. Young has not confirmed whether she will request a recount. Van De Walker posted on social media on Thursday morning that she was still monitoring the final counts, noting that votes are not official until they are certified.

The board’s responsibilities include setting academic standards, choosing instructional materials, and approving teacher certification. It also holds veto power over charter school applications. For several election cycles, Democratic members had limited ability to block proposals advanced by the Republican majority. The shift in membership changes the dynamic for future legislation and policy votes.

Tricia Cave, a lobbyist with the Association of Texas Professional Educators, said the new composition requires a different approach to governance. She stated that Republicans and Democrats must learn to work together to find consensus and compromise, a process she noted has been absent from the board for some time.

The election results coincide with changes in state leadership. Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa has promised to replace Education Commissioner Mike Morath with an educator. A new education commissioner will work alongside the reconstituted board, potentially altering how education policies are implemented across the state.

Republican board member Brandon Hall, whose term ends in 2029, responded to the results on social media. He pledged to continue representing Christian conservative values in North Texas and to fight against what he called woke classroom indoctrination. Hall wrote that he would use procedural tools to make passing a Democratic agenda as difficult as possible, warning the new leadership to prepare for late nights in Austin.

This summer, the board approved several controversial curriculum changes. These included rewriting social studies lessons for grades K-8 to focus on Texas and U.S. history over world history. The board also passed the Blue Bonnet curriculum for grades K-5, which included biblical teachings in reading and language arts. The Texas Tribune reported that correcting errors in that program cost taxpayers millions of dollars. Houston ISD approved the curriculum in June and received more than $3 million in additional funding for its implementation.

In September, the board approved changes to history lessons that portray Islam in a largely negative light, effective for the 2030-2031 school year. The new Democratic members include Thomas Ray Garcia, Corretta Mallet-Fontenot, Allison Bush, Van De Walker, Michelle Palmer, and incumbent Tiffany Clark. Republicans Julie Pickren, Kason Huddleston, and Mindy Baumgarner will hold the remaining seats.