๐ข๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐ง๐ฒ๐
๐ฎ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐
Dear Texas Republicans,
We need to talk as we head into convention next week. Education in Texas โ from PreK through higher education โ has been largely abdicated to the left. While Republican majorities have controlled the Legislature and Governorโs office for decades, the day-to-day reality in our classrooms, curricula, libraries, and campuses reflects leftist priorities: identity politics, explicit materials, and ideological capture rather than reading, writing, math, and American values.
This abdication comes with massive financial control. Education consumes a dominant share of the Texas budget โ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐น๐ $๐ญ๐ฏ๐ฐ.๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒโ๐ฎ๐ณ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐๐บ, effectively putting more than half of the stateโs discretionary priorities under the influence of systems shaped by entrenched left-leaning interests in the education bureaucracy.
Hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars flow every year to vendors, contractors, curriculum providers, and education lobby groups. Far too often, these beneficiaries turn around and funnel money into left-leaning initiatives, teachersโ unions, and political causes that actively oppose Republican priorities on parental rights, curriculum transparency, and school safety. The education-industrial complex has effectively weaponized public education dollars against conservative values โ growing bureaucracy and funding ideological programs while academic results suffer.
Under Commissioner Mike Morathโs tenure, state spending on public education has risen dramatically. As this graph clearly shows, per-pupil spending in Texas grew 48% since 2013 to approximately $12,300, far outpacing inflation. Yet the results have been devastating: ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐ด๐๐ต-๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐น๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐๐ต-๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ โ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐บ๐ฏ. There has been nothing positive to show for the last ten-plus years under Commissioner Morathโs leadership. While education trends across the U.S. have seen similar challenges, it is widely known that Texas and California drive much of the nationโs education industry, textbooks, curriculum trends, and policy direction. Texas cannot afford to follow national decline โ we must lead with conservative excellence.
Even under Commissioner Mike Morathโs leadership at the Texas Education Agency, weโve seen DEI initiatives persist in various forms, while reports of educator misconduct have exploded. TEA data shows sexual misconduct investigations and โinappropriate relationshipโ cases surging dramatically. Parents are right to demand predators be removed from schools, not managed through ineffective oversight.
๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐. In Houston ISD, despite state intervention, an advocate named Bonnie Wallace was removed by police from a board meeting in March 2026 simply for reading aloud explicit passages from A Court of Silver Flames โ a book still available in district libraries. If the content is too graphic for a public board meeting, it certainly does not belong in school libraries accessible to children.
In Fort Worth ISD โ which was also placed under TEA control and leadership transition โ we recently witnessed the district appoint (then reassign amid backlash) a principal whose social media history included strong support for movements and views many Texas parents see as hard-left.
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a system where leftist ideology fills the vacuum left by conservative neglect of the classroom.
Texas children deserve a conservative TEA Commissioner who prioritizes core academics, parental rights, safety, and results over bureaucratic expansion and ineffective oversight.
๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ผ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐: ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ โ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฒ๐
๐ฎ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐บโ ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐ฝ ๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐. This means aggressive action on removing explicit materials, enforcing transparency in curricula and libraries, prioritizing core academics over ideology, cracking down on educator misconduct with real consequences, restoring parental rights, and ensuring strong conservative leadership at every level of education governance.
Over time, as Republicans reclaim control of the classroom and reduce the flow of public dollars into left-aligned networks, it will become far easier to advance Republican values across Texas โ from border security and tax relief to life and liberty. Texas cannot remain a reliably Red state if we lose the next generation in our own schools.
Parents are watching. Voters are watching. The future of our state โ our culture, our economy, and our freedoms โ depends on bold leadership now. The moment demands bold leadership. Letโs walk out of this convention united, fired up, and relentlessly committed to securing the future of Texas โ our children.
Sincerely,
Mary Bone, PhD
Parent, Education Advocate, and Former Round Rock ISD Trustee
@RachelHaleforTX @voteRachal @Bentley4Texas @cslape @denisebellhoutx @M4LHarris @TrueTexasTea @TexasGOP @TxValuesAction @MQSullivan @GAWTP @RealBPhil @HicklandHillary @brianeharrison @BrendaHowardMus @TexasEd911 @Julie4TX @BrandonHallTX