Will Lutz interviews Mrs. Tincy Miller, Texas SBOE

Texas' elected State Board of Education member Tincy Miller is being interviewed by Lone Star Report's Will Lutz.

Will Lutz can you dispell some misperceptions:

Thomas Jeffersonis listed at least 25 times in our curriculum. The debate is whether or not Thomas Jefferson was in world history -- he is in because he was influenced by some of the great thinkers...

Indoctrination is always something SBOE members are accused of - Miller said the SBOE works to influence that this country was formed onn religious principles but they came to the US because of religious persecution and that freedom of religion is what we are encouraging be discussed in the classroom.

"We focused on accuracy and balance so students have the facts." - Mrs. Miller

Bill Ames played a significant role in making sure the good things about America are included in the curriculum. Mrs. Miller said Bill had pointed out to her that "The Battle of Normandy was a failed event" and other inaccuracies in the textbooks. Bill set down with publishers and Bill conveyed the mistakes and the misperceptions in the textbooks. The publishers made some changes. Mrs. Miller asked Bill to be part of the team proposing the curriculum.

Textbooks in electronic form -- the review process is the controoversial aspect of electronic textbooks. the Textbook funds should not be sued for laptops - that the laptop is not a book, but is a device. They slipped in that a Kindle or an open source could be used as a texboook, bypassing the State Board of Education and it be on a list for state dollars to be used to buy it. Bias could be written into these new technology and the digital world should not bypass the SBOE (parents, teachers and public review) of textbooks and content.

The Permanent School Fund, created by our forefathers in 1876 dedicated to the children of TX for books. It is in the Constitution and the SBOE is the sole body overseeing the fund. It has been well managed and build to a $22 billion fund, generating $700 million year. Legisaltors look at the fund as a "dipping pool" to use those dollars for other purposes, even to balance the budget...

These dollars are protected by the SBOE and for the schoolchildren of Texas. WE have a strong reading program and textbooks - the strongest in the country. Miller is a reading expert for kids with dislexia and she is a leader helping students.

The leegislature needs to appropriate the money (out of the dedicated fund, not tax dollars) but the legisalture needs to release those funds to make sure our students get their books.

Generations of children have benefitted from the SBOE.