Two new faces will represent Tarrant County when the State Board of Education convenes its next meeting in late January.
In November, District 13 voters elected Democrat Tiffany Clark to represent parts of Tarrant and Dallas counties, while District 11 voters elected Republican Brandon Hall to represent parts of Tarrant, Johnson and Dallas counties and all of Parker, Hood and Somervell counties.
By Jan. 28, both will be in Austin, preparing for their first meeting as board members.
Hall, a pastor at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Springtown, took his oath of office Jan. 1, he said. He will be sworn into the State Board of Education to replace Pat Hardy before the Jan. 28 meeting.
“I’m looking forward to approving high quality instructional materials, getting great charter schools off the ground, revising our social studies standards and fighting classroom indoctrination and inappropriate materials at every turn,” Hall told the Report. “Just putting parents in the driver’s seat of their child’s education.”
At a symbolic swearing-in ceremony Jan. 13, Clark stood among former students, fellow educators and area superintendents who congratulated her on her newest role.
Clark is taking over for Democrat Aicha Davis, who resigned from the seat to run for the Texas Legislature last year. Republican Leslie Recine briefly represented District 13 after she was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott in November. Recine went on to cast a decisive vote approving an optional — and controversial — curriculum that incorporates Bible stories into reading lessons.
Now, Clark will serve in the seat. The former DeSoto ISD trustee and longtime school counselor said she is determined to make a meaningful impact.
“When you’re purposed and called to do something, it makes the unpaid job worth it,” Clark said.
In front of nearly 100 supporters, Clark set the stage for the work she’s committed to do for the students and families she represents. She emphasized the importance of not only being aware of issues like potential book bans and behavioral issues but of actively advocating for solutions.
“I will fight for equitable rights for students,” she said, acknowledging that her work could not be done alone. “We have to continue to have discussions about what is happening on the state level and how that rolls over to our local school districts every day.”
Hall emphasized his personal fight for parents’ rights.
“It’s important to recognize that parents are the primary stakeholders in their child’s education with every single decision that we make. It’s not lobbyists, not publishers, not left wing teachers unions, but parents,” Hall said. “It’s just really listening to that voice and not allowing other interests to drown them out.”
As she embarked on her first year in office, Clark laid out several key areas of focus for her tenure, including ensuring a balanced curriculum, addressing mental health issues and fighting for the integrity of public education.
One major goal of hers is improving the state’s testing instruments to better align with educational standards.
“My goal is to continue to fight for a balanced curriculum, which improves our testing instrument, which is aligned to our standards,” Clark said. This is crucial to ensuring that students are prepared for college and careers, particularly when paired with a focus on community-based training, she said.
Hall also acknowledged the importance of high-quality instructional materials. State testing is based on the standards that the State Board of Education approves, he explained.
While the State Board of Education has no authority over testing, the test should be crafted to follow the standards board members set, Hall said.
Hall noted the board will soon have an opportunity to revise social studies standards, which could potentially influence state testing.
“We want to make everything, as much as we can, high quality and make sure our kids are getting good materials,” he said. “We also want to make sure our teachers and our parents are able to work with them, and we’re able to do it in a way that doesn’t put too much pressure on the teachers or the students at the same time.”
Clark said she is also determined to take some pressure off school staff. Mental health is a big priority, she said.
“We have to protect the mental health of our students, staff and teachers in our public system,” she said, recognizing that stress faced by educators and students alike can impede educational success.
She plans to be an open book — and she wants to keep books open for all. She firmly believes that such bans are a disservice to students, she said.
Most importantly, Clark wants to keep her constituents aware and informed.
“Just know, I am here to advocate for you, support you, your students, our families,” she said.
Hall, on the other hand, is a proponent of removing books with “inappropriate” themes from school libraries. On Jan. 6, Hall reposted a Facebook post from Texas Family Project, a conservative nonprofit organization that supports parental rights in education, claiming that adult books don’t belong in elementary schools.
“I hear from a lot of parents about any indoctrination that might be taking place inside the schools,” Hall told the Report. “And, also inappropriate library books, those are two big concerns I hear from parents literally all the time.”
Clark hasn’t heard many similar complaints from her constituents.
“When we were growing up, they used to tell us, ‘put it in a book, ’cause guess what? You won’t read it,’” Clark said. “Now the same books, they want to get rid of them.”
She reminded her supporters of the power of local action, encouraging them to show up for their students by speaking at school board meetings or volunteering on campuses.
“We need you all to show up and be present,” she said. “I know all our school districts right now are here today nodding like, yup, we need that community support.”
Likewise, Hall wants parents in his district to speak up.
“Parents know what’s best for their kids,” Hall said.
As Clark and Hall prepare to head to the state capital, Clark’s message is clear: she is ready.
“Austin, I’ll see you in a few weeks, because it’s time to get to work,” she said.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.
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