Don McLeroy to be replaced as chair of Texas Board of Education

The good news is that Don McLeroy has not been approved to continue his reign of terror... er, reign as the chair of the Texas Board of Education. The bad news is that it is suspected that Texas Governor, Rick Perry, may appoint yet another vocally religious politician to the position.

According to a report on the The Houston Chronicle Web site, "there is speculation in the Capitol and within the Texas Education Agency that Gov. Rick Perry might elevate Cynthia Dunbar, R-Richmond, to lead the board. Like McLeroy, Dunbar also holds strong Christian beliefs and recently authored a book that advocates more religion in the public square."

McLeroy has long been criticized for bringing his religion into his politics, especially in regard to science education. He has long pushed his creationist agenda on the Texas school system, to the detriment, many say, of Texas students. Of McLeroy, Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, said:

[McLeroy] has used his position to push extreme beliefs on 4.7 million school children. He has rejected solid science in favor of ideology. He has ignored input from experts on what works best for reading.

In the eyes of some, McLeroy has been a black mark on the education system. According to the aforementioned Chronicle article, Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus said:

This particular State Board of Education under the leadership of Dr. McLeroy has been divisive. It’s been dysfunctional, and it has been embarrassing to the point of having commentary on this in the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Although McLeroy was approved to keep his position by a 19-11 vote as reported by the National Center for Science Education, a two-thirds majority vote is required. It was close, but fortunately, close doesn't count. McLeroy seems to be far more interested in pushing his religious agenda than he is in doing what is right for Texas children, especially when it comes to science education. He has been criticized for his support of a book, Sowing Atheism: The National Academy of Sciences' Sinister Scheme to Teach our Children They're Descended from Reptile. According to the Texas Freedom Network, this book delivers the message that "Scientists are 'atheists.' Parents who want to teach their children about evolution are 'monsters.' Pastors who support sound science are 'morons.'” Is this really the sort of man who should hold a position on a board of education?

Well, the sad truth is that McLeroy will still be a board member even though he will no longer chair it. Hopefully, his influence will wane once he steps down from his position (he will hold the chair position until Perry appoints his replacement). I don't know that that will be the case, as McLeroy isn't known for being a wallflower.

Still, having him removed from the chair position has to be a good thing. After all, there aren't many people who lead their state's education standards to be criticized by John Holdren, the new head of the White House Office of Science and Technology. Holdren said in an interview about the new Texas science education standards:

Well, I have not reviewed that decision carefully. But my impression from reading about it is that it was not a step forward but rather a step backward. Of course, all science needs to be skeptical. It's hard to be against skepticism. But when you get into the domain of promoting particular views about the basis for skepticism of evolution, and those views are not really valid, then I think we have a problem. I think we need to be giving our kids a modern education in biology, and the underpinning of modern biology is evolution. And countervailing views that are not really science, if they are taught at all, should be taught in some other part of the curriculum.

All we can do now is sit back and wait to see who Perry will put in McLeroy's place. Hopefully, the replacement will get Texas education, especially science education, on track so that Texas students stand an equal chance of receiving a sound education. Because, as it stands now, when it comes to bioscience achievement, Texas is lagging. And when it comes to illiteracy, they rank above the national average.