Textbook tussle attracts lawmakers

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The State Board of Education's long fight over new social studies curriculum standards for Texas textbooks took a new turn Wednesday afternoon with a coalition, led by Hispanic lawmakers, vowing to get involved.

The Mexcan-American Legislative Caucus is building a coalition to address the revised social studies standards, which will be in front of the State Board of Education for a second, and final, reading in May. MALC has announced a hearing on April 28 to provide a full vetting of the new standards, which will guide social studies textbooks in the classroom for the next 10 years.

The curriculum fight over social studies has raged for months, with the sides basically breaking down along ideological lines. Some liberals argue the new standards downplay the state's ethnic diversity and fail to recognize the contributions of Hispanics in history. Conservatives argue current standards have excluded conservative ideals entirely.

"The school board has become a side show, a national circus, in a process hijacked by ideology, partisanship and gamesmanship," Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer said at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.

The board approved the new standards in a vote earlier this month by a 10-5 margin. A second, and final, hearing on the social studies standards is scheduled for May 19, followed by a SBOE vote. Some Hispanic lawmakers have threatened to derail a $400 million texbook purchase unless they get satisfactory answers from board members.

Textbooks are funded by profits off of the Permanent School Fund, which the State Board of Education forward to the legislature for appropriations during the legislative session. Next session, the Texas Education Agency is expected to request $400 million for textbook funding, which would cover additional English language, arts and science materials. Social studies textbooks would be funded during the 2013-2015 biennium.