Education will continue to be second rate in Texas

Gov. Hair made sure of that with the appointment this week of Gail Lowe (pictured here) to be the chair of the State Board of Education. Ms. Lowe is a creationist who believes sex education classes should teach only abstinence. In 2003, she voted against all biology textbooks that did not include discussions of "the weaknesses of the theory of evolution." Texas Freedom Network President Kathy Miller said of the appointment:

"It's disappointing that instead of choosing a mainstream conservative who could heal the divisions on the board, the governor once again appointed someone who repeatedly has put political agendas ahead of the education of Texas schoolchildren. Ms. Lowe has marched in lockstep with a faction of board members who believe that their personal beliefs are more important than the experience and expertise of teachers and academics who have dedicated their careers to educating our children and helping them succeed. We can only hope that she will rise above her history on the board and as chair keep the board from continuing to hold the education of our children hostage to divisive 'culture war' battles."

The Economist recently released a Special Report on Texas that quoted one Texas sociologist as follows: "If we fail to turn our education system around, we will find that a whole generation has been locked out of the jobs market." Gov. Hair obviously thinks it's more important to forward a political agenda than to prepare our children for the future.