The current situation
The board voted 8-7 to approve the Bluebonnet reading materials for classroom use, with three Republicans joining the board’s four Democrats in opposition to the materials. The TEA has been criticized for including frequent biblical references in the reading textbooks. Critics say the Bible stories are inappropriate for public schools and could isolate students with different religious beliefs, while proponents of the curriculum assert it will help close student achievement gaps and reduce teacher workloads.
Board members voted 13-2 to approve the state math textbooks.
The SBOE was still considering other materials proposed by additional publishers as of 12:30 p.m. Nov. 22. The TEA and 25 other publishers submitted over 140 materials to the SBOE in May.
Approved materials will likely be available for districts to purchase in February or March, according to the TEA, and teachers can begin using them during the 2025-26 academic year. Use of the state-sanctioned materials is optional, but districts that do so would receive additional funding—up to $60 per student—to purchase and print them. Districts currently receive about $171 per student to acquire textbooks.
“Today’s [SBOE] vote for high-quality curriculum will ensure all students are receiving appropriate grade-level instruction and is an important step to boosting student outcomes statewide,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said on social media shortly after the vote.
Zooming in
This is the first time Texas has created state-owned instructional materials.
The TEA began developing the Bluebonnet materials in 2020. They were published for SBOE approval under House Bill 1605, a 2023 law that overhauled Texas’ public school curriculum standards.
The state textbooks are designed to be printed for classroom use. Families will be able to access free PDFs online, but there are no interactive digital aspects. Other approved materials include printed, digital and hybrid lesson plans.
Ahead of a preliminary vote Nov. 19, SBOE member Kevin Ellis, R-Lufkin, said the Bluebonnet materials would give school districts more options. Ellis voted in favor of the state curriculum.
“I want to know, does [the curriculum] teach kids to read? That's the most important thing to me,” Ellis said. “I've also heard a lot about the rigor, about the grade level, and I think those are aspects that are up to a curriculum director who decides if this is right for their district.”
Board member Staci Childs, D-Houston, who opposed the state textbooks, said Nov. 22 that Christian references in the textbooks outweigh information about other major religions. Christianity and the Bible are mentioned 3 times in the kindergarten materials, 4 times in the first grade materials, 17 times in the second grade materials, 190 times in the third grade materials, 81 times in the fourth grade materials and 66 times in the fifth grade materials, Childs said.
“If a parent or a teacher who didn't feel comfortable teaching this were to bring this up to a court, I believe they would be successful,” Childs said. “In my good conscience... I just do not feel that these materials are yet reflective of the experiences and the nuance of Texas students.”
How we got here
Dozens of publishers, including the TEA, released thousands of pages of proposed instructional materials in May. Nearly 300 people were trained to conduct an extensive review of the proposals this summer, while hundreds of Texans submitted online and in-person comments.
During public testimony Nov. 18, some Texans expressed concerns that Bible stories in the Bluebonnet textbooks verge on proselytizing and interfere with parents’ rights to teach their children about a religion at home.
Abby Burnham, a Jewish parent, said she faced “repeated attempts to promote Christian ideologies” as a Texas public school student.
“I vividly remember when I expressed discomfort as a student and a teacher told me that I should just get used to it, that that is the world that I live in,” Burnham said Nov. 18. “That moment stayed with me—not because it reflects the fairness or diversity I believe in, but because it made me feel like I don't belong.”
TEA leaders have insisted religious references in the curriculum are not meant to promote a certain religion and instead will provide students with cross-curricular knowledge and important context about American history.
“I have not seen any Bluebonnet [material] that uses solely Christian religious references,” TEA Commissioner Mike Morath told the SBOE Nov. 20. “Any assertion of that is incorrect.”
Christie Slape, who chairs the Williamson County chapter of Moms for Liberty, said Sept. 10 the state textbooks would help improve student outcomes and ensure teachers do not have to build their own curriculum.
“For parents, printed materials allow them to engage in reviewing, discussing and practicing lessons with their child, fostering a much needed return to parental involvement in their child's education,” Slape said. “For children, most importantly, they provide rigorous, age-appropriate lessons and literature that are on paper and not on a glowing screen.”
In the classroom
Several Texas school districts, including Temple ISD, have piloted the TEA’s elementary-level materials in classrooms since 2021. TISD teachers and a district administrator traveled to Austin Nov. 18 to testify in support of the Bluebonnet curriculum.
“The curriculum is for all diverse learners, flexible for various teacher expertise and inclusive for families,” kindergarten teacher Jomeka Gray told the board. “I am confident that my students will continue to have positive outcomes as they move forward in their academic journey.”
Lisa Adams, a deputy superintendent for TISD, said students on campuses that implemented the state textbooks began “outperforming their grade-level peers” within the first few months of the pilot program.
Lubbock ISD began piloting the TEA’s elementary-level materials at four schools during the 2021-22 school year. All 28 elementary schools in LISD were using the materials by the 2023-24 school year.
