KEVEN M. ELLIS
Republican
1. What are your top priorities if elected into office, and how do you plan to address them?
The SBOE has done a good job in recent years by focusing on the important work required of the board. We have streamlined and revised English Language Arts & Reading, Science, Social Studies and Health. The approval of the instructional material for some of those subjects will be due shortly. Additionally, the board manages the $45 billion Permanent School Fund which helps fund schools in Texas and we will continue to work to properly manage the fund and maximize distributions to help fund schools in Texas.
2. What’s your stance on public education, and how can we better our schools right now?
Public schools educate over 90% of students in our state so it is imperative we continue to support the work our local districts do with our students. Parent engagement is also a factor that increases success for students. Supporting our teachers, students and families are keys to bettering our schools.
3. What are your thoughts about the state’s school funds, and what programs would you like to see added or done away with?
The school finance system is not controlled by the State Board of Education but there are some important programs that I would like to see continued. House Bill 3 in the last legislative session focused funds on students who need it the most. Some specific examples are funding early childhood education to focus on improving reading in the early grades. It is said in Kindergarten through Grade 3 children are learning to read and from third grade on they are reading to learn.
4. What do you think about the current curriculum standards, instructional materials and graduation requirements in the midst of a pandemic, and would you change anything?
We have four core subjects (math, science, social studies and English language Arts), four enrichment subjects (Tech Apps, Health, Languages other than English and Fine Arts) and CTE courses. We review each course about every 9-10 years, so we are in a continual process of reviewing key subjects. It is important we review these subjects on a rotating basis and determine if minor revisions are needed or if there has been a significant change in research which necessitates a full revision. It is about a process of continual improvement.
5. What have you learned from dealing with the pandemic that you can apply to your job in the future?
The valuable role of the teacher in the classroom is critical. Although some online learning is necessary under our current circumstances, it is not ideal. Often times our neediest students are left behind due to a lack of adequate internet and/or computer devices. Texas is investing heavily in closing the digital divide and that is important.