Last week the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE), led by Rick Perry’s appointee, voted to remove Thomas Jefferson from social studies textbook standards. That’s right. Thomas Jefferson — Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and a world-renowned scholar who advocated democratic, limited government — was deleted from a list of historical figures who inspired political change.
Why?
Because Governor Rick Perry provided no leadership or voice for mainstream Texans against people who decided to substitute their political agenda for the judgment of professional historians.
If we want Texas to be a state of opportunity, we cannot let it become an object of ridicule.
This is a pattern for Rick Perry.
Perry’s previous appointed chair of the SBOE openly bragged about allowing his extreme views to skew history textbooks. His antics as chair were so extreme that the Texas Senate refused to confirm him a second time, and he was recently defeated by Republican primary voters. Governor Perry’s current appointee as chair wanted Supreme Court Justice and civil rights pioneer Thurgood Marshall removed from a section on citizenship because he is "not particularly known for [his] citizenship."
And under Perry’s appointed chair’s leadership, last week the board passed more than 100 amendments to Texas’ social studies textbook standards, without a single classroom teacher or historian in the discussions.
Tell Rick Perry you’ve had enough. It’s time to stop playing political games with our kids’ future.
I respect the sincerity of Texans who hold different views of what our students should and should not be taught. But we should have a governor who finds common ground and moves our state forward, rather than appeasing people intent on pursuing partisan agendas in public offices.
Thank you for helping me work for you, replacing a governor who works for his own political future with one who works for the future of all Texans.
Sincerely, 
Bill White
P.S. Please forward this message to your friends, family, colleagues, and anyone you know with children in Texas’ public schools who will be affected by the SBOE’s new textbook standards.
