Austin Statesman: McLeroy, Miller upset in SBOE elections
By Kate Alexander | Wednesday, March 3, 2010, 01:35 AM
Thomas Ratliff upset State Board of Education member Don McLeroy in a Republican primary nail-biter.
McLeroy, a dentist from Bryan, lost by about 800 votes. No Democrat has filed for the District 9 race so Ratliff will take the seat next year.
Appointed board chairman in 2007, McLeroy has been the poster-child for the board’s conservative bloc with his affable tone but strident ideology. Last year, his nomination as chairman was blocked by Democrats in the Texas Senate.
His defeat is substantial blow to the conservatives, who have largely driven the recent rewrites of curriculum standards. Ratliff, son of former Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff, has made it clear that he will be a more moderate vote on the closely divided 15-member board.
More about the other two races at the link.
As a scientist and educator, I can't help but think this is a good thing. I found McLeroy's efforts on behalf of creationism and historical revisionism appalling.
