Texas Gov Abbott launches commission to advance education reform led by teachers

The Center Square ) – Gov. Greg Abbott has launched a new Texas Classroom Commission, a teacher-led initiative designed to “put Texas educators at the center of shaping the future of public education” and improve student outcomes.

The commission was designed to bring together exemplary public-school educators from across the state to develop practical, classroom-informed recommendations.

“Texas teachers know what their students need to succeed," Abbott said in a statement. Commission members will “identify innovative solutions that help students succeed, improve the learning environment in classrooms, and strengthen our schools. By empowering those on the front lines of education, we will build on Texas’ success and ensure our state becomes the national leader in the education of our kids,” he said.

They are tasked with developing recommendations for the legislature to consider next year to improve classroom instruction, support teachers and improve learning environments.

The commission is seen as an outworking of legislative advancements to include teachers in ongoing efforts to improve public education. Under Abbott and state legislative Republican leadership, in the last few years, record funding was allocated to provide permanent teacher pay raises, increase funding for the Teacher Incentive Allotment and increase retired teachers’ pensions. Record funding was also allocated for public schools, including for rural schools.

A new Teacher Bill of Rights was established for the first time, which includes measures to support teachers in maintaining classroom discipline. A new complaint portal was also launched to provide transparency and accountability to students, families and taxpayers related to teacher complaints and investigations. More than 16,000 misconduct reports have been filed since last September.

The initiative was launched after most teacher input was largely ignored by Texas State Board of Education members who voted last month to revamp how Social Studies is taught in public schools and change how Texas history is taught and in what grades.

The SBOE also advanced an expansive reading list, which critics, including teachers, argue is so expansive it’s unrealistic and so restrictive it takes away from local autonomy. The state has also mandated that more than 200 biblical texts be taught in classrooms by teachers who have no biblical studies and aren’t Christians. Atheists, Christians, Jews, Muslims and scholars have raised multiple concerns about the curriculum, The Center Square reported.

One initiative that is being implemented in response to teacher complaints are more than 4,200 corrections being made in a new Bluebonnet curriculum. The state advanced the curriculum over the objection of most teachers, who were not involved in the process. When the curriculum was published online, teachers helped find the errors. Correcting them is now costing taxpayers $8.4 million, The Center Square reported.

The commission will be led by Courtney Boswell MacDonald of Kerrville, the current chair of the State Board for Educator Certification, Abbott said. She previously worked for the Texas Senate Education Committee and served as executive director for Texans for Education Reform, Texas Institute for Education Reform and Texas Aspires.

A former math teacher at Richardson ISD and Dallas ISD, MacDonald received degrees from Texas Christian University and Vanderbilt University.

Under part of her tenure as chair of state educator certification, the number and percentage of uncertified teachers in Texas increased exponentially over the past five school years.

In the 2019-2020 school year, 3.8% of Texas’ 344,129 public school teachers were uncertified. By the 2024-2025 school year, 12% were, according to state data, The Center Square reported.

MacDonald’s six-year term on the SBOE ends in February 2029.

The commission will also be comprised of current and retired public school classroom teachers. They will begin working on recommendations in the coming weeks to deliver a report before the legislative session begins early next year, the governor’s office said.