From Michael Soto:
Dear Friends,
I have decided to run as a Democrat for the State Board of Education in District 3 because the current Board too often puts politics and personal gain ahead of our children's success. I can't sit idly by while Texas schoolchildren fall behind their peers in other parts of the nation and the world.
The State Board's duties include:
* setting academic standards for Texas public schools;
* approving textbooks for use by Texas students and teachers; and
* overseeing the investment of the Permanent School Fund, an endowment for purchasing schoolbooks.
Our future and our prosperity rely on having State Board representatives who understand global competition and who look out for the academic success of every Texas child.
The time for change is now. According to the San Antonio Express-News, there remain unanswered "questions about ethical conduct over the board's management of the massive school fund" and "dissatisfaction with [SBOE] policies" throughout Texas. Distractions such as these are unacceptable. Rather than tackle the real issues facing Texas schools, the State Board, as the Dallas Morning News recently reported, has been bogged down by "divisive questions" raised for crass political effect.
The swirling controversies are a cause for alarm, and for me they are a call to action.
We need new leadership on the State Board of Education.
My commitment to you and to our future. It's time for the State Board of Education to get back to the serious business of preparing our children for success in college and in their careers. With your support, I'll work tirelessly to put Texas kids first. You can count on me to:
* rely on educational experts, not on partisan attack dogs, as we develop school policies;
* listen to teachers and public school administrators--our front-line educators--when it's time to adopt new standards and new textbooks;
* restore public trust in how Texas manages its Permanent School Fund; and
* prepare Texas public schools for a longer school year and the highest academic standards so that our children are ready for twenty-first-century opportunities.
My recent efforts in the San Antonio ISD school board race left me genuinely inspired by our community's devotion to its schools. I know that my fellow South Texans want my story--from public schools in the Valley to Stanford and Harvard to a career as a college professor--to be available to all of our children. As public school parents, my wife, Celina Peña, and I want nothing more than for our son and his peers to have the same opportunities that have blessed our lives.
I hope you will join me in creating a stronger future for all Texas children by listing your name as a supporter, by contributing to our campaign, and by spreading the word to your friends and family.
Sincerely,
District Three includes the central and southern parts of Bexar county and includes all of Wilson, Medina, Frio, Wilson, Karnes, Atascosa, McMullen, Bee, Live Oak, Jim Wells, Duval, Brooks and the northern and western parts of Hildalgo county including small portions of McAllen and Edinburg.
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