Texas Democrats on State Board of Education call for investigation, claim $70k conflict of interest involving changing social studies curriculum
All five Democrats on the State Board of Education (SBOE) called for an investigation Tuesday into a potential conflict of interest in the development of new, controversial social studies curriculum.
In a press release, those SBOE members stated they are "deeply concerned by a recent revelation" by a content advisor leading the 2025 Social Studies TEKS review. They said Dr. Donald Frazier "failed to disclose significant outside funding directly tied to the development of the TEKS standards."
According to 2024 tax documents obtained by CBS News Texas, a conservative non-profit called the Texas Public Policy Foundation (Our Mission) awarded $70,000 to the Texas Center at Schriener University, which is a program led by Dr. Frazier. That $70,000 was awarded for the purpose of "the development of TEKS standards."
The democratic members on the SBOE said this "raises serious ethical concerns," and until concerns are resolved, they urged the SBOE to pause further action on the Social Studies TEKS review.
State Board of Education members react
"When we begin paying a single organization or individual to do this work, we risk missing the mark in truly representing the constituents we are here to serve," wrote SBOE member Dr. Tiffany Clark to CBS News Texas. Clark represents District 13 located in DeSoto.
"It is disheartening to know that one group was compensated while other content advisors and work groups who dedicated their time and expertise were left to correct errors, including content that was not factually accurate."
Republican counterparts disagreed with the action.
"There has been zero proof provided of any conflicts of interest, only conspiracy theories," wrote SBOE member Brandon Hall in a statement to CBS News Texas. Hall represents District 11, located in Aledo.
"In reality, the actual content in our social studies standards was written by work groups of teachers with advice from the consensus of nine expert content advisors, then edited and approved by the SBOE Committee of the Full Board."
Schriener University sent the following statement to CBS News Texas:
"Schreiner University stands firmly behind Dr. Fraizer, a respected scholar and historian of Texas, and we stand behind his unwavering commitment to helping students understand the story of Texas and its place in the wider world. We did not start the Texas Center to be controversial. Controversy has been and will be thrust upon us because we decided that - though nothing on this Earth proves perfect - we will be proud to be Texans.
Like many institutions, Schreiner engages with a range of organizations to support our educational work. These relationships do not influence the independence of our faculty or their contributions.
Schreiner University remains committed to transparency, academic rigor, and serving the best interests of Schreiner students and Texans everywhere."
CBS News Texas has reached out to Dr. Donald Frazier for comment but has not yet received a response.
Why are the proposed changes controversial?
This week, the State Board of Education met in Austin to discuss possible changes to public school curriculum in the coming years.
That included changes to the social studies curriculum, which have many parents, teachers, and education advocates divided.
For example, some proposed revisions would remove references to Japanese internment camps in WWII, prompting concern from families who say the changes erase important history.
A draft from January posted on the State Board of Education's website stated, "Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery and served as inspiration and encouragement for African Americans held in slavery in America and Texas."
Opponents argued the proposed standards elevate Christianity and Judaism while giving limited attention to other world religions. Supporters argued the United States was built on Christian beliefs and should not be shied away from in Texas public schools.
