Texas advances social studies curriculum with Christianity emphasis as Democrats raise conflict concerns

The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) advanced a controversial new social studies curriculum on Friday that includes new emphasis Christianity in social studies lessons. 

Before the vote, all five Democrats on SBOE called for an investigation into a potential conflict of interest for one of the people who helped shape the new curriculum.

In a press release, the SBOE members said they are "deeply concerned by a recent revelation" that Donald Frazier, one of nine content advisors involved with the 2025 Social Studies TEKS review, "failed to disclose significant outside funding directly tied to the development of the TEKS standards."

Frazier leads the Texas Center at Schreiner University, a small private university in Kerrville. One of the Texas Center's stated goals is to "educate students and the general public about the history, culture, and people of the state of Texas."

According to 2024 tax documents obtained by CBS News Texas, the conservative non-profit Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) awarded $70,000 to the Texas Center at Schreiner University, which is led by Dr. Frazier. That $70,000 was awarded for the purpose of "the development of TEKS standards."

The SBOE Democrats said the revelation "raises serious ethical concerns" because of a lack of transparency around conditions tied to the grant money, and whether the source of the money influenced Frazier's curriculum recommendations. Adding biblical references to public school curriculum has been a priority of Texas conservatives.

A final vote on the curriculum is expected in June. 

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. 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," Democratic SBOE member Tiffany Clark of DeSoto said in a statement to CBS News Texas.

"Faith is personal. Government is public. The two should not be mixed," she said.

Republican counterparts dismissed concerns that the TPPF's grant had an impact on the curriculum. 

"There has been zero proof provided of any conflicts of interest, only conspiracy theories," Republican SBOE member Brandon Hall Aledo said in a statement to CBS News Texas. "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."

Schreiner 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 Frazier for comment but has not yet received a response.