In a tense meeting that ran for hours, the Texas State Board of Education delayed its vote on a proposed K-12 reading list as members and members of the public argued over what the materials should include and who they should reflect. Board members voted 13-1 to postpone consideration until their April meetings, according to reporting distributed by the Associated Press.
The pushback that delayed the vote centered on both the proposed list’s religious content and a perceived lack of representation. Several Democratic board members and public speakers argued that the list’s Christian-focused selections conflict with the Establishment Clause, which prohibits government endorsement or promotion of a particular religion, while others said the list’s broad and fixed scope limits educators’ ability to tailor materials to their students.
Board member Tiffany Clark said in Wednesday’s discussion that the proposal does not reflect Texas students, citing what she said has been a long-running imbalance in who is represented in classroom reading. Board member Marisa B. Pérez-Díaz, a Hispanic Democrat, also described being affected after educators testified that books can function as both “windows and mirrors,” and she spoke about not expecting the meeting to draw an emotional response.
Texas Education Agency deputy commissioner Shannon Trejo defended the process that produced the recommendation. Trejo said the agency created its proposed list after compiling a comprehensive catalog of books used in other states and organizations and surveying teachers, and she said the agency incorporated responses from roughly 5,700 teachers. She also said the list contained fewer books than what the surveyed teachers currently use and said the agency’s emphasis on classical literature reflected the materials used across what she described as successful education systems.
Trejo said the proposal’s biblical components were treated as “informational text.” She also said the list’s selections included a mix of childhood favorites and classical literature alongside religious materials with a Christian focus, such as The Parable of the Prodigal Son and The Road to Damascus. The proposed list also includes works including Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat and S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, alongside literature from authors such as Frederick Douglass and Langston Hughes.
Other speakers argued that, despite those inclusions, the overall list still fell short on racial, ethnic and gender diversity. A high school junior who attended the meeting, Aziel Quezada, said the list replaces stories of oppression and injustice with work centered on politicians and white Americans already prominent in history, and he asked how Latine students, Asian students and queer students would see themselves in the proposed readings.
Republican board members defended the inclusion of religious materials. Board member Brandon Hall said the classical works on the list are literature that “has stood the test of time,” and he questioned what race or gender of an author has to do with the quality of the works. Other Republicans also argued that parents can opt their children out of readings they are uncomfortable with.
Under Texas law, state education officials were required to develop a list of reading materials for the board to consider, and schools are required to teach the materials beginning in the 2030-31 school year. The agency recommended nearly 300 books for the board to consider, and the law requires at least one literary work in each grade, but it does not require every book on the list to be used. The board’s decision on what ultimately becomes mandatory reading is expected after the April meetings.
Board member Will Hickman, a Houston Republican, sought to shorten the list and replace certain texts before the board agreed to delay its initial vote. The board is also working to overhaul Texas’ learning standards for social studies, with the appointed expert panel including only one person currently working in a Texas public school district and at least three people associated with conservative activism, and the reporting said no Black Texans were appointed as experts.
The board’s actions add another chapter to an ongoing debate over how Texas schools should balance constitutionally permissible instruction with the questions of whose histories and identities are centered in classroom materials. While parents may opt children out of instruction, Texas education officials acknowledged that students could still be tested on the material.
The proposed reading list’s delay means educators and families will have more time to respond before the board determines what will move forward as required reading for the 2030-31 school year. In the meantime, the dispute over religious content and representation remains unresolved at the level of the board vote that was postponed Wednesday.