State Board of Education Member Tom Maynard took the oath of office at Round Rock Independent School District’s Cedar Ridge High School January 3.
Maynard won re-election in November’s general election to the 15-member board which has rulemaking authority for significant portions of the state’s public education system serving more than 5.3 million students in 1219 school districts and charter schools. SBOE District 10 covers 17 central Texas counties and about half of Travis County, and is home to about 1.8 million Texas citizens.
Maynard says he chose a school setting as a backdrop for his swearing in because it underscores the SBOE’s mission.
“The students always have to be the focal point of what we do on the board,” Maynard says. “Public education works. Students are building up a storage of knowledge and I encourage [them] to do the heavy lifting now.”
Maynard discussed the potential success to follow House Bill 5, which is designed to allow students to dial into things that they are passionate about. “I am very optimistic about the prospects. The current number of CTE classes that also count toward core curriculum is growing and I support any change that allows that. We have been on a path where our standards are so voluminous; we are a mile wide and an inch deep. I am happy that we have begun to streamline those processes to focus on essential knowledge and skills and I look forward to making progress on standardized testing this term.”
Photo: State Rep Larry Gonzalez and Maynard’s wife Freda assist with the oath.
