from EducationFirstSBOE Austin

It was about a year ago that a small group of citizens came together in a coffee shop in central Austin to start discussing the Texas State Board of Education, its importance for the future of our state and in the lives of school children, parents, teachers and all voters. Then, like now, we come from different backgrounds and hold different views on some issues, but share a strong uniting desire that the SBOE and the SBOE 10 representative work for the betterment of our public education system and focus on education excellence instead of partisan or ideological battles.

We have grown. We have a list serve of over 60 individuals, a Facebook page with about 60 fans (which are not all of the same people as those on our list serve) and a website and blog helping to spread the message. We are also handing out fliers at events and are helping coordinate a series of candidate forums before the March 2 primary and November general elections in SBOE 10. We are helping educate a large number of voters who previously knew very little about this board. When politicians can act in obscurity and when the voters are not educated or are apathetic about their representatives' actions, it is difficult for democracy thrive. Our mission is to make sure citizens are educated about the SBOE and its importance, and become active participants in the democratic process.

Thank you for helping make this happen. The holiday season always puts strains on your time, but if you have a chance please tell your friends and family about the SBOE and the efforts of Education First. For those who want to learn more a good place to start is our website. It is http://www.EducationFirstSBOE10.org. There you can find links to our list serve and Facebook, news posts about the latest in the SBOE 10 race and upcoming events. We've accomplished much over the past year and hope to continue to grow and be your voice for SBOE excellence.