Katy and Fulshear families will vote Nov. 3 on two State Board of Education seats that directly control what their children learn in public school classrooms.
Republican Tiffany Nelson faces Democrat Michelle Palmer in SBOE District 6, which covers parts of Harris County including portions of Katy ISD. In District 7, which includes Fort Bend County and the Lamar Consolidated ISD area, incumbent Republican Julie Pickren faces Democrat Tiffany Perkinz. District 6 is an open seat. In District 7, Pickren is seeking her first full term after joining the board in 2023.
The 15-member State Board of Education sets curriculum standards called Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for more than five million public school students, Houston Public Media reported. The board also approves instructional materials, oversees teacher certification standards and can veto charter school applications.
Nine of those 15 seats are on the ballot statewide, including a District 4 special election after former member Staci Childs stepped down to run for the Texas House. Six incumbents are not seeking re-election. The board's makeup stands at 11 Republicans and four Democrats.
What the board just changed
In September, the board approved changes to high school social studies lessons that will take effect in the 2030-31 school year. The new standards require students to learn that "radical Islam" motivated the Sept. 11 attacks, rather than focusing on specific terrorist groups, according to ABC13. The curriculum also uses the word "brutal" to describe early Islamic military campaigns against Jewish and Christian groups.
SBOE member Will Hickman questioned the language at the board's September meeting. "I think we can all agree military battles and wars are all brutal, but we have not described any others that way," Hickman said, according to ABC13.
In June, the board rewrote K-8 social studies lessons to de-emphasize world history in favor of Texas and U.S. history. It also approved a mandatory reading list that includes Bible stories. Local school districts must follow these state curriculum guidelines, though administrators retain some control over specifics.
Tricia Cave, a lobbyist for the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) who spent 17 years teaching in Texas public schools, told Houston Public Media that approved standards can stick for roughly a decade.
Who is running locally
District 6 (parts of Harris and Montgomery counties): Nelson, a former Conroe ISD trustee who founded a nonprofit consulting firm, lists endorsements from Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, according to Click2Houston. She had $14,488 cash on hand as of Sept. 24, 2026. Palmer, a history and government teacher since 2009, had $22,274 cash on hand as of the same date.
District 7 (Fort Bend and surrounding counties): Pickren had $62,217 cash on hand as of Sept. 24, 2026. Her largest donor was Nachiketa Bhatt, a Kentucky businessman, who gave $100,000, according to Click2Houston. Perkinz, a former English instructor at Lamar University and founder of an online tutoring company, had $8,978 on hand. She has pledged to make a motion on her first day to amend the TEKS "to restore political and religious neutrality," according to Click2Houston.
PAC money flowing in
Conservative political action committees have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into SBOE races statewide. Texans For Educational Freedom donated more than $300,000 in services to three Republican candidates, including Nelson in District 6, Houston Public Media reported. Texans United for a Conservative Majority, largely funded by West Texas oil billionaire Tim Dunn, donated roughly $50,000 across three Republican campaigns including Nelson's.
Nelson said in a statement to Houston Public Media that the organizations back her "because of those priorities, not the other way around."
On the Democratic side, Perkinz has accepted small donations from the Secular PAC and Moms for Public Education.
Early voting runs through Friday, Oct. 30. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
