Texas SBOE vice chair: Mexican-American textbook ‘dead on arrival’

Proposed textbook causes uproar A 54-page report has found more than 140 errors in a controversial textbook, entitled "Mexican American Heritage," that has been proposed for social studies classes in Texas public schools.

Click through the gallery to see some of the errors identified by a committee of educators and historians. less Proposed textbook causes uproar A 54-page report has found more than 140 errors in a controversial textbook, entitled "Mexican American Heritage," that has been proposed for social studies classes in Texas ... more Photo: 2011 Getty Images Photo: 2011 Getty Images Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Texas SBOE vice chair: Mexican-American textbook ‘dead on arrival’ 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN -- The textbook experts say is laden with errors, omits key history and characterizes Mexicans as lazy is "dead on arrival" at the State Board of Education, according to the board's vice chairman.

Former boards of education known for heated debates over teaching creationism and the promotion of Moses as a major influence on the U.S. Constitution probably would have approved the textbook, but the current board probably will not, said Thomas Ratliff, a Mount Pleasant Republican.

"I have not talked to all my colleagues because I can't violate the Open Meetings Act, but I've talked to a few and enough to know that book is dead on arrival. There is no way in the world that book gets passed by the State Board of Education," Ratliff said.

Hours before the Board of Education would hear from more than 100 people wanting to opine on the book, hundreds of people ranging from lawmakers, professors, activists and students gathered outside the Texas Education Agency building in downtown Austin Tuesday to rally against the textbook they said should be rejected on academic and moral grounds.

"If we permit materials like the ones in this textbook that express a clear and pointed bias, a disrespect for culture and community and, in essence, plan for that culture to be pushed out of the educational pipeline, out of growth, out of self esteem, out of competence, out of society's advantages and opportunities, we are allowing a design to push Mexicans to the bottom of society and keep us there," said Dr. Carmen Tafolla, an associate professor at the University of San Antonio and, most recently, Texas' poet laureate.

The board is expected to make a final decision to accept or reject the book in November.

Almost all the people who signed up to testify signaled that they oppose the proposed book "Mexican American Heritage," a text published by a company run by Cynthia Dunbar, a former conservative Republican member of the board. The book is the only Mexican-American history textbook submitted to the board for consideration.

The problem is the textbook does not synthesize the literature, said Dr. Emilio Zamora, a professor from the University of Texas at Austin, who called some of the errors in the book "beauties." The book referred to wrong river as the southern border of Texas, misreported how long certain people served in leadership roles, got names wrong and omitted six Mexican Americans who won the Congressional medal of honor, among other errors, he said.

"It is very obvious the book does not consult the vast literature of Mexican-American studies," he said.

Critics have lambasted the book, calling it offensive, hateful and insulting to Mexican Americans for months. Ratliff said he agrees.

"Just the blatant racist comments that are in this book are in and of themselves factual errors, not to mention dozens of others. The wrong name is under a picture, the wrong dates. It's really laughable that they would consider this to be an academic work," Ratliff told the Chronicle.

Others on the board agreed, including Patricia Hardy, a longtime educator and Republican from the Fort Worth area.

"It seems to me like it would cause more trouble than it would be worth," said Hardy. "I'm telling you, I don't think that there would be enough votes to support it on the board at this particular time. You'd have to show me something a lot different from what I've seen thus far as far excerpts and so-forth out of the book."

Sue Melton-Malone, a retired educator and Republican board member from the Robinson area, agreed.

"And I, as well as Pat, are going to do some more investigation into the book, check into it, look into it, read some more of it, but right now I don't think it would even be feasible to even consider letting it out," she said.

Opponents need eight votes to reject the book a committee of Mexican-American history experts has said is derogatory, inaccurate and laden with misinformation. The board's five Democrats, who normally vote together, have said they would oppose the book, leaving the decision up to the remaining 10 Republicans who are split evenly as moderate and conservative.

Schools that opt to offer a Mexican-American studies course have the freedom to choose books freely for the class and would not be required to use the book should it be approved.

Board Chairwoman Donna Bahorich, who is not required to vote, is unsure whether she will. She said she is reserving judgement on whether she would reject the text until she hears testimony from the public and the state education department.

"I'm not a Mexican-American expert or specialist. I'm just not," she said. "You have to depend on the review committee that looked at it and then the expertise that's giving us feedback, because I don't have that expertise myself.

"I haven't heard positive things, anecdotally," Bahorich said, adding she does not know how the board will vote. " I'm not polling people saying, what are you going to do or that kind of thing."