By Sherry Koonce

The News staff writer

Cesar Chevez made the cut and so did Barack Obama, but Teddy Kennedy and Henry Cisneros did not. Barring changes, the latter two historical figures won’t be mentioned in textbooks studied by Texas public school children.

The Texas State Board of Education listened recently to public comment while in the process of deciding standardized curriculum for Texas school books.

The 15-member board is currently deciding what content should be included in history textbooks.

Representing Southeast Texas public schools, board member David Bradley said the entire process of determining standards for the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills takes about four-years. Individual subject areas takes about a year each to determine.

Bradley, a Republican, serves as chair of the School Finance/Permanent School Fund Committee and was first elected to the State Board of Education in 1996.

“Because of its size, Texas has an enormous impact on textbooks used across the nation,” Bradley said during a telephone interview Thursday.

To determine the TEKS content, the board typically takes its existing document used for the last 10 years, and forms review panels made up of parents, community educators and businessmen, as required by state law. Those panels make recommendations for changes, and submits their recommendations to the State Board of Education.

“That is where we are with our History TEKS we are working on now,” Bradley said.

“We are not taking Christmas, Ceasar Chavez or Thurgood Marshall out and we included Neil Armstrong,” Bradley said.

Not making the cut was Texas’ first Hispanic Mayor Henry Cisneros and Ted Kennedy — both because of ethical issues in their personal lives.

“Cisneros may have been significant because he was the first Hispanic Mayor, but there were moral problems. Ted Kennedy was denied a place in national history because of his shortcomings,” Bradley said.

To be included in the state’s history books, the historical figure should have made significant contributions and be a good role model in all areas of their lives, Bradley said.

At Bradley’s recommendation, Chrispus Adducks, the first casualty of the American Revolution, was included in the upcoming curriculum as well as information about the Texas Navy.

When a textbook is created, all cultures should be represented, Mark Porterie, Port Arthur Independent School District assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said.

“Our state spans a wide range of cultures, so we all need to be represented equally,” Porterie said.

When selecting textbooks for the district, Porterie said selections mirror those approved by the state school board, but the district does have some latitude in selecting books.

For the state to pay for a textbook, it must be on the list approved by the school board.

Right now, the board is conducting public hearings to gain input from citizens. The next hearing is scheduled for May.

After concluding the public hearings, the board determines state minimum required curriculum, which is forwarded to publishers.

Publishers in turn submit books for the board’s approval and begins marketing the approved lists of textbooks to school districts —especially the larger districts.

Bradley said Texas was unique because of the way school books are funded.

“When a school selects a book, it is paid for with investments from the Texas Permanent School Fund,” Bradley said.

The fund was created in 1854 from an initial $2 million when Texas joined the union.

“Through the sale of oil and gas royalties and prudent investment by the State Board of Education, that fund is worth $22 billion dollars today,” Bradley said.

On average, the fund pays $600 million a year to supply text books.

Bradley said the board just finished adopting science textbook curriculum last year, is working on history now, next year math and health during 2012.

English and Language Arts, which is already concluded for this cycle, was contentious, Bradley said.

“We had the progressive community that think people can learn by sight reading, learning through exposure to great works. Others think students need to master phonics, grammar, diagramming sentences, handwriting, etc.,” Bradley said.

Determining the content of math books is also expected to be challenging with two schools of thought: Those who champion memorization and those who believe in using calculators.

Bradley said the board had seen one second grade textbook that did not require students to memorize multiplication tables.

Whatever content is decided, the rest of the nation looks to Texas because of its size.

“Here in Texas we spend $600 million a year on textbooks. The books we approve here are sold across the nation,” he said.

skoonce@panews.com