Jago Times "English Edition" Best Online Newspaper
Related Articles
The national outcry over efforts to foster diversity and inclusion initiatives in schools has added fuel to a heated Grapevine-Colleyville ISD runoff election.
The incumbent, Mindy McClure, said she is fighting a campaign of “misinformation” from her opponent, community volunteer Shannon Braun.
Braun and her supporters have said the district is aiming to teach critical race theory, an academic framework that says racism is a systemic problem perpetuated by government policies and institutions. Conservatives have seized on the theory in targeting Carroll ISD in Southlake and other districts that have proposed diversity and inclusion plans, and Texas lawmakers are considering a bill that would affect how teachers can discuss race and racism.
“We don’t have the same issues [here],” McClure said Wednesday. “We have a lot more diversity.”
McClure, who has been a board member since June 2015, and others in the district say there has been no attempt to teach critical race theory, which she said is college-level curriculum.
“We wouldn’t teach CRT,” she said. “It’s not appropriate for children.”
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/CFZTP65ZRZHPBKHVSX3GSWMLGY.jpg)
The district also issued a statement saying the curriculum does not include instruction on critical race theory.
“In GCISD, we have a diverse student population, with 59 home languages spoken,” said Kristin Snively, executive director of communications for GCISD. “It is important that as educators we engage in conversations regarding how to support all students throughout their entire educational experience in GCISD.”
Yet Braun, who did not return requests for comment, has said critical race theory has “already infiltrated GCISD” under McClure’s watch.
“Good schools teach students HOW to think, not WHAT to think, which is why I’m committed to removing Critical Race Theory (CRT) teaching from GCISD schools,” Braun posted on Facebook on Wednesday. “This type of teaching has no place in our schools, and I’m committed to helping GCISD #GetBackonTrack.”
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/GPSDU47KJJFSFGKBWCNSRDWZFU.jpg)
“Quite frankly, these people are lying through their teeth,” said John Doughney, who was GCISD’s executive director of learning for 17 years before retiring in 2017.
Doughney said Braun is conflating issues with the public, creating an atmosphere so partisan that they will be motivated to vote.
“They make their opponents out to be far-left liberals,” Doughney said, “even though the school board is nonpartisan.
“They saw it was effective in Southlake, and they’re hoping the same thing will work here.”
Southlake Families, a political action committee, raised more than $200,000 to back candidates Hannah Smith and Cam Bryan, who won their respective Carroll ISD school board seats by a large margin. The PAC and its candidates overwhelmingly opposed the district’s Cultural Competence Action Plan.
In her race for GCISD, Braun has the backing of several notable names, including her famous brother and sister-in-law, Chip and Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper, who donated to her campaign.
Allen West, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, also recently endorsed Braun and referred to a “socialist agenda.”
“Shannon will push back against the racial socialist agenda and their indoctrination of students — taking a stance against critical race theory,” he said in his endorsement.
Other issues Braun lists on her website as key to her campaign are increasing teachers’ salaries and transparency around district spending.
“I have concerns that our district is being swept into the progressive current,” she says on the site. “If we want to attract and retain the best teachers, we need to pay salaries on par with surrounding areas. We need sound budgeting, just like you manage your finances at home; our district should do the same.”
Opponents say Braun’s goals could come at a price. Doughney and McClure say they are concerned that many of the “unique” programs that make the district desirable will be dismantled if Braun and some of the current board members have their way.
In the three-way race that ended May 1, Braun received 47.9% of the vote to face McClure, who received 39.3%, in a June 5 runoff. Early voting begins Monday, May 24.