Gov. Greg Abbott appoints school choice proponent to chair Texas State Board of Education

Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Aaron Kinsey, a freshman Texas State Board of Education member, to lead the powerful group, which sets curriculum standards, approves textbooks and authorizes charter schools statewide.

Kinsey, an oil industry entrepreneur and a proponent of school choice — a program that uses public money to pay for private schooling and was the governor's signature policy priority this year — is replacing Chairman Keven Ellis, whose four-year tenure leading the board came during a time when schools were forced to educate students virtually due to a global pandemic and when the members were thrust into heated political debates over textbooks and other hot-button issues.

Kinsey, R-Midland, has been a vocal supporter of parental freedoms — a rallying cry for Abbott, who toured the state over the last year touting school choice — and his appointment to the chairman post signals support from the governor, who bypassed several veteran Republican members with deep education backgrounds for the board's top spot.

"I sincerely value the relationships I have built across the Board and look forward to our accomplishments as we focus on strengthening Texas' future," Kinsey said in a statement after his appointment Monday.

It's rare for a novice on the board to be appointed chairman, University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus told the American-Statesman.

"His rapid acceleration to board chair means the governor fully backs him and his agenda," Rottinghaus said. "His agenda is strongly rooted in school choice and parental choice."

Abbott has pushed forcefully for school choice proposals in Texas this year, even calling lawmakers back to Austin for two additional special sessions to pass such a measure. A coalition of rural Republicans and Democrats in the Texas House, however, have blocked school choice proposals from advancing from the lower chamber over concerns that a voucher program would gut public school funding. Abbott and other Republican lawmakers, however, insist that school choice is a way to get students out of failing public schools.

Kinsey, who advocated for parental rights during his 2022 campaign, has again picked up the cause in his reelection effort.

"We must continue to safeguard parents’ rights, combat the radical left on curriculum issues, and most importantly, protect our children from overt sexualization in the classroom," Kinsey said in a statement about his reelection.

The board's role in Texas education is important, and hopefully Kinsey will treat the office with the respect it needs, said David DeMatthews, a University of Texas professor in the school's Education Leadership and Policy Department.

"To some extent, he's been caught up in some of the very typical political mix around curriculum in Texas," DeMatthews said of Kinsey, who was elected to the board last year.

During the board's review of school content last month, Kinsey was among the members who objected to certain science textbooks because of concerns the material portrayed the oil and gas industry in a negative way.

More: Texas State Board of Education questions climate change, evolution in science textbooks

For Rottinghaus, the University of Houston professor, it's too early to tell what changes Kinsey will bring to the board under his chairmanship. Clearly, Abbott stands behind Kinsey's policies, he said.

"Appointments like this are a way for the governor to get policy changes he wants in the background or at least soften the ground for future debates," Rottinghaus said.

Abbott has vowed to continue fighting for school choice, whether at the Legislature or the ballot box.

Who is Aaron Kinsey?

Kinsey was elected in November 2022 to the District 15 seat on the education board after defeating incumbent Jay Johnson. The district is one of the largest geographically, covering 87 counties including the Panhandle and most of West Texas.

Kinsey graduated from Texas A&M University and Harvard University Business School, is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and is CEO of American Patrols Inc., which does aerial patrols of oil and gas infrastructure to check for damage.

Kinsey brings "valuable perspective to the Board and is ready to lead," Ellis, the former chairman, said in a statement.

Kinsey's appointment as chair expires Dec. 17, 2025.

Ellis, R-Lufkin, who will remain in the District 9 seat on the board, joined the group in 2016 and has led it since 2019. He is a chiropractor who served on the Lufkin school board for four years before joining the state education board.

"The State Board has accomplished great things for the children and families of Texas," Ellis said. "We have improved the content of textbooks and curriculum standards offered to millions of Texas public school students."

Aside from setting curriculum standards and approving textbooks, the board also manages the Texas Permanent School Fund — a $57 billion endowment that's one piece of the state's school finance puzzle.

The board meets next on Jan. 30.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: School choice proponent tapped to chair Texas State Board of Education