Thomas Ratliff

Texas Monthly

This primary election, then, represents the best chance in years to elect an SBOE majority that supports public schools. The signature race is in District 9, which runs from Brazos County north to the Red River between the Metroplex and the Piney Woods. It pits Bryan dentist Don McLeroy, the former chairman of the SBOE, against Thomas Ratliff, a Capitol lobbyist from Mount Pleasant and the son of former lieutenant governor Bill Ratliff.

McLeroy lost his chairmanship last year when state senators blocked his reappointment. He painted a target on his back by advocating new standards for teaching evolution that, as he puts it in a campaign letter, “scientifically question evolution [and] the origin of life.” His campaign literature begins with the assertion, “Our nation is falling under the sway of the ideas of the far-left; the founding principles of our nation are being neglected and forgotten. . . . My opponent has already identified himself as a MODERATE and he is running with the support of the left.”

Ratliff is the kind of Republican who used to run for the SBOE before the board became bogged down in the culture wars: a civic-minded parent who had been active in his children’s education. “I disagree with my opponent on two fundamental things,” he writes on his Web site. “I believe in public schools and trust those involved in our public schools to know what is best for our children’s education. I believe that . . . the SBOE can have healthy discussions and even disagreements without the members stooping to vindictive behavior.” With thirty days to go, he held a considerable lead over McLeroy in fund-raising, $8,645.25 to $787.71. However, the possibility exists that megacontributor James Leininger, of San Antonio, might come to McLeroy’s aid.

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