The State Board of Education (SBOE) met from April 7 through April 10, focusing heavily on the development of a required statewide reading list for public school students. The discussion centered on a proposal from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) that stems from House Bill 1605, enacted during the 88th Texas Legislature in 2023. The legislation directed the board to establish both a required vocabulary list and at least one literary work per grade level in English and Spanish language arts and reading from kindergarten through 12th grade.
The TEA has argued that a standardized reading list could help address challenges created by Texas’ estimated 16 percent student mobility rate during the school year. According to the agency’s reasoning, students who move between districts often end up repeating texts or missing important works due to inconsistent local curriculum selections. A unified list, supporters say, could create more consistency in student learning experiences across the state.
The original TEA proposal included roughly 300 literary titles. It quickly drew debate from educators, parents, and advocacy groups. Critics raised concerns that the list was too large to be practical, potentially limiting instructional flexibility. Others objected to the inclusion of religious texts and questioned whether the selections represented a broad enough range of authors and perspectives.
In January, the SBOE approved the list for first reading and authorized further discussion. Board Secretary Will Hickman proposed a significantly reduced version, cutting the number of titles by more than half. He argued that a shorter list would preserve local control and better accommodate instructional time constraints. Supporters of the reduced list described the selections as foundational works contributing to shared cultural knowledge.
Public input played a significant role in the April meetings. On April 7, the board heard more than six hours of testimony from educators, parents, administrators, and advocacy representatives. A majority of speakers opposed the proposal, while a smaller portion expressed support. Supporters emphasized the importance of exposing students to historically significant and classical literature as part of building academic rigor and cultural literacy. Some Republican officials and SBOE candidates also spoke in favor of the TEA-aligned approach.
Opponents focused on classroom autonomy and workload concerns. Many educators warned that a mandated reading list of this scale could consume a large portion of instructional time, limiting opportunities for supplemental lessons in grammar, writing, and locally selected literature. Teachers and union representatives also cautioned that restricting book selection could make it more difficult to attract and retain educators in Texas classrooms.
Board member Evelyn Brooks introduced an alternative proposal that would have required only one literary work per grade level, but the motion failed in a 6-to-8 vote. Another proposal from member Keven Ellis advanced a modified version of the TEA list, reducing approximately 100 titles while retaining some religious content. On April 10, the SBOE approved Ellis’ version in a 9-to-5 vote largely divided along party lines, with Republican members in support and Democratic members in opposition.
Ellis noted that Texas may be the only state implementing a required reading list of this scale, although other states maintain recommended reading frameworks rather than mandated statewide texts.
