Three State Board of Education races on the Nov. 3 ballot will shape what Clear Creek ISD students learn in class.

The district spans SBOE Districts 4, 7 and 8, according to a Texas Education Agency district map. All three seats are contested.

The stakes are high. The 15-member board sets curriculum standards, known as Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), for more than five million public school students statewide. It also chooses instructional materials, oversees the State Board for Educator Certification and holds veto power over charter school applications, Houston Public Media reported Oct. 20.

Six of the board's 15 incumbents are not seeking re-election, guaranteeing new faces on nearly a third of the board.

Curriculum changes headed for classrooms

The board approved changes in June that de-emphasize world history in K-8 social studies in favor of Texas and U.S. history. On Sept. 4, the board approved high school social studies standards that critics say portray Islam in a largely negative light, Community Impact reported. The new standards focus on extremism and "radical Islam" across four courses while emphasizing Christianity's role in Western civilization. Islam is referenced 12 times across the four high school courses; Christianity is referenced at least 18 times.

Those standards take effect in the 2030-31 school year, meaning Clear Creek ISD students at Clear Creek, Clear Springs and Clear Falls high schools will eventually learn under them.

Tricia Cave, a lobbyist for the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) who spent 17 years teaching in Texas public schools, told Houston Public Media that once the board approves changes, schools can be stuck with them for years. "It's almost a decade that you live with these standards," Cave said.

Who's on the ballot

District 4: Republican Tammie Nielsen, appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott in August after Democratic incumbent Staci Childs stepped down, faces Democrat Correta Mallet-Fontenot.

District 7: Republican incumbent Julie Pickren faces Democrat Tiffany Perkinz. Perkinz is a 12-year educator, tutoring business owner and mother of six with four children in public school, according to the Houston Chronicle.

District 8: Republican incumbent Audrey Young, who has six years on the state board and three decades of public-school experience, faces Democrat Dana Van De Walker.

A fourth Houston-area race, District 6, pits Republican Tiffany Nelson against Democrat Michelle Palmer. That district does not cover Clear Creek ISD but includes neighboring Cypress-Fairbanks ISD. Campaign finance reports show conservative political action committees heavily backing Republican candidates across all four races, with groups such as Texans For Educational Freedom and Texans for a United Conservative Majority among the top donors, Houston Public Media reported.

Early voting runs through Oct. 30. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.