McLeroy’s Zombie Nomination Lumbers Toward Senate

Controversial and quotable State Board of Education Chairman Don McLeroy had his presumed dead nomination to retain his post revived this afternoon.  Senate Nominations Chair Sen. Mike Jackson called a surprise committee meeting and passed McLeroy out of committee with a 4-2 vote. 

"Anytime someone by themselves becomes the whole point of discussion, the center of the discussion or the center of controversy, it's time for that person to step aside and I think that would have been a better choice on his part," says Sen. Kirk Watson, one of the dissenting voters who predicts the nomination will inspire "significant discussion" when it hits the floor.

"I've learned to never really be surprised by anything that might happen up here, particularly this late in the session," he says. "But, the impression was that he probably did not have the 21 votes to be confirmed and, as a result of that, would be held up in committee.  What this indicates to me is that somebody has indicated that they would change their vote and be a favorable vote on the floor, so they felt safe voting them out of committee." 

McLeroy has indicated to Jackson that he has had some level of success lobbying the senators, but Jackson indicated to reporters that the vote will still be "awful close."

"McLeroy's entire term as Chair has been committee after commitee full of chaos and putting politics ahead of kids.  He has said he won't listen to experts, and he won't listen to educators," says Kathy Miller, president of the decidedly anti-McLeroy Texas Freedom Network. "I just think the people of Texas deserve better than a lone dentist making all education policy for all Texas students in all of our public schools.  There are a number of fair minded and reasonable people on the State Board of Education that the Governor could choose from."

According to Jackson, the undead nomination of Don McLeroy should hit the floor on Monday or Tuesday of next week.