El Paso Matters sent questionnaires to every candidate in a contested primary race to help you decide who you want to represent you. Candidates were asked to limit their responses to 100 words. Responses have been lightly edited for grammar and to fit the word count.

State Board of Education District 1: Republican Primary

The 15 members of the State Board of Education set statewide curriculum and standards, review and adopt instructional materials and review proposed awards of new charter schools. District 1 encompasses El Paso and 29 other counties, mostly in West Texas and along the Mexican border.

Who’s running for this seat?

Lani Popp

Lani Popp did not return the El Paso Matters questionnaire.

Michael “Travis” Stevens

Michael Stevens, 40, is an ELA instructional coach for Northside Independent School District.

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Stevens

The most important role for a State Board of Education member is to provide teachers with the tools they need to successfully help students master grade level content. These tools come in the form of setting common sense teaching standards, approving curriculum that is relevant to each grade level and ensuring that teachers have access to curriculum resources.

Stevens

I am in my 11th year teaching at the High School level, have experience mentoring teachers in my role of Language Arts Instructional Coach and have helped adult learners reach their education goals as an Adult Education Instructor.

Stevens

History should be taught based on factual evidence and documentation. That means that the good, bad and the ugly should be taught, to include our sordid past regarding race and racism. What should not be taught however is theories, political ideologies, or anything else that is not solely based on factual and historical evidence.

Stevens

Curriculum standards should address sex education from the standpoint of educating age appropriate students on the facts of life, in terms of human biology and human reproduction. Curriculum should never introduce students to sexual activities, or preferences, as those topics are not appropriate for the classroom.

Stevens

State curriculum standards should address climate change from a scientific and historical perspective, outlining how climate has changed over the course of Earth’s history and what stage in climate Earth is currently experiencing.

Stevens

I would evaluate new charter school operators and expansion requests based on the following criteria: 1. Community need/desire for the school 2. Make certain that curriculum standards match the rigor of local ISD’s 3. Require all teachers to be certified in the subjects that they teach 4. Certify that student recruitment is area wide, so as to minimize the impact to the ISD’s in which the charter school is physically located.

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