10/15/2026
Before we give someone more authority over our public schools, shouldn’t we examine what they did with the authority they already had?
That’s my question about Tiffany Nelson’s campaign for Texas State Board of Education, District 6.
Nelson left the Conroe ISD board in December 2025 to seek this seat. To me, that is asking voters for a promotion—and I don’t believe her record warrants one.
Take Bluebonnet. Nelson supported adopting the controversial curriculum in Conroe ISD despite requests from two trustees to use an educator-review process. The curriculum has since required hundreds of corrections statewide after teachers and education officials identified errors.
She didn’t write those materials, and she wasn’t the only trustee who supported them. But she was responsible for her judgment, her vote, and the questions she asked before putting them into classrooms. In my view, that was a serious failure of leadership. Our teachers and children have to live with the consequences long after the board meeting ends.
Academic performance belongs in this conversation, too. In the latest 2026 accountability ratings, 19 Conroe ISD schools dropped at least one letter grade from the previous year. The district maintained a B overall, and some campuses improved, but declines at 19 schools deserve serious attention—and clear answers about what leadership is doing to turn them around.
Nelson left before those latest ratings were released. Those results don’t establish that she personally caused the declines, but leaving the board doesn’t erase accountability for the decisions and priorities of her tenure. She shared responsibility for overseeing academic progress and making sure struggling schools received the support they needed.
Her approach to public-school advocacy concerns me, too. In 2023, Nelson joined trustees questioning whether the board should take a position on a resolution supporting public-school funding. They argued that it wasn’t the board’s responsibility and objected to following TASB’s position.
To me, advocating for the resources our schools need is part of the job. Our students and teachers need leaders willing to speak up for them.
Before asking us for greater authority, Nelson should explain what she did to improve academic outcomes, what worked, and what she would do differently. A promotion should come with that accounting, especially when the consequences affect our children.
Now she wants a seat on the body that sets curriculum standards, reviews instructional materials, and establishes graduation requirements across Texas. My concern is that the approach I opposed in Conroe ISD would gain a much wider reach.
That’s why I think everyone should take a serious look at Michelle Palmer.
Palmer brings years of classroom experience teaching subjects including math, English, history, and government. That experience matters when the job involves deciding what children learn and what teachers are expected to teach.
Her published priorities include standards grounded in facts, meaningful educator input, and consultation with special education and ESL experts. Those priorities deserve consideration from anyone who wants strong public schools.
Parents deserve a voice. Teachers deserve to have their expertise taken seriously. And every child deserves a strong public education, regardless of their family’s politics, faith, income, or ZIP code.
Read Michelle’s platform. Look at her experience. Compare it with Nelson’s record, and ask both candidates hard questions.
We should expect a better record before handing someone greater responsibility over our children’s education.
