Testimony to the Texas State Board of Education

August 30, 2022

Michael Barba is the Policy Director of K-12 Education at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. His work is focused upon education because it provides our children with economic, civic, and moral benefits: a good education offers students a path to prosperous work, teaches students why and how they must care for their neighbor, and gives students practice in the virtues that allow them to attain lifelong freedom and happiness.

Previously, Michael served as a specialist on the System of Great Schools (SGS) team at the Texas Education Agency where he helped visionary school district leaders understand and deliver the schools that their families want, need, and deserve.

Dr. David Upham is Professor of Politics and Director of Legal Studies at the University of Dallas and
Michael Barba is the K-12 Education Policy Director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

A general diffusion of knowledge being essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people, [emphasis added] it shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools. (Texas Constitution, Article VII, Section 1)

Under the Texas Constitution, the purpose of our “public free schools” is to diffuse generally that “knowledge” necessary to the “preservation of the liberties and rights of the people.” This “people,” as explained in the Texas Constitution, is a community of free people who, while “humbly invoking the blessings of Almighty God,” and duly subject to the Constitution and perpetual Union of these United States, did “ordain and establish this Constitution of Texas” (Preamble; Article I, Section 1).

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Dr. David Upham

Michael Barba

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