The Texas legislature passed a bill on Monday that would give state boards appointed by the governor more power over universities’ curriculum, sending the legislation to Gov. Greg Abbott\u2019s (R) desk. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Governing boards at higher education institutions, which are appointed by the governor, will be able to review and strike down general curriculum requirements at the universities. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The new legislation also gives these boards more power over hiring, elimination of degrees with low enrollment and creates a new oversight office for noncompliance complaints. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The bill, which will likely be signed by the governor, is the latest effort among Republican states to control curriculum and other aspects of higher education institutions. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe objective of this legislation is to provide consistency with respect to our curriculum and the degrees we\u2019re offering our students,\u201d said Republican state Rep. Matt Shaheen, co-sponsor of the legislation, the Associated Press reported<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n In places like Florida, it has become common place for similar boards to strip requirements for gender or diversity courses and replace it with civics classes. \u00a0<\/p>\n