Houston ISD’s state-appointed board of managers greenlit Bible-infused curriculum for elementary school students at a special board meeting Thursday night, when the board also voted to adopt a $2 billion operating budget for 2026-27.
The state-developed Bluebonnet Learning curriculum for students in kindergarten through fifth grade has been criticized for its inclusion of biblical teachings in reading and language arts lessons. Its implementation also comes with a per-student financial incentive – more than $3 million in additional revenue for HISD, the largest school district in Texas.
The Bible-infused curriculum, approved by the State Board of Education in 2024, teaches elementary school students about the Golden Rule using text from the Bible, introduces fifth-graders to Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” painting based on the Christian story about the last meal of Jesus Christ, and features a story on the Parable of the Prodigal Son from the Bible.
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