Lowe to guide education board through hot issues | AP Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Lowe to guide education board through hot issues AP Texas News Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
AUSTIN, Texas — As Gail Lowe takes the helm of the State Board of Education, the turmoil-laden panel that has long been a battleground in the fight between social conservatives and liberal watchdogs, the incoming chairwoman is decidedly unapologetic about her conservative Christian views.
Lowe was appointed to the spot last month by Gov. Rick Perry to replace former chairman Don McLeroy, whose appointment to a second term as chairman was rejected by the state Senate.
"This country was founded on Judeo Christian principles and to say otherwise is to deny what is very unique about our country," Lowe said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. "The principle of church and state would say the government cannot mandate anyone can or cannot belong to any particular church."
Gov. Rick Perry surprised observers with his selection of Lowe, 52, a mild-mannered, small-town newspaper publisher who acknowledges she's not a "broad visionary" but more of a nuts-and-bolts person. She'll replace McLeroy, an ardent conservative targeted by critics for his outspoken views on creationism and support of teaching students weaknesses of evolutionary theory.