AUSTIN - Texas has rejected allowing university experts to fact-check its public-school textbooks in the wake of a 9th grade world geography book mistakenly calling African slaves "workers."

The Republican-controlled Board of Education approves textbooks for statewide use. It defeated 8-7 on Wednesday a proposal that would have included scrutiny from academic experts as part of its vetting process.

Supporters said the change would have helped avoid future mistakes. The "workers" phrasing caused a recent stir after a Houston-area mother complained.

But opponents said errors happen whenever humans are involved. They also defended the current system built on volunteer citizen review panels.

The board's textbook process has for years sparked ideological battles over subjects such as climate change and evolution. Supporters of the failed proposal said those are now likely to continue.