Address changes should be sent to Michael Pennant, TASB, P.O. Box 400, Austin, Texas 78767-0400.
Articles in Texas Lone Star are expressions of the author or interviewee and do not represent the views or policies of TASB. Permission to reprint should be emailed to communications@tasb.org or addressed to the Managing Editor, P.O. Box 400, Austin, Texas 78767-0400.
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Districts work hard to prepare for students’ return
by Armando Rodriguez
As I write this, so many of us are getting ready for the start of the new school year this month. It’s an exciting time as we prepare to reopen our campuses and welcome back our students.
There is a common misconception that summer is a quiet period for our schools, a time when hallways are empty and some offices are closed.
But the reality is that summer is one of the busiest times for school administrators, boards, educators, and staff. It’s a critical period for preparation, planning, and professional development, all aimed at ensuring that the upcoming academic year is successful for our students.
Learning during the summer
One of the most vital activities that occurs during the summer is professional development. This summer, trustees, school administrators, teachers, and other education professionals took time to update and expand their skills and knowledge.
In an ever-evolving educational landscape, continuous learning is essential for all of us. Professional development sessions cover a wide range of topics, from integrating technology into the classroom to understanding new educational standards and policies. By investing in professional growth, we all are better equipped to meet the diverse needs of our students.
As trustees, many of us took advantage of TASB’s Summer Leadership Institute in San Antonio and Fort Worth to advance our professional development. This flagship training event always provides a program that inspires and educates. I enjoyed seeing so many of you there as we learned from K-12 public education experts and each other on how
to strengthen local governance in support of our students.
Additional preparations
The summer months also are filled with important preparations. Administrative meetings are held to set goals and strategies that campuses will use throughout the school year.
This strategic planning ensures that every aspect of the educational experience is aligned with the district’s mission and vision. It also fosters a culture of continuous improvement, where feedback and reflection are used to drive positive change.
One of the most significant tasks undertaken during the summer is the development and approval of the budget. This is a complex process that involves balancing the needs and priorities of the district with available resources. Given the statewide deficits that many school districts are experiencing, this task has taken on even greater importance.
Budgets are not just about numbers; they reflect our commitment to providing high-quality education. They fund the strategies, programs, and people needed to support student learning and achievement. A well-planned budget is a roadmap for success, ensuring that every dollar is spent in ways that directly benefit students and teachers.
There also are essential operational tasks that must be completed before school starts. Custodians use this time to deep clean instructional spaces, ensuring that classrooms, libraries, and common areas are safe and healthy for students and staff. Likewise, groundskeepers and maintenance crews work diligently to repair and upgrade facilities. From fixing leaky roofs to repainting classrooms, these
efforts ensure that our school buildings are in top condition for the start of the fall semester. A clean and well-maintained environment is crucial for creating a positive and conducive learning atmosphere.
Staying focused on students
Summer can be one of the busiest times for administrators and school boards as we redouble our efforts to help our campuses welcome students and teachers back to school this month. The work we have done this summer sets the foundation for achievement in the months ahead.
As trustees, our jobs never stop, no matter if school is in session or not. The commitment to education is a year-round endeavor. Our role is to support and guide our districts, ensuring that they have the resources and strategies needed to provide the best possible education for our students.
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to each of you for your dedication and hard work.
As we ready ourselves to welcome students back for a successful 2024-25 school year, let’s remember the importance of our mission. Let us approach this new academic year with enthusiasm, optimism, and a steadfast commitment to excellence. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of our students and help them achieve their full potential.
Thank you for your unwavering dedication and for the vital work you do. I look forward to a year filled with learning, growth, and success.H
Armando Rodriguez, president of the Canutillo ISD board of trustees, is the 2023-24 president of TASB.
Armando Rodriguez
Listening and Learning
Trustees focus on student needs at SLI
by Laura Tolley
Ican’t help but feel that this summer has just flown by.
Maybe that’s because it’s late June, about six weeks before the August issue is delivered to members, who will be getting ready to launch into the new school year. The tight schedule dictated by magazine deadlines tends to skew my perception in some ways.
Perception and interpretation can be major influences in our lives; that lesson was emphasized in a couple of sessions I attended earlier in June at TASB’s Summer Leadership Institute in San Antonio. More on that in a minute.
First, I want to congratulate all the TASB staff members who had a hand in planning, organizing, and executing SLI in San Antonio and Fort Worth. More than 3,000 people, including many teams of eight, attended SLI, racking up a whopping 26,702 continuing education credit hours.
Many of those same TASB staff members are getting ready for the Sept. 27-29 txEDCON24 in San Antonio. This is the largest gathering of Texas public education decision-makers, and the Texas Association of School Administrators and TASB collaborate to produce a transformative experience for board members, superintendents, and other school leaders. We have a short story about txEDCON24 in this issue and will take a deeper dive into the event as well as its history in the September-October issue of Texas Lone Star. Stay tuned.
Learning during the summer Summer does go by quickly and school districts don’t really slow down in June and July, though it is a good time to take stock and prepare for the exciting
year ahead. Still, I hope you had a chance to rest and recharge. I do know that many of you took the time to attend SLI, TASB’s flagship training conference. SLI offers an incredible range of speakers and programming designed to support the many aspects of board service. It was energizing and inspiring to sit in sessions and visit with trustees who all have this laser focus on what they can do to be better board members and to improve educational opportunities for their students. They came to learn. They showed up for the kids.
I took copious notes in the sessions I attended, especially one called More Than Words: Speak to Be Heard. It was presented by Robstown ISD, a district of about 2,500 students in South Texas.
Superintendent Marc Puig and trustees Larry Cantu Jr., Lori Garza, and Cezar Martinez discussed how effective board leadership involves good communication skills. And it is a skill, they emphasized, that doesn't always come naturally. But it can be learned.
It also was interesting to hear Robstown ISD leaders acknowledge their own learning curves when it came to listening more and talking less.
Puig identified three obstacles — he called them villains — to effective communications: ego, monotony, and complexity. Martinez candidly talked about how his ego used to prevail in official meetings; the “me monster,” he called it. But he added that attending an SLI conference helped change his thinking about his role as a board member and how he must advocate for his district’s students. That means “staying in your lane” and focusing on your own responsibilities.
The Robstown ISD team acknowledged that while they are not a perfect
board and they still have disagreements, they have worked on their communications skills and consensus-building strategies for the benefit of the children they serve. It was a powerful presentation, one to think about as we head into the new school year.
Legal and policy services
TASB staff members work hard to make sure SLI is a meaningful learning experience for members. Those efforts include presenting some sessions, including several by staff members from Legal Services and Policy Service.
This month’s story honoring TASB’s 75th anniversary focuses on Legal Services and Policy Service and how these two divisions help members better serve their students and surrounding communities. Policy and legal services were among the top priorities in the Association’s earliest days, and they now serve as core benefits to a TASB membership. That story begins on page 8.
I wish you all tremendous success this school year! Thank you for your service to your students and to public education in Texas.H
Laura Tolley is managing editor of Texas Lone Star
Laura Tolley
STRONG LOCAL GOVERNANCE
by Beth Griesmer and Leslie Trahan TASB LEGAL AND POLICY SERVICES EMPOWER MEMBERS
Editor’s note: In every issue of Texas Lone Star this year, the magazine will honor TASB’s 75th anniversary by writing about the positive impact the Association has had on Texas public schools through its high-quality services, visionary leadership, and skilled advocacy. Additionally, these articles will highlight the significant events, people, legislation, and issues that have shaped public education in Texas. Overall, these articles reflect how TASB and school leaders work hard together to promote educational excellence for all Texas schoolchildren.
Growing up in the small town of Sundown, Amanda Bigbee appreciated the education she received at the local school district, which had fewer than 500 students. At Sundown ISD, where her dad was a principal and chief financial officer, she fondly remembers how everyone went the extra mile to show students the world beyond West Texas with engaging curriculum and field trips.
“Having those roots made me even more excited to come to TASB,” said Bigbee, who joined the Association as the Policy Service division director in November 2023 after serving more than 15 years as general counsel at Keller ISD, a suburban North Texas district of about 34,000 students.
Through her personal and professional experiences, Bigbee has come to understand the needs of districts like little Sundown and growing Keller — and how TASB can help each district to better serve its students and surrounding communities. She also knows that district needs vary.
“The smaller districts don’t have the opportunity to have an in-house attorney or a policy contact specifically doing policy all day,” she said. “Knowing I can help them is so important to me.”
The Policy Service team works together on updating the policy manual in 1982.
Photo from TASB archives
As a key member of TASB’s Policy Service and Legal Services teams, Bigbee is part of a long legacy of providing support to member school boards dating back to the Association’s earliest years.
Priority services
James Redmond, who served as TASB president in 195254, talked about the importance of high-quality information concerning trends in education and legislation at the 1953 convention. TASB, he said, “offers the factual knowledge which enables a school board member to create a solid background for his actions. Through research and through the pooling of experiences, our Association gives to local school boards this information which would be too costly and too time-consuming for any individual school board to gather.”
Policy and legal services were among the top priorities in the Association’s earliest days, but those services both took on more significant roles in the 1970s.
In 1975, the 64th Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1126, requiring every district to be accredited through the Texas Education Agency by the 1977-78 school year. As part of this accreditation process, each school board was required to develop and codify policies that govern the district’s operations. Those policies then had to be shared with all school employees and the public.
This brought on a more significant role for Policy Service, which had largely been a legal information clearinghouse up until that time. Policy Service began creating the Policy Reference Manual, which addressed districts’ need for regulatory information and model policies to support local policy decisions. The manual premiered in the summer of 1976 with TASB’s distinctive and proprietary alpha coding system.
“Legal Services and Policy Service are really core to the benefits of a TASB membership,” said Dan Troxell, TASB executive director. “School boards and their districts can be assured they are receiving expert legal and policy information that can give them the tools to strengthen local governance. That’s been the goal from the beginning — to empower boards to make the best decisions for their school communities.”
The Policy Reference Manual represented a comprehensive catalog of statutory and case law passages affecting local governance and offered model local policies for districts to adapt to their own needs. Also in 1976, Policy Service staff
Legal Services read and categorized over 2,000 bills from the 88th Texas Legislature, summarizing and incorporating 264 bills that affected schools into policy and legal resources.
created the first localized policy manuals that were reviewed by TASB staff lawyers for 10 subscribing districts.
In 1977, the revised Policy Reference Manual was completed and sent to the 300 subscribing members, prompting significant changes in the way districts did business. The specificity of the policy manuals strengthened school board decision making and served as a source of information and transparency for the larger district community. District policy manuals maintained through TASB continue to provide vital information to the public about educational goals, parents' rights, and district priorities.
Working in tandem
The Legal Services division officially kicked off in January 1978, though staff attorneys had already been assisting Policy Service as legal reviewers. Gradually, members began to consult TASB attorneys on a variety of issues that required legal research, so Legal Services expanded to meet
Policy Online® is used by
1,015
school districts, three special districts (such as the School for the Deaf), the Harris County Department of Education, and 20 education service centers.
Jim Rice, who served as TASB president in 2020-21, speaks at txEDCON21.
Photo by TASB Media Services
those needs. Attorneys would receive five to eight telephone calls daily from members. Today, that number has increased exponentially. The Legal Services team fielded more than 3,200 calls in the past year, while also presenting at workshops and writing summaries of important legal developments.
The work of Legal Services spikes during a legislative year with a thorough review of every bill passed by the state legislature, even those that may not seem focused on public education at first glance. The goal is to identify any potential impacts and communicate those insights to school attorneys and district leaders across the state.
“Our members can be assured that we are doing a comprehensive legal review and identifying any items that could have an impact at the district level,” said TASB Education Counsel Joy Baskin. “We know districts don’t have the time or money to hire outside attorneys to do this work, so subscribing to TASB Legal Services provides this benefit."
In 2023, the team reviewed 264 bills from the 88th Texas Legislature and drafted two comprehensive guides to provide TASB members and school officials a way to stay ahead of legislative changes and mandates. In addition to written resources, the Legal Services team offers post-legislative training for school attorneys that provides a deep dive into the legislative session, as well as an opportunity for attendees to connect and discuss critical school law issues across Texas.
Bigbee said when she was at Keller ISD, attending the post-legislative seminar provided valuable insights and
connections that helped her give the best possible support to her district.
“We could go back to our districts in a way you absolutely could not do on your own,” she said. “It enabled you to get to a place where you could implement new policies and regulations by September 1 that would be impossible otherwise.”
Additional support and training
In addition to the post-legislative seminar, Legal Services and Policy Service provide training and updates for board members and administrators throughout the year. The Legal and Policy teams present at TASB signature events, including txEDCON and Summer Leadership Institute. Legal Services also hosts its own annual training event, the Fall Legal Seminars, which are held at locations across the state. To ensure geography is never a barrier to participation, the teams also participate in Spring Workshops held every year in locations across Texas.
In the past year, TASB Legal Services has received more than
3,200 calls on topics ranging from school district personnel to student discipline and from open meetings to school district elections.
Policy Service Division Director Amanda Bigbee, pictured center in the green Policy Service t-shirt, is surrounded by her team at a TASB event in January.
Photo by TASB Media Services
“Legal and policy updates are some of the most popular sessions we offer at TASB events,” said TASB Assistant Director of Meeting and Event Planning Jackie Clark Spencer. “Our participating members rely on the expertise they get at these sessions to make informed decisions back home.”
Although trustees and district leaders are key audiences for TASB policy and legal sessions, the teams also spend time with administrative assistants who serve boards and superintendents. Legal and policy topics are popular at the TASB Conference for Administrative Professionals, held twice each year.
“I feel more confident going home and taking care of my job responsibilities,” said Rebecca Furlough, who was new to her role this year as administrative assistant to the superintendent at Terrell ISD-Kaufman County, a district of 5,000 students east of Dallas. She attended her first TASB conference in February and said she particularly appreciated the insights from the sessions on top legal questions and the fundamentals of district policy.
Legal Services also provides guidance and connections for school attorneys across the state via the Texas Council of School Attorneys, developed in 1978. Made up of attorneys who represent Texas public school districts, the goal of the CSA is to improve Texas public education by creating connections among school district attorneys. Training and events give way to discussions on school law and the sharing of practices and ideas.
“You can’t really be a school lawyer without being in the CSA,” said Bigbee. “They provide so many resources and allow for alignment within the state. I can’t imagine trying to practice without the tools they provide.”
Critical resources
By 1981, Legal Services had expanded to provide publications on vital topics such as student discipline, employee
Policy Service subscribers include 1,019
school districts, special school districts (such as the Texas School for the Deaf and the University of Texas online high school), and the Harris County Department of Education.
Between Aug. 1, 2023, and June 10, 2024, Policy Service processed
1,787 updates to local district policies.
rights, and school district governance, and published a monthly newsletter.
Today, these resources and those produced by Policy Service continue to provide critical insights for school board members, administrators, and school attorneys across Texas. The Model Student Handbook is updated by Policy Service before each school year begins to help districts stay current with changes in state regulations and state and federal laws. Policy Service also publishes a Model Student Code of Conduct to help school boards meet the legal requirement to adopt and publicize a student code of conduct for the district annually.
School Law eSource, maintained and updated by TASB Legal Services, is an online database of more than 200 resources on dedicated school law topics. This library, along with School Law Update, the division’s monthly newsletter that provides updates on relevant court cases
TASB Education Counsel Joy Baskin leads a session during Governance Camp
Photo by TASB Media Services
across the country, helps school attorneys keep up to date with trends and issues related to school law.
For rural schools, which make up the majority of districts in Texas, resources like these are essential. Many smaller districts are unable to afford an in-house attorney and rely on TASB’s legal and policy resources to inform critical decisions.
Another way Legal Services provides assistance to smaller districts is by offering telephone consultations for school board members and administrators across the state.
“A distinguishing feature that TASB established from the beginning is that there is a confidential relationship between Legal Services and TASB members,” said Baskin. “Legal Services was established to provide legal advice to school boards and their administrators, not to represent TASB. We are here to help our members.”
Along with confidential legal advice from Legal
90%
Services’ attorneys, Policy Review Sessions administered by the Policy Service team help districts keep their policy manuals aligned, an especially useful service for districts that are unable to employ a dedicated policy contact.
“The value of TASB Policy Service is in the personalization and care each policy consultant provides,” said Bigbee.
Supporting local governance
Another valuable resource provided by TASB is Policy Online®, which revolutionized policy development and accessibility for school districts by centralizing policies into a digital platform. Developed over time from single-computer software to harnessing the power of the internet, Policy Online makes it easier for districts to access, update, and customize policies according to their needs. Used by more than a thousand districts and all 20 education service centers, it streamlined the policy work, saving time and
TASB School
eSource had more than
75,000 views in 2023.
Legal Services staff dress up during txEDCON to update members on the latest educational laws in a crowd-favorite presentation at convention each year.
Photo by TASB Media Services
TASB Legal Services’ Texas Council of School Attorneys represents over
of the school districts in Texas.
Law
Between Aug. 1, 2023, and June 10, 2024, Policy Service conducted
review sessions
resources for administrators and ensuring consistency and compliance across districts.
“The cost saving Policy Online provided districts was significant,” said Gail Ayers, who retired this year after 47 years with Policy Service. “Not only did it save districts copying costs and staff hours necessary to sustain a large number of hard-copy manuals, but it also saved time in finding the right policy with no more uncertainty about whether the policy manual you’re looking at has been correctly maintained.”
New information is provided in numbered updates, which are issued twice a year to help districts comply with changes in laws and regulations. Ayers was at TASB when the first numbered update went out in 1977, and she retired as the Policy Service assistant director as update 123 was releasing in May.
Policy Service and Legal Services constantly monitor recent changes in state and federal law, court cases, and decisions by the attorney general and the commissioner of education to determine policy implications and prepare recommended revisions to district policy manuals.
“Since 1949, when they were incorporated, [TASB has] taken all the legislative laws that have been passed since that time and codified them into the legal policy that every school district must adhere to,” said Jim Rice, a former Fort Bend ISD trustee who served on the TASB board of directors from 2012 to 2022, including as president in 2020-21.
“Now, TASB didn’t write the law, they codified the law and have organized it so it’s a good reference material.” From there, it is up to districts to tweak and make changes to TASB’s proposed local policy language to fit their own school district priorities, said Rice.
Both these foundational TASB services have supported districts through pivotal times over the Association’s long history — from significant school finance changes to natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina to the pandemic.
“I see things from the district side of the story,” Bigbee said. “TASB provides legal support, innovation in policy services, and unwavering dedication to the betterment of schools across the state.”H
Beth Griesmer and Leslie Trahan are staff writers for Texas Lone Star
Legal Assistance Fund
Developed in December 1980, the TASB Legal Assistance Fund was created to lend support to school districts challenged on issues of statewide significance. A joint effort by TASB, the Texas Council of School Attorneys, and the Texas Association of School Administrators, the program started with 80 members, each contributing $200 into a fund.
The Legal Assistance Fund is administered by a seven-member board of trustees made up of TASB’s president, president-elect, and a vice president; the president and president-elect of the Texas Association of School Administrators; and the chair and vice chair of the Texas Council of School Attorneys. The TASB president serves as chair.
Patterned after similar programs in other states, the Legal Assistance Fund in its infancy was able to fund briefs in a few cases involving student discipline and the education of students with disabilities. As membership and the fund grew, so too did the grants for assistance.
In most legal proceedings, the Legal Assistance Fund provides assistance in the form of an amicus curiae, or “friend of the court,” brief. An amicus brief explains to the court why a school district’s legal position should prevail and how the court’s decision will affect other Texas school districts.
LAF’s briefs are written by highly qualified and knowledgeable school attorneys from across the state. These briefs have played an important role in the outcome of several significant court cases affecting public schools.
Over the years, the Legal Assistance Fund has filed hundreds of briefs on diverse topics affecting public schools, including cases involving student discipline, school finance, teacher contracts, First Amendment rights, and numerous other issues.
More than 75% of Texas school districts currently participate in the LAF.
Showing Up Matters
Attendance drives student success and state funding
by Sylvia Wood
As the new school year kicks off, there’s not a public school district in Texas where administrators won’t be carefully tracking student attendance.
Not only do higher absences equal poorer student outcomes, but they also amount to fewer dollars for school districts – often, more than $45 per child for every day missed.
“People think that a few days missed here and there doesn’t really matter,” said Jamey Hynds, Katy ISD assistant superintendent of Finance. “But it adds up — both from a learning and a financial perspective.”
At this large, high-achieving district just west of Houston, Katy ISD is working hard to change the bottom line. For the second year in a row, the district is embarking on a strategic attendance campaign to encourage students to come to school every day and not miss out on critical instruction time. At the same time, the district will be leveraging one of the only ways it can increase its state funding, which is driven in Texas by a district’s average daily attendance.
“Texas is one of the few states in the country that funds its schools using average daily attendance,” said TASB Executive Director Dan Troxell. “So, there’s more incentive than ever, especially now with many districts facing financial challenges and budget pressures, to ensure kids come to school every day. It makes a difference both in academic achievement and in making sure districts are maximizing the revenue they need to support strong instruction.”
Attendance has been an issue for many districts since the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the state, the percentage of chronically absent students — characterized as students who miss at least 10% of class, or about 18 days a year — rose to about 15% in 2019-20. That increased to 26% during the 2021-22 school year, according to the most recent Federal Report Card data released by the Texas Education Agency.
Across the country, educators and policymakers are grappling with how to get kids back in school. National data show that nearly 14.7 million students, or nearly 30%, were chronically absent in the 2021-22 school year. The jump in absences means that roughly 6.5 million more students were missing 10% or more of school days, compared with the school year prior to the pandemic.
“Chronic absence doubled nearly everywhere in the United States for every district, state, and student group,” said Hedy Chang, executive director of Attendance Works, a national and state level initiative aimed at advancing student success by addressing chronic absence. “The amount of time spent in remote learning does not explain the significant increases, though at the margins it might explain a small amount. I don’t think anyone foresaw how much chronic absence would increase, across the board, and also be slow to reverse.”
She noted that absenteeism doesn’t just impact the students who are missing school. “It makes it harder for teachers to teach, since they have to repeat lessons, and set classroom norms. It also makes it harder for students to learn,” Chang said. She added that recent research also shows that, “when absenteeism occurs, it makes peers more likely to miss school for the next few days.”
Focusing on attendance
Katy ISD, a suburban district of more than 96,000 students, has not had the same drop in attendance that many other districts across the state and nation have seen. Yet the decision by
Research shows that students who feel welcomed on campus every day are more likely to show up.
Photos courtesy of KATY ISD
the district and its school board in 2023 to focus on attendance was in recognition that moving the needle, even just a little bit, could result in big gains, both academically and financially.
“Getting our attendance rate up is an investment in our students and our district,” said Chris Smith, Katy ISD’s chief financial officer. “Mainly, we wanted our kids to come to school and learn.”
In recognition of the importance of attendance, the district launched an attendance campaign ahead of the 2023-24 school year that set goals for each of its 74 schools and then incentivized each campus to improve against those benchmarks.
For Katy ISD, the COVID-related drop in attendance was less than the rest of the state at about 2%, but it was still higher than acceptable.
“We all know that the best place for a student to be is in the classroom learning,” Ronnie Edwards, Katy ISD’s assistant superintendent for School Leadership and Support, told the board of trustees in June 2023. “Attendance is a powerful predictor of student outcomes.”
In that board meeting, district administrators presented a plan to incentivize attendance, not only as a way to encourage campuses to support student success, but also to ensure they
have the maximum state funding to do that work. That incentive included an allocation to campus instructional budgets for those schools that hit their attendance goals.
As Smith later noted, “School districts can’t control their revenue. You can have a VATRE (Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election), and you can improve your attendance.”
Analyzing, reacting, encouraging
What followed in Katy ISD was an intensive focus on attendance that had principals and campus administrators analyzing and reacting to their daily numbers in real time, using a customized dashboard. Principals were encouraged to come up with their own specific raffles and celebrations to encourage students to show up. The central office supported the work by raising overall awareness about the importance of daily attendance among families and students with a broad communications campaign.
When leaders spotted data patterns or trends with specific students, steps were taken to address the problem, including family calls and visits. If the entire district saw a dip in attendance related to weather or other external factors, they considered whether to follow up with a request for a state waiver.
Katy ISD’s strategic attendance campaign includes a focus on making sure that all students know they will be missed if they don’t come to school and that they will miss out on fun activities. Library visits are a popular activity for elementary students.
“Every principal and their leadership were looking at the dashboard every day,” Hynds said. “Our assistant superintendents were laser focused on attendance and working with the campuses to support that work. It was about increasing awareness among everyone to understand the importance of daily attendance.”
Those efforts yielded a nearly 0.7% improvement in the district’s ADA attendance rate during the 2023-24 school year, amounting to more than 600 additional kids on campus each day and saving the district more than $4 million in lost revenue.
The improvements in ADA marked the first time in five years that Katy ISD had seen a year-over-year increase in attendance percentages.
“As a school district that already has high attendance rates, being able to improve at this level is phenomenal and shows how much work our campuses, parents, and students put into making this happen,” Edwards said. “We have no doubt that this level of success is going to turn into better outcomes for our students.”
A long-term effort
As the district readies for another school year, there’s recognition that ongoing attendance gains will be increasingly harder to make. Yet that’s not deterring Katy ISD from continuing to emphasize attendance as a districtwide priority for the 2024-25 school year.
“Although we have some campuses that will continue to improve, there are also some that will struggle to earn incentives because their attendance rates are so high,” Hynds said. “Our plan is to adjust the attendance incentive so it remains relevant to every campus, regardless of their current attendance rate. This is a long-term initiative, and our goal is to keep everyone engaged in getting our kids to class every day.”H
Studies show that children who miss too many days of school in kindergarten and first grade have more trouble learning how to read. By sixth grade, chronic absence indicates a higher risk of dropping out.
Three Key Facts About School Attendance
1. Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the year. Half the students who miss two to four days in September go on to miss nearly a month in that school year.
2. By sixth grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
3. Research shows that missing 10% of the school year, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance.
Source: Attendance Works
% Average Daily Attendance
Katy ISD % ADA
State % ADA
Source: Katy ISD
Sylvia Wood is a staff writer for Texas Lone Star.
Making Attendance a Priority
For other districts looking at attendance as a strategic priority, here are some tips and best practices based on the Katy ISD experience that may be helpful:
1. Be transparent with staff and parents to encourage buy-in and participation.
After getting approval from the Katy ISD Board, administrators worked collaboratively with campus leaders to help them understand each school’s attendance benchmarks and to provide ongoing support in understanding the dashboard data and leveraging it in real time.
Since campus staff were often making calls to parents, there was an emphasis on communicating “why” attendance is so important for student success. Families generally are less motivated to hear that attendance can cost a district’s bottom line, but they do care if their student is at risk of falling behind academically, losing class credit, or getting involved in a truancy court.
2. Leverage technology to track attendance trends and take action.
As a large district, Katy ISD was able to use the talents of its technology department to help customize a dashboard for tracking ADA each day and using a software solution provided by RaaWee Attendance+. Not every district will have the resources to make that investment, but other attendance accounting systems can be just as effective as long as they encourage both district and campus leaders to track, analyze, and respond to patterns and trends in real time.
The key is to encourage daily interaction with the attendance data at both the campus and district level so that appropriate follow up is happening, whether it’s phoning parents, identifying specific student needs, or determining whether external factors may warrant a state waiver request.
3. Incentivize success for campus leaders and students.
Katy ISD schools that were able to meet their ADA goals for each semester benefitted directly with an allocation to their campus budgets that could be used for instructional purposes, including tutoring, professional development, or other student-focused activities. This approach to sharing the increased funding related to ADA improvements went a long way to encouraging the campuses to participate and invest the time and resources to push for positive progress.
Campuses were also encouraged to celebrate their students with perfect attendance every two to three weeks with raffles of community-sponsored gift cards from popular places like Chick-fil-A or Starbucks.
Throughout the year, the schools also took other steps to share improvements, including posting daily attendance updates visible to staff and communicating positive attendance messages.
4. Create a campus climate where students know they’ll be missed if they don’t show up.
Even more important than incentives is creating a positive campus climate that encourages students to come to school.
That involves staff and teachers getting to know their students and families by name so they feel welcome, valued, and an integral part of the school community. If a student misses a day of school, reach out to find out why. When school staff show they care, it can make a big difference in attendance.
Advocating for Rural Schools
Organization works to help students in small districts
by Theresa Gage-Dieringer
With an extensive background in public education and a passion for rural schools, Randy Willis took on the role of executive director of the Texas Association of Rural Schools about a year ago. But he has been committed to rural schools for a long time.
Before joining TARS, Willis was superintendent at Granger ISD for nine years. He retired in 2021 and became a field service consultant for the Region 13 Education Service Center.
Willis was one of five superintendents to serve on the Accountability Policy Advisory Committee to the commissioner of education at the Texas Education Agency. In that role, he represented the interests of rural districts as he helped shape overall assessment and accountability policies for eight years. He also was president of the Texas Rural Education Association [a different organization from TARS] in 2020-21.
He has been recognized on the national level for his innovative approaches to education, which include showing that rural schools can be innovative and high achieving as a case study highlighted by Johns Hopkins University in 2017.
At TARS, he works to further the association’s mission to empower rural education and uphold the distinct identity of rural communities and their schools while highlighting their indispensable role in developing the foundations of the next generation of Texans.
Texas has more than 2,000 campuses classified as being in rural areas, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. Texas has more schools in rural areas than any other state, with more than 20% of campuses located in rural areas. Some 900,000 Texas public education students attend rural schools.
Rural schools face unique funding and teaching challenges, and TARS is dedicated to helping them succeed.
TARS, representing 375 public school districts in the state, advocates for equitable educational opportunities, resources, and support for these rural schools to ensure that all students receive a quality education regardless of their geographic location. Over the years, TARS has grown into
a respected voice among state leadership. Through testifying before committees and directly interacting with legislators, the association has been at the forefront of representing the interests of rural schools.
Texas Lone Star talked to Willis about TARS and his goals. His responses have been condensed and edited.
Q: What brought rural schools together to form their own association?
A: The concept of an association dedicated to the needs of Texas rural schools was formed in 1990 during a spirited discussion among several dedicated superintendents who recognized a growing need for these districts to have a stronger voice at the state level. Officially called the Texas Association of Rural Schools, the organization was established with a focus on districts that had an average daily attendance of 1,600 or fewer students and were deeply connected to the agricultural economy. The mission was clear: safeguard the future of small schools.
Q: What’s the most challenging issue(s) rural school districts face today?
A: Many rural districts in Texas struggle to recruit and retain qualified teachers. The factors contributing to this issue include lower base salaries, limited local teacher supply, geographic and social isolation, and increased workloads.
These challenges have led to high turnover rates and a reliance on unlicensed teachers. Nearly 75% of new hires in rural areas for the 2023-24 school year were unlicensed. Additionally, rural districts start beginning teacher salaries with an average of $15,000 to as much as $27,000 less than larger, better-funded suburban and urban school districts.
Rural schools often lack access to essential resources and technology. The Texas Rural Schools Task Force has highlighted the need for better resource allocation and the use of technology to support rural education.
The legislative landscape also poses challenges for rural schools. Efforts to pass school voucher programs have been met with strong opposition from rural districts because we fear that these programs would divert much-needed funds away from
public schools. The ongoing debate and lack of resolution on this issue creates uncertainty and hinders the ability of rural schools to plan and allocate resources effectively.
Q: How do rural schools address these challenges?
A: We want to raise existing teacher salaries in rural districts to make these positions more competitive. Salary incentives also can help retain teachers for longer periods. One of the best strategies available in terms of potential state legislation is to increase the state minimum for beginning salaries for teachers.
In addition, enhancing the working environment and providing better support can help retain teachers. This includes reducing class sizes, offering professional development opportunities, and improving school facilities. An increase in the small school adjustment allotment could significantly help our rural school districts improve their working conditions.
Other efforts that can have a positive impact include partnering with universities to fund rural teacher preparation programs to help create a pipeline of well-trained teachers. This approach aims to reduce reliance on alternatively certified teachers, who are less likely to stay beyond five years. In addition, reducing the cost of obtaining a teaching certification and offering tuition loans can attract professionals from other fields into teaching. Offering additional pay to teachers to work in the most challenging or isolated settings in Texas can make these positions more attractive.
Programs like the Rural Education Achievement Program
Randy Willis, executive director of the Texas Association of Rural Schools
Photo courtesy of the Texas Association of Rural Schools
provide supplemental funding to help rural districts address local academic needs and increase student achievement. These programs offer greater flexibility in the use of federal resources, allowing districts to allocate funds where they are most needed. An increase in the small-school allotment would significantly help rural school districts across the state.
Rural districts have been advocating for legislative changes to address funding inequities. This includes pushing for adjustments in the school finance system to ensure more accurate property value assessments and equitable distribution of state funds.
Engaging the community and state leaders in understanding the unique challenges rural districts face can help garner support for necessary funding and policy changes. This includes highlighting the critical role rural schools play in their communities and the broader state education system.
Addressing the challenges of teacher recruitment, retention, and financial inequities in Texas rural schools requires a multifaceted approach. By implementing targeted salary incentives, improving working conditions, enhancing teacher preparation programs, and advocating for equitable funding, rural districts can better support their educators and students. These efforts are crucial for ensuring that rural students receive
a quality education and that rural communities remain vibrant and sustainable.
Q: TARS has worked on multiple efforts to help rural districts. For example, when Senate Bill 1525 took away Career and Technical Education funding for rural districts, TARS was instrumental in getting the funding reinstated. What advocacy efforts did TARS implement to make that happen?
A: In September 2019, TARS became aware of a funding glitch that limited CTE funding of schools with 800 and below student enrollment. TARS actively engaged with state legislators to highlight the importance of CTE funding for rural schools. The organization provided testimonies and data to demonstrate how the loss of funding would negatively impact rural students’ access to essential CTE programs. Former Executive Director Mike Lee, Leigh Ann Glaze (TARS operations director), and Past President Aaron Hood all played a critical leadership role for the TARS legislative effort in 2019.
TARS also built coalitions with other education organizations, school districts, and community stakeholders to create a unified voice advocating for the reinstatement of CTE funding. This collective effort helped amplify their message and garner broader support.
TARS facilitated direct communication between rural school
Officers and regional directors gathered in July 2023 for a leadership retreat at Schreiner University in Kerrville.
Attendees at the joint TARS/Texas Association of Midsize Schools Legislative Conference in December socialized at lunch in Georgetown.
TARS offers team-of-eight training to its members. TARS Executive Director Randy Willis facilitated a session for Thorndale ISD in July 2023.
meetings and discussions where educators could share firsthand experiences and the impact of funding cuts on their programs.
As a result of these comprehensive advocacy efforts, TARS was successful in getting the CTE funding reinstated for rural districts in 2019. This reinstatement ensured that rural students continued to have access to valuable CTE opportunities, which are essential for their academic and professional development.
These efforts underscore the importance of organized advocacy and the impact that a dedicated organization like TARS can have on shaping education policy to benefit rural communities.
Q: Suburban and urban residents may not have much exposure to rural districts. What would you tell them about rural districts and why it’s important to help them?
A: I love talking about the importance of rural school districts and rural communities in Texas! They play a vital role in the state’s economy and overall well-being, making it crucial for suburban and urban residents to understand and support them. Rural areas are essential for Texas’ agricultural production, energy extraction, and manufacturing sectors, contributing billions to the state’s economy annually. The success of rural communities, and that includes the school districts, directly impacts the state’s ability to meet global demands for crops, livestock, oil and gas, petrochemicals, high-tech manufacturing, and other domestic and international goods.
Rural students, comprising 37% of Texas’ student population, will play a crucial role in the state’s future workforce. Ensuring rural students receive quality education is essential to developing a skilled labor force to sustain key industries.
In addition, many of Texas’ most beautiful natural areas and cultural attractions are located in rural regions. Preserving rural communities helps maintain the state’s rich heritage and tourism appeal.
By understanding the importance of rural schools and the unique challenges they face, suburban and urban residents can better appreciate the need for targeted support and advocacy efforts. Investing in rural education is an investment in the future economic prosperity, workforce development, and cultural preservation of our great state.
Learn more about TARS at tarsed.org H
Photos courtesy of the Texas Association of Rural Schools
Members of TARS and TAMS leadership teams attended the joint Legislative Conference in December.
Commissioner of Education Mike Morath, TARS Executive Director Randy Willis, and State Board of Education Chair Keven Ellis were panelists at the TARS/TAMS Legislative Conference in December.
Social Media and Trustees
New state guidelines bring policy updates
by TASB Legal Services
Texas school board members often use social media to promote their platforms, inform the electorate, and communicate accomplishments while in office. As courts grow more sophisticated in their analysis of the law that applies to each type of social media platform, it’s important for trustees to understand the following guidelines when they use their professional and personal accounts.
Generally speaking:
• A personal account should remain personal. Don’t use the account to talk about school board election activities or district business in an official capacity.
• If you launched a campaign account while running for office and want to maintain it for future elections, don’t use the account to discuss officeholder activities or transact district business.
If the platform allows, you may identify a social media account as either a personal or campaign account, reserving all rights to determine the account’s content and directing individuals who want to interact with you in an official capacity to another means of communication. To avoid confusion, be clear and consistent with your use of each type of account.
Social media and free speech
In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court decided a case involving the First Amendment’s application to interactions between a local government official and members of the public on the official’s Facebook page. James Freed maintained a public Facebook page that identified
him as the city manager of Port Huron, Michigan. He used the page primarily for posts related to his personal life, including bible verses, home improvement updates, and pictures of his dog and daughter. He also posted about his job. For example, he shared news about city projects, highlighted communications from other city officials, and sometimes solicited opinions from the public.
During the pandemic, citizen Kevin Lindke commented on one of Freed’s posts, saying that the city’s response to COVID-19 was “abysmal.” Freed deleted the comment and eventually blocked Lindke. Lindke sued Freed, arguing that Freed had violated his right to free speech under the First Amendment. According to Lindke, Freed’s social-media activity constituted state action because Freed’s Facebook page looked and functioned “like an outlet for city updates and citizen concerns.”
The court found that Freed’s conduct could not be attributable to the state unless he was “possessed of state authority” to post city updates and register citizen concerns: “When a government official posts about job-related topics on social media, it can be difficult to tell whether the speech is official or private. We hold that such speech is attributable to the State only if the official (1) possessed actual authority to speak on the State’s behalf, and (2) purported to exercise that authority when he spoke on social media.” Lindke v. Freed, No. 22-611, 2024 WL 1120880 (Mar. 15, 2024).
Freed’s page was not identified as either “personal” or “official,” making its legal status ambiguous. The court noted that if he had used a disclaimer (e.g., “the views expressed are strictly my own”) he would have been entitled to a heavy presumption that he was acting in a private capacity.
Public vs. private
The Lindke case clarifies that a privately owned social media account is not converted into public property just because the account is maintained by a public official. Unfortunately, applying this standard to a Texas school board member’s social media account is not straightforward. Until there is legal precedent established that is more directly on point, here are some guidelines for keeping a private account clearly private.
Don’t use school district resources to create or maintain the account: The Texas attorney general has indicated in informal
rulings regarding information requested under the Texas Public Information Act that he does not consider a social media account to be public information if:
• The account is a personal account maintained in the official’s private capacity;
• The account is maintained and managed solely as a private citizen;
• Information on the account was not created or maintained in connection with the transaction of official business; and
• The governmental body did not maintain, own, spend public funds on, or otherwise have access to the account in a manner different from the general public.
Tex. Att’y Gen. OR2019-01708 (2019); Tex. Att’y Gen. OR2019-14729 (2019).
Add a disclaimer: As explained above, the court observed that if a public official’s account has a label (e.g., “this is my personal page”) or a disclaimer (e.g., “the views expressed are strictly my own”), courts should presume all posts on the page are personal.
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Redirect inquiries about school district business: Even if an account purports to be personal, if a public official uses the account to transact public business, the platform can be considered a “mixed use”— a place where some posts are in the official’s personal capacity and others are in the official’s official capacity. To avoid this confusion, do not initiate official actions or announcements on your personal account. If members of the public attempt to reach you to transact official business, direct them to an official district account (or person) or to your officeholder account or email.
Informally forwarding school district announcements is still private: The court in Lindke distinguished a governmental use of a social media platform (a mayor making an announcement on behalf of the city that is released solely on social media) from a private use (a city official forwarding the city’s official announcement to his “friends”).
Use only private resources to create and maintain a personal campaign account: Public dollars can never be used for political advertising. Tex. Elec. Code § 255.003.
Like all citizens, individual board members may voice their opinions about matters of public concern, whether that occurs in a formal letter to the editor or an informal social media post. But just because a board member has a legal right to say something online doesn’t always mean it’s a good idea. More guidelines for Texas school board members using social media can be found at TASB School Law eSource. Visit tasb.org/resources/ esource and search the eSource index for Social Media Guidelines for School Board Members H
This article is provided for educational purposes and contains information to facilitate a general understanding of the law. References to judicial or other official proceedings are intended to be a fair and impartial account of public records, which may contain allegations that are not true. This article is not an exhaustive treatment of the law, nor is it intended to substitute for the advice of an attorney. Consult your own attorney to apply these legal principles to specific fact situations.
2024
FALL LEGAL SEMINARS
» Thursday, November 7, 2024 Abilene - Region 14 Education Service Center » Tuesday, November 12, 2024 Tyler - Holiday Inn Tyler Conference Center » Wednesday, November 13, 2024 Waco - Cambria Hotel Waco University Riverfront » Saturday, November 16, 2024 South Padre Island - Courtyard by Marriott South Padre Island
Charting Our Course
Trustees help shape Advocacy Agenda
by Dax González
This summer has been busy for trustees and their boards. There were graduation ceremonies, tough budget discussions, and planning efforts for the upcoming school year. Amid those joyous occasions and difficult conversations, some boards and individual trustees also have been working hard to help shape the TASB Advocacy Agenda priorities and resolutions that will serve as the Association’s legislative program through the upcoming session.
Back on June 13, about 75 members of TASB’s Legislative Advisory Council (LAC) gathered to finalize their priority statement recommendations. They spent about two hours considering important education issues such as school funding, teacher retention, school safety, and local governance of schools.
LAC had first met in April to develop a draft list of priority statements, and
members spent their second meeting in June reviewing those statements and voting on a draft to send to the TASB Board for review. In late September, TASB’s Delegate Assembly will have the opportunity to review, amend, and adopt the statements that will become TASB’s priorities in the 2024-2026 Advocacy Agenda.
Legislative committee members
At the June meeting, LAC also elected four representatives who will sit on the TASB Legislative Committee to ensure that LAC’s voice is conveyed throughout the process:
• Trish Bode, Leander ISD
• Shameria “Ann” Davis, Copperas Cove ISD
• Daniella Lopez Valdez, Brownsville ISD
• Heather Sheffield, Eanes ISD
Annual call for resolutions
At the same time, local school boards were submitting proposed resolutions to be included in TASB’s Advocacy Agenda. While priorities direct TASB’s legislative efforts, resolutions help the Association respond to issues that are not specifically addressed in the priorities.
About 25 school boards submitted more than 150 resolutions during TASB’s annual call for resolutions this year. The resolutions address issues ranging from
It’s not a meeting.
making connections.
specific needs like funding schools based on student enrollment instead of average daily attendance to issues surrounding school staffing. The TASB Board will present recommendations to the TASB Delegate Assembly for consideration in September, and those recommendations will be presented in the TASB Delegate
Handbook for review by delegates and alternates.
Delegate Assembly meeting
Delegates from around the state will meet September 28 in San Antonio to review and discuss the proposed priorities and resolutions before amending and finally adopting them.
It is important to note that every school board that is a member of TASB is invited, and strongly encouraged, to send a delegate to serve as its voice at the Assembly. This is your opportunity to have a say in the direction of TASB’s advocacy efforts and to elect the leadership of the Association.
Boards should appoint their delegates and alternates according to who would be the best fit — and that means sometimes selecting a trustee with the experience to represent the district’s students and interests. Directions for selecting delegates are posted at tasb.org/delegate.
TASB relies on member boards sending delegates to the Assembly and engaging in our Advocacy Agenda process so that we can best represent you and all of our members who count on us to effectively advocate that agenda at the Texas Capitol and beyond. Join us and make your voice heard!
If you have questions about the process, reach out to me at 800-580-4885 or dax.gonzalez@tasb.org H
TASB’s Executive Search Services is currently accepting applications for the positions listed below:
Waco ISD: Superintendent Deadline: August 8
Mathis ISD: Superintendent Deadline: TBD
Lipan ISD: Superintendent Deadline: TBD
For information about vacancies or services provided by TASB’s Executive Search Services, call 800-580-8272, email executive.search@tasb.org.
Dax González is division director of TASB Governmental Relations.
Delegates vote on an issue at last year’s Delegate Assembly in Dallas. This year’s Assembly will be held September 28 in San Antonio.
Photo by TASB Media Services
Leadership TASB
Celebrating the Class of 2024 Master Trustees
by Mary Ann Lopez
LEADERSHIP TASB
Editor’s note: Leadership TASB is a unique board development program designed to take experienced board members to a new level of service and leadership by introducing them to a variety of issues, people, activities, and locations. These columns are written by class members and track the group’s progress.
After a year of hard work and deep dives into education advocacy and board governance, the 33 members of the Leadership TASB Class of 2024 celebrated at a special graduation ceremony held June 21 during Summer Leadership Institute in Fort Worth.
The board members, who hail from districts large and small across Texas, successfully completed the rigorous program, earning the title of Master Trustee. They now join the ranks of the more than 1,000 Texas board members who have participated in the leadership training program in its more than 30-year history.
The event was hosted by the LTASB Alumni Association to honor the trustees for demonstrating leadership in promoting educational excellence while enhancing student outcomes through exceptional governance and policy development.
Shelli Conway, an Anna ISD trustee, member of LTASB Class of 2020, and the 2024 board president of the LTASB Alumni Association was the emcee for the evening.
“For these trustees, tonight actually celebrates a beginning and not an end,” Conway said. “Tonight is a commencement, the beginning or start of something
new. Your journey as local guardians of the education of Texas schoolchildren takes a turn tonight, and there are more than 5.5 million children counting on you.”
The graduates were joined by family, friends, and fellow board members, who were dressed to impress at the festive event, which included a graduation ceremony, dinner, and dancing. TASB President Armando Rodriguez, Canutillo ISD’s board president and a member of the LTASB Class of 2012; Debbie Gillespie, TASB’s Immediate Past President, a former Frisco ISD trustee, and a member of the LTASB Class of 2014; and Mary Jane Hetrick, a Dripping Springs ISD trustee, TASB Board Secretary, and a member of the LTASB Class of 2017, were among the many special guests in attendance.
During the ceremony, Robert Long, III, LTASB program director and director of Board Development Services, recounted the journey the trustees went on over the year.
“They have pushed boundaries, transcended challenges, and exceeded expectations in fulfilling the requirements set forth by our program,” Long said. “With remarkable dedication they have embraced our vision to cultivate leaders who champion public education and who seek innovative solutions to the complexities facing our schools today.”
The LTASB Class of 2024 met for the first time in September 2023 at txEDCON23 in Dallas. Participants in LTASB are chosen through a competitive application process with a maximum of 36 trustees selected each year based on criteria including dedication to board service and participation within their school districts and communities. Over the year-long program, which included four visits to locations across the state, trustees learned about innovative education programs, gained deeper knowledge of board governance, and learned how to advocate on behalf of their districts.
“I came in knowing it would be an incredible learning experience, not only about board roles and responsibilities but also connecting with the other trustees,” said Georgetown ISD Trustee Stephanie Blanck, adding that through the LTASB field trips the trustees bonded and be-
came closer while exploring how districts were supporting all of their students. She would return to her district ready to share what she learned with her superintendent and CTE director. “I’d say, look what they did. ... We are responsible for every child in the state, so advocacy and being a strong advocate for every child, I knew that was important.”
In the second field trip, trustees made visits to El Paso and Canutillo ISDs. During the third gathering, they traveled to the Coastal Bend, making a visit to the King Ranch and its on-site campus at Santa Getrudis ISD, along with stops at Gregory-Portland and Kingsville ISDs. The Houston region was the final stop for the Class of 2024, where they visited Katy and Fort Bend ISDs.
Paul Zoch, a Bridge City ISD board member, said he knew the program would revolve around leadership, but when he was accepted,
A: Natasha McDaniel, of Spring ISD, center, poses with fellow trustees while showing off her Leadership TASB certificate during the festivities.
B: LTASB Class of 2024 members pose for a photo during the graduation ceremony. Included in the photo is class member Paola Gonzalez, a Pasadena ISD trustee, far left, with her service dog Gonzo.
C: LTASB Class of 2024 member Paul Zoch, center, a Bridge City ISD trustee, poses with his fellow board members during the graduation celebration.
D: Eladio Jaimez, second from left, a Harlingen ISD trustee and member of the LTASB Class of 2024, takes part in the graduation celebration with other trustees, including TASB President Armando Rodriguez, center, Canutillo ISD’s board president.
Photos by TASB media services
he didn’t know what to expect.
“Once I got involved, it was such a learning experience going to these different places and meeting other board members from across the state. It was just an amazing experience,” he said.
Over time, Zoch began to make deeper connections to his board work and the importance of advocating on his district’s behalf. “Realizing that what we do on the local level was greatly influenced by the state, and many times, they dictate what we do,” he said. “So, if I want to make a change in the local area, I also have to advocate at the state level.”
Zoch said that even though the leadership training program has ended, he wants to continue learning more. “It feels like I was being filled up and now I’m going to be a little empty because I don’t have this place to go to.”
One thing all the LTASB graduates agreed upon is the importance of taking what they learned and using it to advocate on behalf of Texas public school students.
Tammy Hawkins, vice president of the Ector County ISD school board, said she sits on several boards and that par-
ticipating in LTASB was “one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my life.”
Traveling across the state and visiting different districts and talking with other trustees helped her see how districts share the same problems and challenges.
“I would recommend LTASB for any
trustee,” she said. “It empowered me to continue to fight for our school children and all schoolchildren in the state of Texas.”H
Mary Ann Lopez is a staff writer for Texas Lone Star
Trustees celebrated the new Master Trustees during the LTASB graduation held during Summer Leadership Institute in Fort Worth.
Photos by TASB media services
Standout Trustees
TASA announces outstanding school board awards
The Texas Association of School Administrators has announced that 14 Texas school district boards of trustees have been selected as regional nominees for the 2024 TASA Outstanding School Board Awards.
The regional nominees are:
• Region 1: Donna ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 2: Corpus Christi ISD Board of Trustees (large district)
• Region 3: Ricardo ISD Board of Trustees (small district)
• Region 4: Klein ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 5: Nederland ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 6: Bellville ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 7: Marshall ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 8: Como-Pickton CISD Board of Trustees
• Region 9: Burkburnett ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 10: Grand Prairie ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 11: Mansfield ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 13: Liberty Hill ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 16: Wellington ISD Board of Trustees
• Region 20: Marion ISD Board of Trustees
TASA will select up to five of the nominated boards to be recognized as Honor Boards. Those finalists will be interviewed in San Antonio at txEDCON24 on Sept. 27, and the 2024 Outstanding School Board will be announced during the general session later that day.H
“Education is the movement from darkness to light.”
—Allan Bloom
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Summer Leadership Institute
Trustees network, learn about new initiatives at conferences
by TASB staff
For the Marfa ISD team of eight, attending Summer Leadership Institute in San Antonio is a key training event and an important opportunity to network with trustees from districts across the state.
“This is our time to be together, to learn together. We get to recharge and get ready for the next school year,” said Teresa Nuñez, board president of Marfa ISD, located in Far West Texas. Her team plans to regroup back in Marfa to discuss what they learned at SLI and how to use it to benefit their own students.
At SLI in Fort Worth, Michelle Porter and Donna Knight from Red Oak ISD, located about 20 miles south of Dallas, said several of the sessions they attended were really helpful.
Knight said she particularly enjoyed the Create Your Own Curriculum Charcuterie Board session from Westwood ISD. “I can take back what I learned and not just for the board, but everybody,” Knight said. “I shared it with the superintendent, and she was like, ‘Oh, we could do this in our cabinet meetings.’”
Both Knight and Porter appreciated how engaging the sessions were, especially those that were interactive. The sessions provided key takeaways that can help their own district. It was a great opportunity to learn from others.
The Marfa ISD team, dressed in matching white polo shirts adorned with the district insignia, attended some sessions together and fanned out in different directions during the June 12-15 conference in San Antonio. It was the same for other teams of eight in San Antonio and at the June 19-22 conference in Fort Worth.
Range of speakers, sessions
As TASB’s flagship training conference, SLI’s range of speakers and programming is designed to support board service. Each SLI location offered a wide range of breakout sessions in five learn-
ing tracks: vision and goals, systems and processes, progress and accountability, advocacy and engagement, and synergy and teamwork. These topics are from the Framework of School Board Development, adopted by the State Board of Education.
A total of 2,088 people attended the San Antonio event, earning 17,695 in continuing education credit hours, while 990 went to the conference in Fort Worth, earning 9,007 CEC hours.
“SLI gives trustees an important opportunity to learn and interact with colleagues from across the state. We get to share ideas, discuss issues facing public education today, and discover new programs and initiatives,” said TASB President Armando Rodriguez, who is board president at Canutillo ISD. “After it’s over, we can go back home and brainstorm
about how to use all these great ideas in our own districts.”
The breakout sessions and other programs were designed for all levels of school board experience. The conference offerings included TASB’s Texas Trustee Institute, a two-day training opportunity for newly elected and first-year school board members. There also was the Board Officer Institute, an all-day training event that included information about parlia-
mentary procedures and meeting facilitation skills.
At Fort Worth SLI, Midland ISD Board President Tommy Bishop and Trustee Sara Burleson attended Victoria ISD’s presentation. The pair wanted to learn more about the district’s innovative international teacher recruitment program.
“When I saw it on the program, it just stuck in my mind that this would be something to see, to see how they’ve done what they’ve done and what they’ve implemented to get international teachers,” Bishop said. “I would like for our superintendent and some of our staff to be involved in this process and make a visit to Victoria.”
Advocating for public ed
Burleson and Bishop both agreed that SLI offered many great sessions this year, including the one from Victoria ISD.
Burleson said she particularly enjoyed Jamie Vollmer’s general session speech about the importance of public education and advocating on behalf of students.
“Not only do we do the governance on our boards, but we have to be advocates for our districts and for our children,” Burleson said.
In San Antonio, Zapata County ISD Board President Manuel Gonzalez said the opportunity to learn more about school funding is one of the main reasons his board attended SLI.
“When you go to school finance sessions, they’re all full because we’re all experiencing a shortage in funding. How do you keep your staff happy? You want to give them raises, but you’re also being cut. All the sessions have helped guide us in how to get funding and how to keep up with the current demands of the state,” Gonzalez said.
A: Sarita Maybin speaks to the general session crowd at SLI in San Antonio. Maybin wrote the book If You Can’t Say Something Nice, What DO you Say?
B: Bobby Blount, a Northside ISD school trustee, was officially honored as recipient of the James B. Crow Innovation in Governance Award at SLI in Fort Worth.
C: An attendee at a breakout session at SLI in Fort Wort poses a question to the speaker. Many of the session presenters were school board members.
D: Attendees at SLI in San Antonio take time to have their own discussion. SLI attendees said they appreciated the opportunity to network with trustees from across the state.
E: SLI offered attendees many opportunities to discuss public education issues in Texas.
F: The Gonzalez ISD team of eight gathers in front of the TASB sign at SLI in San Antonio. It’s become a fun tradition for boards and their superintendents to pose for an official photo and many teams dress in similar clothing representing their districts.
Photos by TASB Media Services
The breakout sessions covered a range of public education topics and were conducted by TASB staff, Texas public school leaders, and other education professionals.
In addition to Vollmer, the other general session speakers were Sarita Maybin, an author, international speaker, and communications expert, and Anthony Robles, an author and a champion athlete despite being born without a right leg.
While many trustees have been attending SLI for years, others are newcomers to the training event.
“This is my second year as a school board member, and I want to gain more knowledge about the role,” said Priscilla Garza, a Benavides ISD trustee who attended SLI in San Antonio with her team. Garza enjoyed a session by Denton ISD about how they grow their own educators.
“Our school district is very small and they’re utilizing a lot of undergraduate staff. This is a great idea, and I’m going to go back and share a lot of the stuff they are doing,” Garza said.H
SLI and Teams of Eight
TASB wants to recognize the following school districts for having 100% of their leadership team in attendance at SLI in either San Antonio or Fort Worth. Congratulations!
San Antonio
Alice ISD
Arlington ISD
Bartlett ISD
Boerne ISD
Boling ISD
Brackett ISD
Bremond ISD
Brooks County ISD
Bryan ISD
Carrizo Springs CISD
Corsicana ISD
Culberson County-Allamoore ISD
Denver City ISD
Devine ISD
Dripping Springs ISD
Early ISD
Edna ISD
Fort Stockton ISD
Giddings ISD
Gonzales ISD
Granger ISD
Hempstead ISD
Hubbard ISD-Hill County
Hull-Daisetta ISD
Idalou ISD
Itasca ISD
Johnson City ISD
Forward Together.
For 50 years, the TASB Risk Management Fund has helped Texas public schools navigate uncertainties and mitigate risks. As we move forward, that commitment to our members remains.
Attendees participate in a group activity at a breakout session at SLI in Fort Worth.
Photos by TASB Media Services
La Grange ISD
Lometa ISD
Los Fresnos CISD
Mabank ISD
Marble Falls ISD
McMullen County ISD
Medina ISD
Navasota ISD
Needville ISD
Nueces Canyon CISD
Poteet ISD
Premont ISD
Riviera ISD
Rockwall ISD
Round Top-Carmine ISD
San Felipe Del Rio CISD
San Marcos CISD
Stafford Municipal School District
Taft ISD
Trinity ISD
Waxahachie ISD
West ISD
West Orange-Cove CISD
Fort Worth
Aledo ISD
Brownwood ISD
Bullard ISD
Carthage ISD
Celina ISD
Copperas Cove ISD
Eustace ISD
Grapeland ISD
Henrietta ISD
Italy ISD
Jim Ned CISD
Kirbyville CISD
Lamar CISD
Midlothian ISD
Northwest ISD
Quinlan ISD
Rogers ISD
Rusk ISD
Sanger ISD
Sherman ISD
Terrell ISD-Kaufman County
Winnsboro ISD
Alice ISD
Copperas Cove ISD
Executive Search 101
Tips for finding a top superintendent search firm
by Mary Ann Lopez
For a school board, selecting and hiring a new superintendent is among its most important responsibilities. Because finding the right leader for a district is so essential to academic achievement, many school boards opt for help in doing a comprehensive superintendent search.
Yet hiring the right search firm to assist with this process can also feel daunting, especially with so much at stake with the outcome.
“It’s critical that districts are prepared for the process and choose a search team that not only fits the district’s specific needs, but that also has the experience, knowledge, and connections to put forward the best candidates to the board, ultimately leading to a successful outcome,” said George Kazanas, Ed.D., TASB division director of Executive Search and Field Services.
Here are six tips and best practices for school boards to consider before hiring a search firm, based on the recent experience of Sharyland ISD, a district of nearly 10,000 students in the Rio Grande Valley, and TASB’s Executive Search Services, which has successfully completed more than 800 searches on behalf o Texas public school boards in the past 30 years.
1. Know the firm’s track record.
For the Sharyland ISD Board of Trustees, hiring a firm that had a proven track record and a stellar reputation was at the forefront of its requirements, said Jose “Pepe” Garcia, a former Sharyland ISD trustee who served as board president during the search process. After considering several options, the board hired TASB Executive Search Services to conduct its most recent search, based on TASB’s commitment to attracting top-tier candidates who fit the district’s needs, Garcia said.
“Partnering with TASB reflected our dedication to professionalism and integrity, culminating in selecting Dr. Elaine Howard as our new superintendent, who
shares our commitment to academic excellence and student success,” Garcia said. “With Dr. Howard at the helm, we are confident that ‘Excellence is our Tradition’ will continue to guide us forward, ensuring continued growth and achievement for Sharyland ISD.”
2. Set clear expectations for the search firm.
Before Sharyland ISD’s board selected TASB ESS for its search, the board had expectations for a clear and concise search process, Garcia said, adding that the board knew what it wanted from the search firm it would hire.
“We anticipated a seamless transition, with the selected firm providing ease of communication and overall guidance throughout the process,” he said.
Also, confidentiality was of “paramount importance” to the board, Garcia said.
“We expected the highest level of discretion to be maintained at all times,” he said. “These expectations were crucial in ensuring a successful superintendent search that would ultimately benefit our students, staff, and community.”
3. Make open communication a top priority.
To ensure your district finds the right superintendent, it’s important that the search firm makes communication a top priority, Kazanas said.
“Whether you have specific characteristics you seek in your next leader or have an expectation for the community feedback process, if you don’t have open and responsive communication with your search firm, it may be more challenging to find the leader you expect in the timeframe that you want,” he said.
For the trustees at Sharyland ISD, communication played a pivotal role throughout the process, Garcia said. Maintaining that flow of communication ensured that the trustees were informed
and engaged at every stage of the process, he said.
“Transparency and open dialogue were prioritized to foster trust and collaboration among board members,” he said. “Ultimately, our goal was to ensure that everyone involved in the search process was on the same page, working toward the common objective of selecting the best possible candidate to lead our district. This involved effective communication, mutual respect, and a commitment to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and integrity.”
4. Consider a firm’s background and experience.
Garcia said the Sharyland ISD search process went so smoothly, in part because TASB ESS provided the district with the expertise and professionalism expected by the board.
That expertise was clear when it came to gathering community feedback, Garcia said. TASB ESS provided invaluable guidance to the district, which helped it ensure its outreach efforts were “impactful and inclusive,” he said.
Kazanas said that because the search for a new superintendent is one of the board’s most important roles, there are no shortcuts to finding the right firm to assist with the process.
Kazanas said some questions a board should consider asking when hiring a search firm include:
• How many years of executive search experience does the firm have?
• Are executive searches the firm’s sole focus?
• Does the firm meet all of the district’s criteria, such as availability, flexibility, price, and network connections?
• Can the firm conduct a statewide or nationwide search?
• How will the firm be responsive to the needs of the board and district?
“Experience is very important,” Kazanas said. “For example, all of our consultants and field representatives have worked as superintendents, and they bring that depth of knowledge and experience to the process. They have built strong relationships with district leaders across the state. That experience coupled with the integrity boards know we bring to a search helps us build trust with the districts we serve.”
5. Don’t overlook key details.
When hiring a search firm, it’s important to ask questions that will shed light not only on the overall process, but also on the specific details involving fees, guarantees, and transition services, Kazanas said. Asking these questions is key because districts vary in their expectations, needs, and timelines. Many searches take 90 to 120 days, but that schedule may be customized depending on a district’s needs. All of these variables should inform a district’s choice of search firm.
Here are some key questions to ask when interviewing a search firm:
6.
• How does the firm approach a superintendent search?
• How many searches has the firm successfully completed?
• Which districts has the firm worked with?
• What are the search firm’s five-year retention rates for superintendents who were hired?
• What does the firm do when a search needs to be extended?
• What does the firm’s fee include?
• Does the firm provide transition assistance and board training?
• Does the firm offer a guarantee?
Remember a firm’s reputation matters.
Before starting a search, Garcia said the most important factor the Sharyland ISD board considered was the reputation of the search firm it was partnering with. “Their expertise and track record can streamline the process and ensure a successful outcome for the district,” he said.
Kazanas said that each search will be different, which is why the board needs to
consider all of these factors to ensure that the firm it hires will deliver the best possible candidates and make the board feel confident about its leadership decision. “Nothing is more important than knowing you’ve found the best, most qualified leader to serve your district and your community,” Kazanas said.
“To ensure the best outcome, a board must be confident that the search firm it works with will exceed expectations,” he said. “With our more than 30 years of experience serving boards, we at TASB ESS have built a reputation for being a trusted partner that will go above and beyond to ensure the best outcome possible. We pride ourselves on the strong relationships we have built with districts across the state.”
Learn more about TASB ESS at tasb.org/ess or contact ESS at executive. search@tasb.org or 512-467-3690 H
Mary Ann Lopez is a staff writer for Texas Lone Star.
Media Honor Roll
TASB announces honorees from across Texas
TASB is honored to announce that 52 media representatives from across the state have been named to the 2024 TASB Media Honor Roll. This award program recognizes media representatives statewide for fair and balanced reporting of news about public schools.
Azle ISD
• Zach Freeman, The Tri-County Reporter
Brownsville ISD
• Stephanie Rosales, KRGV Bryson ISD
• Brian Smith, Bryson ISD Corpus Christi ISD
• Olivia Garrett, Corpus Christi Caller-Times
Denver City ISD
• Bo Wells, Denver City Sports, KIKZ 1250AM
• David Escalante, DJE Media
• Eloy Gutierrez, wtx.snaps Fort Stockton ISD
• Ken Ripley, KFST Radio
• Kerry Waldrip, The Fort Stockton Pioneer
Galena Park ISD
• Allan Jamail, North Channel Star Newspaper
• Bob Slovak, ABC 13 Houston/ KTRK-TV
• David Taylor, North Channel Star Newspaper
• Nate Griffin, Fox 26 Houston
• Randy McIlvoy, KPRC 2 Houston Henderson ISD
• Audrey Blaschke, The Henderson News
Kerrville ISD
• Louis Amestoy, Kerr County Lead
• Tammy Prout, Hill Country Community Journal
Lampasas ISD
• Erick Mitchell, Lampasas Dispatch Record
Northside ISD-Bexar County
• Isaac Windes, San Antonio Report
• Nancy Preyor-Johnson, San Antonio Express-News
San Angelo ISD
• Alma Velez, Foster Communications
• Araceli Gutierrez, Conexión San Angelo
• Caleb McGuire, KLST/KSAN
• Carolyn McEnrue, KLST-TV
• Carolyn Miller, San Angelo Family Magazine
• Cody Brown, KLST-TV
• Damien Bartonek, Fox West Texas
• Fred Key, Foster Communications
• Gloria Cuellar, Saver Media
• Jim Sanchez, Conexión San Angelo and Flaco Guapo Media
• John Flint, Neighbors of the Concho Valley
• Linda Thorsen Bond, Neighbors of the Concho Valley
• Lucas Banda, San Angelo LIVE!
• Randall Case, Fox West Texas
• Rick Andrews, Foster Communications
• Rick Mantooth, Foster Communications
• Ryan Chadwick, San Angelo LIVE!
• Ryan Compeau, KLST-TV
• Sandy Rojas, Fox West Texas
• Scott, KLST-TV/KSAN-TV
• Shea Harris, Concho Sports Network
Temple ISD
• Adriana Alexander, KCEN-TV
• Eric E. Garcia, Temple Daily Telegram
• Jarell Baker, KXXV-TV
• Joel Valley, Temple Daily Telegram
• Megan Boyd, KWTX-TV Waco ISD
• Ally Kadlubar, KWTX-News 10
• Bradley Vaughn, KWTX-News 10
• Carl Hoover, Waco Tribune-Herald
• Dominque Leh, KXXV-News 25
• Earl Stoudemire, KWKT-Fox 44
• Heather Healy, KXXV-News 25
Criteria for the district selection included the media representative’s efforts to get to know the superintendent, board president, and the district’s mission and
goals; reporting school news in a fair, accurate, and balanced manner; giving a high profile to positive news about schools; visiting the schools; and maintaining a policy of no surprises by sharing information with school officials.
In most cases, school boards will pass a formal resolution and present a TASB personalized certificate to their nominated news media.
For more information about the TASB Media Honor Roll program, visit tasb.org and search for Media Honor Roll.H
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Superintendent of the Year
Regional winners announced for 2024 SOTY award
by Sylvia Wood
The Texas Association of School Boards announced earlier this summer that 18 education leaders from across the state were named regional nominees in the annual Superintendent of the Year awards competition.
The regional winners were selected by committees at each education service center, which review the nominating applications from their area. The process to select a Superintendent of the Year begins when local school boards that are active members of TASB decide to nominate their superintendent, who must be a member of the Texas Association of School Administrators.
“On behalf of TASB, we’re grateful for all of the member school boards that took the time and effort to nominate their superintendent, which includes a lengthy application,” said Dan Troxell, TASB executive director. “We also appreciate the hard work and dedication of the ESCs, which set up committees to review every nomination and to select a regional winner. We could not have such a successful Superintendent of the Year program without the participation and commitment of these regional committees.”
To nominate their superintendent, school boards must pass an official resolution endorsing their superintendent in addition to completing a lengthy application. These nominations are then reviewed by a committee from each ESC, which selects a regional winner based on leadership skills, dedication to improving educational quality, student performance, and commitment to public involvement in education.
These regional winners advance to the next phase of the competition held later in August, when a committee of the TASB Board conducts interviews to select five state finalists. Those finalists will then undergo another round of interviews before the winner of the SOTY award is announced at txEDCON,
scheduled this year for Sept. 27-29 in San Antonio.
This year’s regional superintendents of the year, in order of ESC, are listed below:
• Region 1: Gonzalo Salazar, Los Fresnos CISD
• Region 2: Michelle Cavazos, Gregory-Portland ISD
• Region 3: Bill Chapman*, Palacios ISD
• Region 4: John Moore, Galena Park ISD
• Region 5: Mike Kelly, Bridge City ISD
• Region 6: Nicole Poenitzsch, Bellville ISD
• Region 7: Carnelius Gilder, West Sabine ISD
• Region 8: Sarah Dildine, Hughes Springs ISD
• Region 9: Brad Owen, Burkburnett ISD
• Region 10: Justin Terry, Forney ISD
• Region 11: Kimberly Cantu, Mansfield ISD
• Region 12: Darryl Henson, Marlin ISD
• Region 13: Steven Snell, Liberty Hill ISD
• Region 15: Joe Young, Brownwood ISD
• Region 16: Wade Callaway, Gruver ISD
• Region 18: Brent Jaco, Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD
• Region 19: Oscar Troncoso, Anthony ISD
• Region 20: Eduardo Hernandez, Edgewood ISD-Bexar County
*Nominated by Palacios ISD but now serving in London ISDH
Sylvia Wood is a staff writer for Texas Lone Star
Special Education Program Review
Bulletin Board
Florence ISD Choir Honors 9/11’s Fallen
The Florence ISD Elementary Honor Choir enjoyed a whirlwind trip to New York City, where students sang an original song they helped create that honors victims of 9/11.
The once-in-a-lifetime trip took place in June. Choir Director Joe Rine was instrumental in securing the 9/11 performance, which took place in front of New York City Fire Department Station #10, located across from the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. With some help from his students, Rine wrote the song “We’re Too Young to Remember” and reached out to city officials who helped organize the event.
“9/11 was a horrible event and there is still healing taking place,” Rine said, adding he is pleased that the students are taking part in that process. "It’s opening the door for people to heal, and we have good kiddos to send the message,” he said.
The heartfelt performance was June 11, the last day of the choir’s visit. In attendance were members of the FDNY and City Councilwoman Joann Ariola, who helped organize the event. After the performance, the choir visited the 9/11 Memorial Museum, where the students placed paper flowers they made to honor the victims. The students also presented the first responders with flags to fly on their firetruck.
Florence ISD Superintendent Rick Kirkpatrick credited Rine for the encouragement and dedication he has given students, in addition to planning and organizing the “grand adventure.”
“The activities of these students while in New York City will impact them for a lifetime,” Kirkpatrick said. “We continue to see such positive and motivational outcomes from the talent of these students and take such pride in knowing that they will represent our small school district in such a big arena.”
TEA Awards Over $290 Million in Teacher Incentive Allotment Funds
TheTexas Education Agency said that more than $290 million in Teacher Incentive Allotment funds was awarded to nearly 25,000 designated Texas teachers during the 2023-24 school year.
A total of 481 school systems participated in the program during the past school year. A catalyst for helping high-quality teachers remain in the classroom, TIA creates accessible pathways for teachers to earn up to six-figure salaries.
A recent TEA study conducted during the 2023-24 school year showed that designated teacher retention exceeded the statewide teacher retention rate by eight percentage points.
“TIA has completely changed the game for high-quality teachers,” said James Fernandez, a master designated teacher in Longview ISD. “We no longer have to leave the classroom and become an administrator to enhance our retirement. It allows us to do what we love and make an impact on our students’ lives for our entire career.”
School systems participating in TIA determine teacher designations using data from classroom observations and student growth outcomes. Designated teachers who remain in classroom teaching positions generate annual funding for teacher compensation. This coming school year, approximately 600 districts will be participating in TIA.
We want to recognize school board members’ extraordinary work in TLS!
If you have received any awards or honors, please send your news and photos to tls@tasb.org
Holding American flags that honor firefighters and emergency medical technicians, the Florence ISD Elementary Honor Choir poses with New York City firefighters. During a trip to New York this summer, the choir performed an original song they helped write that honors victims of 9/11.
Photo courtesy of Joe Rine
txEDCON24 in San Antonio
Event hosts school leaders from across Texas
TASB is pleased to invite education leaders from across the state for txEDCON24, which will be held Sept. 27-29 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio.
Every year, TASB and the Texas Association of School Administrators collaborate on this event to bring Texas public education leaders from across the state together to share ideas and best practices and strengthen student outcomes. This year’s convention will feature more than 150 training sessions, guest speakers, student performances, and networking.
Active members of TASB will have the opportunity to participate in the 2024 TASB Delegate Assembly — TASB’s official membership meeting — that takes place Saturday, Sept. 28. Delegates from member school boards and education service center boards will discuss and vote on a variety of items, from electing TASB directors and officers to approving priorities and resolutions for the TASB Advocacy Agenda.
“We’re thrilled to once again be part of such a special event,” said Dan Troxell, TASB’s executive director. “We’ve been partnering with TASA on this event for more than 60 years and see it as a core part of our mission to support and strengthen Texas public education. Not only that, but we’re also excited to have TASB members come together and take part in their annual Delegate Assembly, where every school board can make their voice heard.”
Also featured at the 2024 edition of txEDCON24 will be the presentation of the Outstanding School Board and the Superintendent of the Year award. While TASA manages the school board recognition program, TASB oversees SOTY, which has been part of txEDCON every year since the program’s establishment in 1984.
“The Superintendent of the Year award is such an exciting event and always a highlight of txEDCON,” said Armando Rodriguez, TASB president and Canutillo ISD board president. “Texas
public schools benefit from the amazing talent we have among our superintendents, and this award program is one way to ensure we recognize their hard work and contributions.”
Participants of txEDCON24 will also have the opportunity to hear from accomplished and renowned leaders during the event’s three general sessions. They include Jose Hernandez, an astronaut, CEO, engineer, scientist, and author; Nancy Giordano, an exponential strategist, business futurist, and author; and John Maxwell, an author, speaker, coach, and leader.
For more information about this year’s event and to register, visit tasa.tasb.org H
Election (from page 42)
If you’re feeling confused or uncertain, consult the Ethics Commission or contact us at TASB. Our goal is to make sure your activities align with the hat you’re wearing — whether as a board member or as a private citizen.
The stakes are high as we count down the days to the November 5 election. With so many districts needing to pursue a VATRE or bond program, it’s essential that we proceed with a thorough understanding of the rules that govern campaign speech.
Any accusation of electioneering poses legal risks and distracts from the important work of this new school year. We can’t afford to get sidetracked or sidelined when about 5.5 million public school children are counting on us to get it right.H
Tiffany Dunne-Oldfield is deputy executive director of TASB.
The work-site posters offered by HR Services are designed to meet the needs of Texas public schools. The posters make it easy for districts to post federal and state notices pertaining to government employees and entities. Discounts are available for bulk orders. To order, visit tasb.org/store or call 800-580-8272, ext. 2480.
Election Matters
Stick to facts when discussing bonds, VATREs
by Tiffany Dunne-Oldfield
August not only marks the start of the new school year, but it also kicks off the countdown for those Texas school districts planning bond propositions or a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election on the November ballot.
There’s a lot to do between now and November 5 and no time to get it wrong. As we saw ahead of the May election, there’s a lot of public, state, and legal scrutiny around what’s being said and whether it crosses the line from advocating into unlawful electioneering.
Texas Education Code is clear that neither school boards nor school districts can use public funds or other district resources “to electioneer for or against any candidate, measure, or political party.”
Yet we all know that school boards have an obligation under the Framework for School Board Development, approved by the State Board of Education, to advocate on behalf of Texas public school children.
Advocating vs. electioneering
Understanding when advocating becomes electioneering was the topic of a session that I co-presented recently at Summer Leadership Institute with my colleague Joy Baskin, who serves as TASB’s education counsel and associate executive director of Policy and Legal Services.
It was clear from all the questions we received that figuring out what’s electioneering versus advocating isn’t always easy, especially since there are different rules for trustees acting in their capacity as a member of their local school board versus as a private citizen and community member.
The hat you’re wearing matters, and when it’s your board member hat, there needs to be extra caution, especially if
your district is putting forward a bond or VATRE.
Generally, this means staying away from any words that could be viewed as encouraging the passage of a bond proposition or other ballot measure. Never use “vote for” or “elect” or “support” or “cast your ballot for.” There are other more nuanced examples and phrases that should not be used as well, including anything like, “The bond is the right thing to do for the children of this community,” or “The board of trustees believes this tax rate increase is vitally important.”
The Texas Ethics Commission has more specific examples of prohibited language on its website, found at ethics. state.tx.us, and it’s a great resource in addition to those provided by TASB if you have specific questions or concerns on what’s allowed.
The key takeaway is to remember that board members acting in their capacity as school trustees should stick to providing the facts about a bond proposition or VATRE and encourage participation in the civic process without telling people how to vote.
Having led successful bond communications campaigns in the two districts where I worked prior to joining TASB, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of providing accurate and easily accessible information on the district’s website, in board presentations, and during community meetings. Taking a data-driven approach will go a long way to explaining the why behind a bond proposal or VATRE. Simply put, let the facts speak for themselves.
Speaking as a private citizen
But what about those times you’re wearing your private citizen’s hat?
Outside of all the hours spent in board meetings and at district events, school board trustees are still private citizens who enjoy the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
The key is to make sure you draw a clear line between your activities as a board member and your activities as a private citizen, especially on social media. A best practice would be to include a disclaimer that redirects district matters to official channels. Don’t mix your work as a school board trustee with an account that also includes personal updates, family, and friends.
How can you be sure your social media account is personal? Well, in addition to the tips already listed, you’ll also want to label it as personal and always make it clear that you’re speaking as a private individual.
Of course, as a private citizen, you can join a political action committee, speak to community groups, and leverage your personal connections to express your views. What you are prohibited from doing is using any district resources, including district staff time, to support these activities.
Here are a few simple rules to remember
• Only develop, produce, and distribute campaign materials on your own dime and time.
• Avoid emailing district staff at their district-issued email address.
• Don’t use district-produced presentations or resources at an event where you’ll be speaking as a private individual unless they are publicly available on the district’s website and can be easily downloaded for sharing.
(See Election, page 41.)
Tiffany Dunne-Oldfield
Board Members: MAP YOUR JOURNEY TO SUCCESS
TASB supports trustees at every point along the board leadership journey, offering training and programs to excel at board governance.
Texas Trustee Institute
TTI offers a comprehensive program to build skills, dive into governance, and develop a leadership network.
Key offerings: Texas Open Meetings Act, Board Governance, Consensus Building.
Sessions coming to txEDCON24 tasa.tasb.org
Trustees
Leadership TASB
For experienced trustees, meet with innovative districts and leaders, while learning what makes them successful. LTASB’s one-of-a-kind experience will expand your view of education leadership.
Learn more! leadershiptasb@tasb.org
Whole Board Training
Need support planning your whole board training? Board Development Services’ consultants are here to help! Get training tailored to your district’s needs. board.dev@tasb.org
Foundational Training
Find on-demand courses for new trustees, including the Top 10 Things to Know bundle of essential courses, in the Online Learning Center.
onlinelearning.tasb.org
Board Officer Institute
For veteran trustees and board officers, BOI imparts knowledge and tools for effective and efficient meetings.
Key offerings: Important Tools for Meeting Preparation, Effective Meetings, Focused and Productive Board Discussions.
Sessions coming to txEDCON24 tasa.tasb.org
Continuing Education
With the Online Learning Center, you can find courses to support your board service, including Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure, Board Officers Forum, and Advocacy 101 and 201.
onlinelearning.tasb.org
For additional information on any of these offerings: 800-580-8272, ext. 2453 • board.dev@tasb.org
