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2023 EDUCATION EDITION
What is the TASB?
Service Breakdown Joy Baskin, Texas Association of School Board’s executive director for policy and legal services, said once a school board becomes a member they have access to a number of resources. On June 1, Texans for Excellence in Education launched a suite of services for school districts. Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Texas for Excellence in Education (TEE)
either registered or approved by the TEA, which the TASB is. A statement by TASB o cials on March 28 said CISD’s vote is “disap- pointing,” but the district has a right to assess and evaluate its membership with the organization. TASB stated the organization has never wanted to “monopolize a market” but nd “cost-e ective solutions.” A di erent option Texans for Excellence in Education, or TEE, was formed in early 2022. Hava Armstrong, executive director of TEE, told CISD trustees on June 19 that the organization was created in response to the demand for an alternative to the TASB. “Our mission is to provide policies that take politics and social agendas out of the classroom and focus on the education of our students,” she said. TEE did not immediately respond to requests for further comment. The organization began o ering several services to school districts, including policy drafting, legal guidance and a templated board book for agendas on June 1, according to a press release. “We believe competition is helpful and will result in lower prices and bet- ter services for all,” Bryan said in a press release announcing TEE’s services. “With TEE, we now have an alternative for our board to consider.” For TEE, Inno-
According to the organization, the Texas Association of School Boards was established in 1949 to:
• Legal • Energy • Education
• BoardBook* • Policy Training • Purchasing** • Cash Management
• Energy • Insurance • Human Resources • Facility • Executive Search
• BoardBook meeting software • Policy Training • Cooperative Purchasing • Legal • Risk Management
share information through publications and training
speak with a uni ed voice to decision makers
insurance & risk management
*WEBSITE SHOWS SERVICE IS COMING SOON **WEBSITE SHOWS SOME SERVICES, SUCH AS FUEL CO OP, WERE SCHEDULED TO LAUNCH JULY 31
WHAT’S IT COST? Since 1978, TASB membership fees allow smaller districts to play less in annual membership fees than larger ones, said a TASB spokesperson.
SOURCES: TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BOARD, TEXANS FOR EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
$2,400 was the
What is the TASB? The TASB was founded in 1949 and currently has all 1,025 Texas school boards as active members. Other membership categories include 20 education service center boards, 50 community college boards and 78 char- ter schools among others, according to the TASB. Joy Baskin, TASB’s executive direc- tor for policy and legal services, said the founding members formed the organization to have a collective voice in Texas’s capital and share resources. “Even though our
government to investigate and prevent threats against public school o cials. In the national association’s letter, it cited threats against school board members for approving policies for masks and instruction regarding race as reasons for federal assistance. According to a press release from the TASB, its board of directors voted to end it membership with the national association on May 23 after the national group released its independent investi- gation on the matter May 20 and found the letter was not widely approved within the organization. CISD’s board resolution also states local taxpayer dollars are used to fund the district’s TASB membership and its services. According to the resolution, the services provided by the TASB are “readily available on the free market.” At the March board meeting, Bryan said elected o cials have a “ duciary responsibility” and must be mindful of the “values of the community.” “To continue sending our commu- nities’ taxpayer dollars to an organiza- tion that pushes the very ideology that our community speci cally and over- whelmingly rejected at the ballot box … would be disingenuous,” he said. Bryan did not respond to requests for comment on the board’s decision. Former Trustee Michelle Moore, who chose not to seek another term, gave the lone opposing vote in March. Moore cited concerns about losing information from the Texas Legislature that was provided from the TASB. “We need to make sure that those [policy] resources are available at a competitive price,” Moore said.
median fee in 2023.
$11,000 has been TASB’s membership cap since 1991.
19%
of all Texas school districts paid the minimum membership rate of $800.*
*Carroll ISD paid $11,000
state is big and geo- graphically diverse and districts all have di erent needs based on their size and geography, they also have a lot of common needs,” Baskin said. Through the TASB, members have access to more
vative Teacher of Texas, a profes- sional organization for teachers with traditional values, will provide TEA-ap- proved training to trustees to ful- ll state require- ments, according to the organization’s website.
“ALL DISTRICTS HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS ... THEY ALSO HAVE A LOT OF COMMON NEEDS.” JOY BASKIN, TASB EXECUTIVE
1,025
7,000+ Elected School board trustees
Active school boards
across Texas
DIRECTOR FOR POLICY AND LEGAL SERVICES
SOURCE: TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BOARD COMMUNITY IMPACT
Trustees were presented with informa- tion in June on the Texans for Excel- lence in Education—a new organization that claims to be an alternative to the Texas Association of School Boards. The district’s decision In May 2022, the TASB voted to end its membership with the National School Boards Association, a non- pro t educational organization that represents state school board associ- ations, after members of the national association sent a letter to President Joe Biden in September 2021 asking the
than 20 services, including Human Resources, board development and board training. A membership also o ers “baseline access” to legal infor- mation, Baskin said. In the Texas Legislature’s most recent session, sev- eral bills passed related to education, including House Bill 1 for the state bud- get and House Bill 3 for school safety. As training is mandated by the Texas legislature through the Texas Educa- tion Agency, she said the TASB does not require any training. To undergo the state-mandated training, a school board must utilize a provider that is
CISD’s board of trustees has not yet announced whether further discussion on becoming a member of the TEE will be held. “We will nd the products and ser- vices to … help you [the board] achieve your goals and your standard of excel- lence that Carroll is known for across the state,” Armstrong said. “We really look forward for the possibility of working with you and for you.”
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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GRAPEVINE COLLEYVILLE SOUTHLAKE EDITION • AUGUST 2023
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