Latest news with #SBOE
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas SBOE Proposes Enhanced Training Standards For School Trustees
(Texas Scorecard) – State Board of Education members are considering new standards for local school district trustee training that emphasize elected officials' accountability to Texas families and taxpayers, representing a fundamental shift in public school governance. The State Board of Education is the policy-making body of the Texas Education Agency, which coordinates all government K-12 educational activities. State law requires the SBOE to provide trustee training and adopt a framework for continuing education that outlines critical governing performance areas for public school boards. Five of the 15 elected SBOE members serve on the board's Committee on School Initiatives, which is responsible for developing the trustee training standards: LJ Francis, chair; Julie Pickren, vice chair; Staci Childs; Tiffany Clark; and Brandon Hall. During a meeting on Thursday, the committee approved a revised Framework for School Board Development that emphasizes elected trustees' supervisory role over the superintendents they hire and prioritizes trustees' responsibility to students, families, and taxpayers. 'The board of trustees is the governing body for Texas public schools and holds the ultimate responsibility for the district's success in educating students. Above all else, trustees owe the highest duty to students and their parents, and the board represents taxpayers, attempting to maximize learning outcomes while minimizing resources required,' states the preamble to the proposed new framework. The existing framework instructs trustees to govern in tandem with the superintendent as a 'Team of Eight,' and board members frequently state that their primary responsibility is to the district as a whole, rather than to individual constituents. Francis, Hall, and Pickren voted in favor of the revised framework, which will be put to a vote of the full SBOE on Friday. The rewritten framework focuses on five core areas: —Setting a clear vision and goals for students —Evaluating the likely success of the superintendent's strategic plan —Monitoring progress —Ensuring transparency —Maintaining accountable governance The core areas emphasize trustees' roles and responsibilities in overseeing the superintendent as well as the board's accountability to families and taxpayers for achieving district goals related to students' success. The standards also put transparency in place of the current framework's 'advocacy and engagement.' During Thursday's committee discussion of the revisions, Hall, who represents District 11 in North Texas, cited the arrest of a local superintendent for failing to report teachers accused of abusing students as an example of why trustees need better training. 'As I dug into the issue and communicated with the board, it just became really clear to me that they did not understand their proper role of oversight and accountability,' said Hall. 'I think another thing that's tackled here is the importance of focusing on student outcomes, because the ambiguity of the original framework that we had in front of us from 2020 pretty much allows almost anything as continuing education credits,' he added. 'And so I think narrowing the focus to student outcomes and also emphasizing the role and responsibility of the trustees as elected officials accountable to the taxpayers is really important.' Pickren, who represents District 7 east of Houston, noted the need for improved training on school electioneering, which has been a significant issue in recent election cycles that has sparked several lawsuits. 'One of the largest school boards in Texas… our superintendent of that board was actually under attorney general investigation for electioneering,' said Pickren. 'The members of the school board, they are very well-meaning people. They come from both sides of the aisle. They just want to serve children,' she said. 'So I appreciate this clarification on behalf of my trustees.' She added that the new training framework 'sticks very closely with the letter of the law, and I think that is the safest place that we can put all of our trustees in.' Clark, who represents District 13 in the Dallas area, voted against the new standards, asserting that the committee had not considered sufficient public input. 'I've heard from my colleagues, and they are not in favor of this proposed framework, because it does leave out advocacy and engagement, which are vital components of school board trustees and the work they do,' added Clark. The original Framework for School Board Development was adopted in 1996. It was amended in 2012 and again in 2020. The latest revision was first presented during the committee's meeting in April, but Chairman Francis postponed a vote until the June meeting. The full State Board of Education will vote on the proposed new framework during its meeting on Friday, June 27.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
SBOE welcomes new members for first meeting of 2025
Feb. 7—AUSTIN — The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) approved processes for instructional materials review, welcomed newly elected members and selected leadership for board committees at its first meeting of the year Jan. 28-31. A preliminary list of instructional materials was presented for the board's consideration under the Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) cycle 2025. The board approved proposed changes to 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 67, Subchapter B and Subchapter C, which further clarify: — Procedures and policies for eligibility, appointment, training and duties for IMRA reviewers. — Guidance on public comment related to instructional materials. — Guidelines for the selection and local adoption of instructional materials by school systems. In addition, the application window is now open for quality and suitability reviewers to support the 2025 IMRA cycle. Texas residents are encouraged to apply as suitability reviewers, while those with expertise in K — 12 mathematics, K — 6 English Language Arts (ELAR), and K — 6 Spanish Language Arts (SLAR) are encouraged to apply as quality reviewers of instructional materials. Reviewers play a critical role in ensuring the quality and suitability of materials for Texas students and educators. Interested individuals can apply at The deadline to apply is Feb. 24. In other action, the SBOE welcomed its newly sworn-in members who took the oath of office in a ceremony officiated by Gov. Greg Abbott. The newly sworn-in members are: — Gustavo Reveles (District 1) — Marisa B. Perez-Diaz (District 3) — Staci Childs (District 4) — Tom Maynard (District 10) — Brandon Hall (District 11) — Pam Little (District 12) — Tiffany Clark (District 13) — Aaron Kinsey (District 15) As part of the first regular meeting after the election and qualification of new members, the SBOE confirmed its officers for the new term. Pam Little was re-elected to serve another term as Vice Chair and Will Hickman was elected to serve as Secretary. New chairs were also selected for the board's committees: — Audrey Young will lead the Committee on Instruction. — Tom Maynard will lead the Committee on School Finance/Permanent School Fund. — LJ Francis will lead the Committee on School Initiatives. The 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools designees from Texas were honored. The board also signed a resolution to designate February 2025 as Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month, recognizing the 1.35 million Texas secondary students enrolled in one or more CTE courses across 1,200 school systems. These programs give students the opportunity to gain academic, technical and employability skills necessary for career readiness. The board would also like to thank the Brazoswood High School P.M. Jazz Band from the Brazoswood Independent School District for their outstanding performance during Friday's session. Announcements Nominations are now open for the 2025 Student Heroes Award. The SBOE encourages students, teachers, administrators and community members to nominate any Texas public school students who exemplify the core value of selfless service. The deadline to submit a nomination is April 25, 2025. To nominate a student visit The SBOE's next regular meeting is scheduled for the week of April 8, 2025.
