SB 1566 added Texas Education Code Section 11.159(c), effective September 1, 2017, requiring school board trustees to complete at least three hours of training every two years on evaluating student academic performance. The training must be research-based and designed to support the oversight role of the board of trustees as defined by Education Code Section 11.1515. A candidate for trustee may complete the training up to one year before the candidate is elected. A new trustee must complete the training within 120 days after the date of the trustee’s election or appointment. A returning trustee must complete the training by the second anniversary of the completion of the trustee’s previous training.

Moreover, Education Code Section 11.159(b) was amended to reflect to new requirements in the minutes of board meetings regarding board member trainings. Under the prior version of the law, the board was required to announce whether a trustee met his or her training requirement at the last board meeting of the calendar year. This requirement made it very difficult for board members elected in May or November to fulfill their training requirements by the December board meeting. The law now requires the board make the training requirement announcement at the last board meeting held before a trustee election. In effect, this gives newly elected board members a full year to meet the requirement to avoid being announced as deficient in a board meeting.

Unfortunately, the Commissioner has not adopted a rule reflecting this change in the law. The rule that is still in effect tracks the language of the old law. Therefore, TEA recommends that each board do its regularly scheduled announcement at the end of this calendar year. When the Commissioner adopts a new rule, the board should switch to the new announcement date. We will update this blog when the new rule is released.

 

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