Announcing Continuing Education Credit: Transitioning to November Elections

Districts making the transition from May elections to November elections in 2008 have a challenge in deciding how best to comply with the requirement to report training their board members have received. Boards that have called their May elections in February in previous years, but are moving to November elections, will be calling elections in August beginning in 2008. Since the meeting at which the board calls its election is the meeting at which training compliance is announced, the switch to November elections in 2008 could mean a long stretch between reports to the public about which board members have received the training that is required.

What to announce when

To comply with letter of the rule (to announce training compliance at the meeting at which board elections are called) and also meet the spirit of the rule (to keep the public informed about board members' efforts to meet training requirements) TASB suggests the following process for this transition year.

• Announce training compliance at the February 2008 board meeting, just as you have in the past, since it will probably have been at least a year since the last full-year report to the public on training received by board members.
• At the February 2008 meeting, when making the announcement, explain that with the board's move to November elections, you will begin making this annual announcement in August instead of February, beginning in August 2008.
• In August 2008, provide a report of any training the board has received during the period since your February 2008 announcement of training.
• Remind the public at the August 2008 meeting that the board will report training compliance again in August of 2009, when it will provide a report of training received during the previous full year. (For example, the August 2009 report could include training completed between August 1, 2008 and July 31, 2009.)
• New board members (those in their first year of service), have a year to complete their training requirements. Since any members elected the previous November will not have been in office a full year when you announce training compliance, be sure to remind the public that they have until November to complete their trainings requirements. You also might make note of any training those first year board members are planning to attend between the date of the announcement and November when they will complete their first full year of service.

What to report in December

Don't forget to include an update on board training in the minutes of the last meeting of the calendar year, which will generally be your regular meeting in December. This report should include the following:

• A list of training each board member has received to date during the current reporting year. (For example, if in August you report training the board members have received between August 2007 and July 31, 2008, your December report would list any training members received since August 1, 2008.)
• Whether any new board members who have taken office since the August announcement have completed the the local orientation they are required to receive within 60 days of taking office. (A board member who has been in office less than 60 days, such as one just elected in November, would not be required to complete this orientation by the December meeting.)
• Whether any new board members who have taken office since the August announcement have completed the training in the Texas Open Meetings Act (OMA) they are required to receive within 90 days of taking office. (A board member who has been in office less than 90 days, such as one just elected in November, would not be required to complete this OMA training by the December meeting.)

If you have questions or need assistance with reporting board member training compliance, please contact lts@tasb.org.