Support Your Public School!
Texans for Strong Public Schools brings together taxpayers, parents, teachers, school administrators, and other advocates dedicated to stopping vouchers and improving school funding. Find out how you can get involved.

Delegates Approve New Advocacy Agenda
Delegates from across the state met during the annual TASA/TASB Convention to consider and adopt the 2016-18 TASB Advocacy Agenda. The Agenda will guide TASB's advocacy efforts throughout the upcoming biennium. Read more.

Stay Up-to-Date on Legislative News
Subscribe to TASB's Legislative Report, a weekly e-newsletter, and Legislative Update, published daily during the legislative session, to keep up with all the activities at the state and national capitols.

Want to learn more about the benefits and steps to become a Districts of Innovation?

• TASB Legal Services' 2017 Tax Ratification Election Information memo provides information and deadlines for ordering and holding a tax ratification election.
• TASB Legal Services' Adoption of Budget and Tax Rates–Traditional Method is a step-by-step guide to the traditional method of the budget and tax rate adoption process for school districts with a September 1 fiscal year.
• TASB Legal Services' Adoption of Budget and Tax Rates–Early Tax Rate Adoption is a step-by-step guide to the budget and tax rate adoption process for school districts using certified estimates of property values instead of certified appraisal rolls when adopting a tax rate.
• Last month's most viewed eSource page:  Governance—Districts of Innovation.

Read the latest issue

Employee paychecks and direct deposit
Can a district require direct deposit of employee paychecks? Find out in this month's Q&A!

Recognizing trends in HRIS
How are districts using HRIS in 2017? What are districts doing to get help with their HRIS? Check out some of the latest trends here.

TRS-ActiveCare changes for 2017–2018
Take a look at the new rates for next year.

LAST CALL for 2016-17: Recognize businesses and organizations that support local public schools in your district. Deadline for current school-year submissions is June 30, 2017.

The votes have been tallied, and it's time to announce the winners of the 2016-17 Student Video Contest! Thanks to all of the amazing schools who took the time to show us why their school and Texas public schools in general ROCK! The winning videos are now featured on the video gallery page, and all of the other fantastic videos are still accessible, so be sure to check them out.

• Meet TASB's officers and directors.
• Learn more about TASB's Delegate Assembly.
• Read the latest Board appointments in TASB News Releases.

In Granger ISD, Superintendent Randy Willis is taking testing to a new level by having the district participate in the OECD Test for Schools program.

The test, administered worldwide, measures performance against that of students around the globe.

Read about this and more in the June 2017 Texas Lone Star.

June 23, 2017

• Abbott plots aggressive approach to special session, Texas Tribune
• Problems with charter schools that you won’t hear DeVos talk about, Washington Post
• Austin Democratic legislators talk local control, special session at forum, Community Impact
• Texas Education Commissioner pays visit to RGV students, Brownsville Herald
• SBOE members take issue with charter school proposal, Houston Chronicle
• Opinion: Even the SBOE opposes vouchers and the bathroom bill, Off the Kuff
• Commentary: What's wrong with letting tech run our schools, Dallas Morning News

June 15 Exhibit of School Architecture
Project submissions due

June 19 TASA/TASB Convention
Housing and registration open

June 30 Business Recognition Program
Deadline to submit businesses and community groups

June 30 TASB Board of Directors
Candidate nominations for TASB Board due

July 1 Leadership TASB
Application deadline

July 3 Advocacy Agenda Resolutions
Deadline to submit resolutions

Aug. 25 TASA/TASB Convention
Housing deposits due

Sept. 8 Delegate Assembly
Delegate and alternate registration deadline

Sept. 22 TASA/TASB Convention
Preregistration deadline

Harts Bluff ISD Hires New Superintendent

On June 19, the Harts Bluff ISD Board of Trustees voted to hire Bobby Rice as the district's new superintendent. Rice most recently served as assistant superintendent in Gilmer ISD.

Further details can be found on the ESS Website.

The National School Boards’ National Connection program is designed to build school board excellence. Get connected.