Thursday, January 27

• Is Gov. Abbott pitting Texas parents against teachers? Education poised to be wedge issue, Dallas Morning News
• Here’s why Fort Worth administrators and librarians might be teaching your kid’s class, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
• Texas violated voting rights law during redistricting, retiring state GOP senator says in sworn court statement, Texas Tribune
• New Survey: How the Pandemic Has Made School Leadership More Stressful, Education Week
• Taylor ISD superintendent offers teaching scholarships from own salary, KXAN Austin
• Musk Foundation awards Brownsville ISD additional $2 million, Brownsville Herald

More news...

Policy On Line^® is getting an upgrade! In 2022, we will introduce a modernized Policy On Line to make policy work easier! Details coming soon!

Available Now:

• Update 118 of the Policy Reference Manual
• Update 64 of the Regulations Resource Manual (RRM) which correlates with Update 118. The RRM provides sample administrative procedures and forms
• View the Update 118 resources in Policy Manual Update Resources
• Policy Alert for Senate Bill 15, Local Remote Learning Program, which permits districts to operate a local remote learning program

For more, see Policy Service’s Publication Information page.

Check out Policy Spotlight, our quarterly newsletter that provides articles on timely policy issues. Sign Up to start recieiving the newsletter. View all the previous policy articles in the Member Center.

• Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Hazing (pdf)
• Cyberbullying: Anti-bullying Laws in Texas after SB 179 (David’s Law) (pdf)
• Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect (pdf)
• School Districts and Robocalls (pdf)
• Remote Participation in Board Meetings (pdf)

Texas Teacher Dropouts at Alarming High
A recent study by the University of Houston shows first-year teacher retention is at an all-time low.

HR Survey Update
On January 20, TASB HR Services opened participation in the HR Surveys for 2021–2022.

Tips for Accepting End-of-Year Contract Resignations
As districts move into the last semester, it’s a good time to review practices relating to the acceptance of a contract employee’s end-of-year resignation.

Read all HRX articles

Alba Golden ISD Hires Executive Search Services

On January 25, the Alba-Golden ISD Board of Trustees voted to hire TASB Executive Search Services (ESS) to conduct a search for a new superintendent. Details and updates will appear on our searches page as things progress.

Medina Valley ISD Hires Executive Search Services

On January 11, the Medina Valley ISD Board of Trustees voted to hire TASB Executive Search Services (ESS) to conduct a search for a new superintendent. Details and updates will appear on our searches page as things progress.

Mathis ISD Names Lone Finalist

On January 19, the Mathis ISD Board of Trustees named Tim Norman as the lone finalist for the position of superintendent. Norman currently serves as superintendent in Hubbard ISD.

Carthage ISD Hires New Superintendent

On January 11, the Carthage ISD Board of Trustees voted to hire Jarrod Bitter as the district’s new superintendent. Bitter most recently served as the Assistant Superintendent of Administration and Innovation in Tyler ISD. 

Stephenville ISD Hires New Superintendent

On December 13, the Stephenville ISD Board of Trustees voted to hire Eric Cederstrom as the district’s new superintendent. Cederstrom most recently served as the Deputy Superintendent in Pine Tree ISD.

Further details about all search activities can be found on the ESS website.