New School Board Member: What’s Next?

Congratulations! The campaign is over, and now it’s time to govern with your school board. This is the start of a journey as a public servant, and you may be asking if there’s an instruction manual.

There’s a lot to get up to speed on:

• Open Meetings Act
• Parliamentary procedure
• Ethics law
• District planning and budget process
• Policy-making
• Legislative advocacy
• Community engagement and public relations
• And so much more

TASB can help. We’re here as a resource for your transition to public service and throughout your time as a school board member.

Resources for New Board Members

A good place to start understanding your role as a member of the school board is the Texas Education Agency’s Framework for School Board Development. TASB also has a variety of resources for new school board members created to help you hit the ground running:

• How To Prepare to Be an Effective School Board Officer
• The New School Board Member Checklist
• Your First 120 Days on the School Board
• What Are a Texas School Board’s Roles and Responsibilities?
• How to Be Successful on the School Board: Five Things Trustees Should Know

Training Resources

• Current Training Requirements for School Board Members
• The Code of Ethics for School Board Members
• Continuing Education Credit Reporting Service

As a new school board member, you have State Board of Education mandated continuing education requirements to meet. See the Current Training Requirements to learn more.

The Texas Trustee Institute, held at most TASB events, provides an overview of school board service for new board members. The sessions cover the essentials you need to succeed in your first year. Can't make it to a live TASB event? Look for the New Board Member Launch course package in the TASB Online Learning Center (OLC).

The OLC also includes useful foundational courses:

• Texas Open Meetings Act
• Child Abuse Prevention: What Board Members Need to Know
• Foundations of Board Policy
• Understanding School Finance
• Introduction to Parliamentary Procedures
• Ethics for the School Trustee
• Top 10 Things to Know About... (course package)

Materials for Purchase in the TASB Store

• Getting Started as a New Board Member
• A New Board Member's Guide to Parliamentary Procedure
• The School Official's Guide to the Texas Open Meetings Act

Lean on TASB

The resources closest to home are your:

• Board policy manual
• Board president
• District superintendent

When you have a question about board service that your board president or superintendent can’t answer, TASB can often help. Call 800-580-8272, extension 2453, or email Board Development Services at board.dev@tasb.org to let them know you’re a new school board member.