What’s happening?
Hava Armstrong, executive director of Texans for Excellence in Education, presented details on the group to the board of trustees on June 19. The organization was created over a year and a half ago “in response to the demand for an alternative” to the Texas Association of School Boards, or the TASB, she said.
In their own words
“Our mission is to provide policies that take politics and social agendas out of the classroom, and focus on the education of our students [and] that support parental rights,” Armstrong said.
What else?
Starting June 1, Texans for Excellence in Education began offering several services to school districts, including model policy drafting, legal guidance, group insurance and a model board book, according to a press release.
“With [Texans for Excellence in Education], we now have an alternative for our board to consider,” CISD Board President Cameron Bryan said in the release.
Texans for Excellence in Education also offers Texas Education Agency-approved board training, the release stated. According to the education agency, school board member training for team building, school board development, Texas Education Code and education on human trafficking can be taught by registered providers.
“Any of the training that can be done by authorized providers, we have the ability to take care of that,” said Melissa Martin, training partner for the organization and board member for Innovative Teachers of Texas.
How we got here
The CISD board of trustees’ voted 5-1 to end its membership with the TASB on March 27. According to the resolution submitted by Bryan, this decision was due to the TASB promoting “divisive political ideologies” through its training and conferences. The resolution was also signed by Board Vice President Hannah Smith and Secretary Andrew Yeager.
The TASB is a voluntary, statewide education program that serves and represents local Texas school boards. In a March 28 statement sent to Community Impact, a TASB spokesperson said the district’s vote was “disappointing,” but the district had the right to assess and evaluate its membership with the organization.
What they're saying
“If it turns out, and I hope it doesn’t, that we are the only school district in the state of Texas willing to stand up for our community’s principles and fight the evil ideology indoctrination of our children that has been sweeping across our nation and great state, so be it,” Bryan said at the meeting.
Going forward
The presentation to the board on June 19 was for information only and no action was taken. CISD's board of trustees has not yet announced if further discussion on becoming a member of the Texans for Excellence in Education will be held.
