Your Vote in the School Board Election Matters

The Austin School Board elections are coming up. They take place on November 6th. Check out my last post for information about who is running.

Your vote in this election matters, because the winners of the school board election win responsibilities — not celebrity.  But do you know what those responsibilities are?  And do the candidates in your district really understand what they are?  These are vitally important questions because it’s impossible for any member of the school board to do their job if they don’t understand what the law and ISD policies require of them; and it’s also impossible for you to help them by holding them accountable for meeting their responsibilities if you don’t have that information. 

In fact, a school board is responsible for a lot more than just hiring and firing the superintendent and for approving an annual budget for the ISD. Among other things for example, school boards in every Texas ISD are also legally responsible for overseeing the activities of their superintendent, for ensuring that the superintendent complies with each and every District policy and for questioning the superintendent when he or she falls short. 

For a more complete understanding of a school board’s responsibilities, go here. before you vote. Also, read this to learn about some of the things you can do in order to help school board candidates understand their responsibilities. 

Please tell your friends and neighbors as well as your children’s teachers about ImproveTexasSchools.org. Also, sign up for our e-newsletter. When you do, we will email you periodic articles with useful education-related information and suggested actions to take.