January highlights school board service

The Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) is joining school districts across the state to show appreciation for locally elected board members as part of School Board Recognition Month, which is celebrated each year in January.

“Texas school boards are critical to the success of students and the future of Texas,” said TASB Executive Director Dan Troxell. “Boards lead their districts in the right direction, providing oversight, setting goals, overseeing the budget and selecting and evaluating the superintendent. These volunteers serve for the betterment of their local schools and communities.”

School board members are the largest group of locally elected officials in the state. School board members are not paid, volunteering their time and expertise to serve their local communities.

In recognition of their service, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation marking January as School Board Recognition Month in the state. “To catch a glimpse of the Texas of tomorrow, we need only look into the classrooms of today,” the proclamation states.
The document also acknowledges the importance of locally elected boards. “Individual schools and districts are answerable to the people through elected school boards. These boards set a vision for their district based on students’ needs and community values.”

View the full proclamation at sbrm.tasb.org.

To help school districts celebrate their trustees, TASB has created a planning kit with this year’s theme for the month, “Forward, Together.” The goal is to honor trustees and raise community awareness about their many contributions to Texas public education.

“The work of a school board trustee is both challenging and rewarding,” Troxell said. “There’s no better time to show our appreciation than the month of January as we start the new year with a renewed commitment and focus on excellent student outcomes.”

TASB encourages everyone to thank their local school board trustees and share their appreciation on social media using the hashtag #SchoolBoardMonth.

Learn more at tasb.org.