School Boards

Texas school districts and charters are overseen by school boards. The boards of independent school districts are elected by the citizens of their communities, while the boards of charter schools are appointed.

In each instance, the school board oversees the management of the district or charter school and ensures that the superintendent implements and monitors district operations.  The board and the superintendent work together as a team to bring about the best education possible for the students they serve.

To make sure they carry their job out appropriately, school trustees are required to receive training in the laws and rules of the state education system.

Should the management of a district or charter fail to carry out its duty, the commissioner of education has the authority to impose a sanction by installing a monitor, conservator or board of managers. At any given time, only about a dozen of the more than 1,200 school districts and charters receive this type of school governance intervention.

Posting Requirements Related to School Board Members

Texas law requires school districts to post on their websites the name, email address, and term of office for each member of their boards of trustees. If a school district does not maintain a website, the district must submit the information to the Texas Education Agency for posting. Board of trustee information from districts that do not maintain a public website is listed below:

Currently, there are no known school districts that do not maintain a website.

Lone Star Governance: Continuous Improvement For Governing Teams 

Founded on research, Lone Star Governance (LSG) is a continuous-improvement model for governing teams—boards in collaboration with their superintendents—who choose to focus intensely on only one primary objective: improving student outcomes.

The purpose of Lone Star Governance is to provide coaching and support, through a continuous-improvement framework, for school governing teams that choose and commit to intensively focus on the objective of improving student outcomes. Lone Star Governance accomplishes this intense focus through tailored coaching aligned to the five pillars of the Texas Framework for School Board Development: Vision and Goals, Systems and Processes, Progress and Accountability, Advocacy and Engagement, and Synergy and Teamwork. In addition to the primary focus on improving student outcomes, Lone Star Governance provides systems for governing legal and fiscal responsibilities.