A Texas school district has voted to leave the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) amid mounting pressure from state legislators, becoming the first district in the state to do so.
The Carroll Independent School District Board of Trustees passed a resolution Monday night to leave TASB after several Texas lawmakers, led by Republican state Rep. Brian Harrison, sent a letter in January highlighting the association’s promotion of partisan policies.
The school board’s resolution cited recent and ongoing actions from the TASB “that do not align with the values of the majority of Texans,” including its posture toward concerned parents, new transgender guidance for students and the decision to offer professional training that promotes “divisive political ideologies.”
“TASB took eight months to announce the end of its membership with the National School Boards Association (NSBA) after NSBA sent a letter to the President of the United States suggesting the Department of Justice, Education and Homeland Security perform an expedited review of the actions of some individuals attending school board meetings that ‘could be the equivalent of a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes,'” the resolution stated.
The board of trustees also said that the district’s withdrawal from the TASB will save local taxpayer from being forced to fund an organization that “actively promotes, through training and conferences, divisive political ideologies as a professional development opportunity for school district administrators and board members.” (RELATED: Texas Representatives Demand Review Of ‘Radically Pro-Transgender’ State School Board Guidance)
“[The] services provided by TASB to Texas School Boards are readily available on the free market and the Carroll Board of Trustees believe competition would bring lower prices and better services,” the resolution stated.
Carroll ISD TASB Resolution by Mary Rooke
Harrison celebrated Carroll ISD’s decision to leave TASB in a statement on Monday.
“Carroll school board trustees deserve praise for their courageous decision tonight to prioritize parents and students by cutting ties with the liberal activists at the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), who weaponize Texans’ hard-earned tax dollars against them, their values, and their children,” Harrison said. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Texas Republicans Ask All School Districts To Immediately Leave Texas Association Of School Boards)
“I appreciate Carroll ISD Board President Cameron Bryan taking seriously the concerns my colleagues and I outlined in our letter to school boards earlier this year detailing TASB’s dangerous, woke, taxpayer-funded efforts,” he added. “While Carroll is the first independent school district in 30 years to leave TASB, they will not be the last. I predict and celebrate the fact that TASB will never again be able to say that they represent every school board in Texas.”
Leigh Wambsganss, executive director of Texas Super PAC Patriot Mobile Action (PMA), commended the move in a statement, saying that it’s “time to hold [TASB] accountable.”
“I applaud the Southlake Carroll Board of Trustees for their leadership,” said Wambsganss. “Texas parents’ tax dollars should not be funding TASB’s broken and woke bureaucracy that is not looking out for the best interests of children. I hope this is just the beginning of school districts across Texas leaving TASB and becoming truly independent districts that focus on quality education.”
“In Texas, there are a lot of people and organizations grifting millions of dollars in the name of education, who truly do not care about children or their education,” she said. “It is time to hold them accountable and get back to providing the next generation of this country’s leaders with a quality education in Texas.”