A conservative North Texas school district is preparing to withdraw from the Texas Association of School Boards—a voluntary association for school officials that has wielded increasingly liberal influence over public education policies—citing “recent and ongoing actions that do not align with the values of the majority of Texans.”
Trustees of Carroll Independent School District in Southlake are set to consider a resolution during their March 27 board meeting to permanently leave TASB.
The resolution, recommended by Board President Cam Bryan, states the district will not renew its membership in TASB for the calendar year of 2024 “or any year thereafter.”
According to Carroll ISD’s resolution, “TASB actively promotes, through training and conferences, divisive political ideologies as a professional development opportunity for school district administrators and board members.”
TASB was established in 1949 as a voluntary association for school board officials and now claims all 1,025 Texas school districts as members.
Local taxpayer dollars are used to fund TASB membership fees and services that include training, legal advice, and insurance.
The organization also engages in taxpayer-funded lobbying on behalf of school district interests, which often conflict with the interests of students, parents, and the taxpayers picking up the tab.
Carroll ISD’s resolution notes that services provided by TASB to Texas school boards are “readily available on the free market,” and trustees believe competition will bring “lower prices and better services.”
That includes risk management, one of the largest expense items for which school districts pay TASB.
Last year, Midlothian ISD dropped TASB’s insurance coverage, citing rising costs and a “lag in service,” and switched to a provider that saved local taxpayers thousands of dollars.
The charter school Life School of Dallas went further, dropping its TASB membership entirely in 2022.
Carroll would be the first independent school district in Texas to leave TASB.
State Rep. Nate Schatzline (R–Fort Worth), one of several lawmakers who urged school districts in January to consider leaving TASB, thanked Carroll ISD for “leading the charge.”
“TASB has proven more committed to indoctrination than education, undermining parents rather than empowering them, and pushing a far-left radical agenda on the next generation. Enough is enough!” said Schatzline.
State Rep. Brian Harrison (R–Midlothian), meanwhile, has filed legislation that would prevent school districts from joining organizations that hire lobbyists such as TASB.
Carroll ISD has been on the leading edge of Texas’ parent movement to remove liberal ideology from schools and restore fiscal responsibility. Conservative trustees hold a 5-2 majority on the board.
Carroll ISD trustees will meet Monday, March 27, at 5:00 p.m.
