AUSTIN – Last week Rep. Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas) filed HB 2579, a bi-partisan bill that would implement provisions related to the governance of the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) by requiring the DISD school board to order an election on six individual proposals. The proposals would:
- Establish a non-voting student trustee to serve on the DISD Board of Trustees;
- Allow the board the flexibility to consider a start date prior to the fourth week of August;
- Change the DISD elections to November;
- Allow for termination of the Superintendent’s contract or other employment to be terminated upon a vote of at least two-thirds of the District’s Board of Trustees at a public meeting posted for that purpose ( to begin after the current superintendent contract);
- Allow for District Trustees to receive compensation equal to the amount of the average salary of a teacher with a Bachelor’s degree; and
- Implement redistricting reforms almost identical to those adopted by the City of Dallas and overwhelmingly approved by voters in the November 2014 elections.
“This bill is not aimed at criticizing current trustees,” said Rep. Anchia. “This legislation strengthens school board governance and seeks to rally the community around issues that had broad-based support during the DISD reform discussion of the last months.”
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins had this to say about paying trustees: “Voters in the DISD boundaries should determine whether and how much DISD trustees are paid. Serving on the DISD board, which oversees a district with over 150,000 students, is a huge time commitment not many working people can make and our children deserve the very best our community has to offer.”
