Texans for Excellence in Education (TEE) states its mission is “to implement and provide guidance to the current ISD policy frameworks to aid Texas independent school districts, their boards, administrators, and teachers in achieving these critical objectives.”

Carroll ISD is one school board in Texas that has voted and shown its intent to leave TASB, which as an organization has come under scrutiny from both school board members and Texas lawmakers for its stances on transgender student policy and parental transparency. 

Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian) has been one of the most staunch advocates for an alternative to TASB and has praised school districts for leaving the organization.

TASB is a private, non-profit association of school boards that holds trainings and provides resources for board members, which is required for trustees by law. The group also lobbies the Legislature and provides legal representation to board members.

TEE is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that states its focus is the “core competencies of math, science, reading, and writing and transparency between ISDs, parents, and taxpayers.”

Transparency in education has received an increased focus from parents. TEE addressed these concerns on its website with the introduction of a “comprehensive transparency and ethics policy” wherein districts will post organizational charts on their website, livestream and record board of trustee meetings, and have all members involved in school decisions be subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act and the Texas Public Information Act “without restriction.”

Another issue that has come under the spotlight by parents is social emotional learning (SEL). There have been recent incidents involving children in Texas schools where students have been put into uncomfortable positions during lessons that incorporated SEL.

SEL, according to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), describes how children  “develop an awareness of self-identity, as well as recognize multiple perspectives, difference and diversity, biases, and the social and cultural context in which they live.”

TEE plans to provide a “classical social and emotional learning” policy that will focus on critical thinking and rational analysis to “ensure that multiple viewpoints about the issue are presented by introducing an unexpressed viewpoint when necessary.”

Several Texas lawmakers have taken to social media to praise TEE, with Rep. Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth) “calling on every Texas ISD to leave TASB and join TEE!”

Editor’s note: The piece has been updated to clarify Carroll ISD’s intent to leave TASB.