September 2015 Committee on School Initiatives Item 1
Recommendation for Appointments to the
Fort Sam Houston Independent School District Board of Trustees
September 11, 2015
COMMITTEE ON SCHOOL INITIATIVES: ACTION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: CONSENT
SUMMARY: This item provides an opportunity for board consideration of appointments to the board of trustees of the Fort Sam Houston Independent School District. The appointments are necessary due to the vacancies of office for three board members.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Texas Education Code (TEC), §11.352, and 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §61.2.
PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION: No previous board action has occurred on this item.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND SIGNIFICANT ISSUES: The State Board of Education is statutorily authorized to appoint board members for military reservation independent school districts. Trustees so appointed shall hold office for two years and until their successors are appointed and qualified. Enlisted military personnel may be appointed to the board; however, a majority must be civilians and all may be civilians. When a vacancy occurs on one of these boards, the base commander notifies the commissioner of education of such in compliance with TEC, §11.352. Vacancies are widely advertised through base newspapers, email and other electronic means. Interested individuals then submit resumes and other documents verifying that they qualify to hold the position and would accept it if appointed.
The commanding officer appoints a nomination panel of at least three members who review the application packages, interview the candidates and evaluate the candidates. The panel’s recommendations are then forwarded to the commanding officer for consideration. The commanding officer is required by 19 TAC §61.2 to provide at least three nominations to the State Board of Education. The nominations may or may not be ranked in order of preference. All nominees must be qualified under the general school laws of Texas and live or be employed on the military reservation.
Colonel, United States Air Force, Steven A. Toft, Commander of the 502nd Force Support Group has notified the commissioner of three expired terms which exists on the board of trustees of the Fort Sam Houston Independent School District due to three terms expiring at this time. Colonel Toft has provided three nominations for each vacancy and has recommended the appointments of Ms. Rebekah K. Sanchez, Mr. Willie E. White, Jr., and Ms. Andrea Nicholas to fill the positions.
FISCAL IMPACT: No fiscal impact to the state will occur.
PUBLIC AND STUDENT BENEFIT: Both the public and the students will benefit by having qualified individuals appointed to the board of trustees.
PROCEDURAL AND REPORTING IMPLICATIONS: No procedural or reporting implications exist.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: No public comments are presented.
ALTERNATIVES: No alternatives are suggested.
OTHER COMMENTS AND RELATED ISSUES: No other comments or related issues are presented.
MOTION TO BE CONSIDERED: The State Board of Education:
Based on Colonel Steven A. Toft’s recommendation, approve the appointments of the candidates to serve a two-year term of office, from September 11, 2015 through September 10, 2017, on the Fort Sam Houston Independent School District Board of Trustees.
Staff Member Responsible:
Ronald Rowell, Director, School Governance
Attachment:
I. Correspondence from the Colonel which includes biographical information and supporting materials for each nominee