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The 2023 School Board Election

a quick briefer & sample ballots
FIND YOUR CLOSEST POLLING LOCATION HERE

Dripping Springs ISD:

...has 7 non-salaried Board Members that are elected for 3 year terms. These Board Members are also called "Trustees".
There are 2 seats up for election this May.

Wimberley ISD:

...has 7 non-salaried Board Members and there is no seat up for election right now.
These Board Members are also called "Trustees".

HAYS CONSOLIDATED ISD:

...has 7 non-salaried Board Members elected for 3 year terms. These Board Members are also called "Trustees".
There are 3 seats up for election this May but the race in District 1 is uncontested.

San Marcos ISD:

...has 7 non-salaried Board Members elected for 3 year terms.
These Board Members are also called "Trustees". There are 3 seats up for election this May.
What does a school board do?
Help me understand the controversy.
Why is this election SO important?

WHO'S on the BALLOT?

DRIPPING SPRINGS ISD
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER DISTRICT #1

Video with Ron Jones & Kim Cousins
League of Women Voters Candidate Forum

HAYS CONSOLIDATED ISD

The Kyle/Buda area school district is called HAYS CONSOLIDATED ISD. It is separated into 5 different areas known as “single member districts”. 

 

5 of the 7 elected school board members (also called “TRUSTEES”) represent one of these designated districts. 

 

2 members are elected to represent the entire district. These 2 members are called: “TRUSTEES AT-LARGE”

HAYS CONSOLIDATED ISD
Single Member Districts 1 & 2

League of Women Voters Candidate Forum

SAN MARCOS CONSOLIDATED ISD

The San Marcos area school district is called SAN MARCOS CONSOLIDATED ISD. It is separated into 5 different areas known as “single member districts”. 

5 of the 7 elected school board members represent one of these designated districts. 

2 members are elected to represent the entire district. These 2 members are called:
 “TRUSTEES AT-LARGE”

SAN MARCOS CONSOLIDATED ISD
District 1 & 2

GET YOUR SAMPLE BALLOT

School Board 101

Texas school board members (also called “trustees”) are elected by the community to make important decisions about the local school system.

NOTE: The School Board does NOT make decisions about a school’s curriculum. This decision is made at the state level by the State Board of Education.

Trustees are not paid, so in an ideal world, school boards would be a diplomatic, diverse group of skilled, passionate education professionals dedicated to providing a quality education.

Making decisions so students receive a quality education has historically been the #1 goal of school boards.

But recently, school board meetings and elections are bringing out divisive parents and candidates. Many of these candidates have little to no experience in education.

Due to low turnout rates in school boards elections, these inexperienced candidates are being elected and school boards meetings and decisions are being dominated by divisive social issues rather than focusing on providing our children with a quality education.

We need to elect school board members who help bring diplomacy and quality back into our education system.

School Board 101

You may have heard about “CRT” (critical race theory) and the book banning related to it. This college level only framework suggests that: 

“U.S. social institutions (e.g., the criminal justice system, education system, labor market, housing market, and healthcare system) are laced with racism embedded in laws, regulations, rules, and procedures that lead to differential outcomes by race.” BROOKINGS, November 2021

But – CRT is not taught in K-12 curriculums. All public school curriculum decisions are made by the State Board of Education, NOT the local School Boards.

However, the School Boards DO decide which books are allowed in their local school libraries.

So, School Board meetings are being dominated by angry parents and individuals who want to eliminate books that depict any topic or subject they don’t agree with.

The goal of the Democratic Party is to increase turnout to help elect candidates who will alleviate the current controversy.

If we vote for skilled candidates that we trust and respect, our school boards can diplomatically make decisions and focus on quality education, not controversial social issues like CRT or Sex Ed.

The Texas Monthly summed up a November 2021 article with this:

 “The threat the loud and the angry pose isn’t necessarily that they win outright but that they tire others out—that they make public service too burdensome, too painful, too tedious. If, then, you think your local elected officials are doing a decent job trying to muddle through a demoralizing and unprecedented period, it might help to let them know, maybe at one of the meetings where they’re getting yelled at. Just get ready to duck.”

The Texas Monthly, November 2021

School Board 101

These are unprecedented times dominated by a lot of angry and extreme personalities.

Tragically, the vitriol is infiltrating our education systems. This is easy to fix with one simple solution. #1, we start paying attention to the people we elect on our local school boards and #2, we start showing up to vote in these historically low-turnout elections.

There are stellar candidates who truly stand for democratic values that bring us together rather than tear us apart and all we need to do is seek them out and then support them with our vote.

We’re not just supporting candidates. We’re supporting a quality education system for our children’s futures.

PLEASE commit to stepping up, doing a little more homework and voting in these important elections.