Southlake Carroll ISD school board members renounced the nonpartisan Texas Association of School Boards on Monday, citing the group’s promotion of “divisive political ideologies” largely related to diversity and inclusion.
Trustees voted 5-1 to leave the association, which they said does not represent the values of most Texans. Carroll ISD is the first school district in the state to pass such a resolution.
The move comes two months after nine Republican lawmakers — including Reps. Brian Harrison of Waxahachie and Tony Tinderholt of Arlington — sent a letter to Texas school districts urging them to abandon the association. Established in 1949, TASB provides training, policy guidance and insurance to the more than 1,000 Texas public school boards.
On Monday, Harrison praised school board trustees for “cutting ties with the liberal activists at the Texas Association of School Boards, who weaponize Texans’ hard-earned dollars against them, their values, and their children.” More districts will follow Carroll’s lead, Harrison predicted.
TASB has emerged as a target of some Republicans lawmakers. In January, a group of conservatives demanded Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton review the organization’s guidance to school boards related to transgender students. In response, the association said lawmakers were grossly misrepresenting its guidance.
Carroll ISD has also emerged as a political flashpoint, as the wealthy, mostly white school district draws scrutiny for its handling of issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Southlake schools are under at least eight separate federal investigations over allegations that include racial discrimination, gender and sex discrimination and violating the rights of students with disabilities.
In 2021, the town was the subject of a multipart NBC podcast, making it a national symbol of what the fight over critical race theory can look like in schools.
Still, the district has continued to stoke controversy. In December 2022, trustees struck references to gender identity, sexual orientation and religion from its nondiscrimination statement in its student code of conduct even as Superintendent Lane Ledbetter has apologized for being distracted by controversies.
On Monday, Carroll ISD said it would search for alternative risk management services outside of TASB. Trustee Michelle Moore was the lone trustee to oppose the resolution, saying the board needed more time to evaluate the issue and compare costs.
Basic membership to TASB costs $11,000 a year, and Carroll ISD spends roughly $20,000 more a year on additional services like insurance, salary studies and specialized training, district officials say.
Echoing the letter from Republican lawmakers, the district’s resolution also criticized TASB’s delay in leaving the National School Board Association last year after that organization requested federal assistance following contentious school board meetings nationwide. Ultimately, TASB cut ties with the national organization.
In a written statement, TASB said the decision by Carroll ISD trustees to leave is “disappointing but we respect the right of the Carroll ISD Board to assess and evaluate their membership.”
