Roles, Goals & Qualifications
Role of the Board
The seven-member Board of Trustees acts as the school district's policy-making body and is the official representative of the people for all education in the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District.
The Board functions according to state and federal laws, the rules and regulations established by the State Board of Education, and the will of the people as expressed in District elections.
The Board acts officially only as a committee of the whole.
No Board member or any other person or group acts in the name of the Board except when specifically authorized by the Board to do so.
A majority of the Board (four members) constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business. The Board selects and employs a Superintendent of Schools and delegates the responsibility and authority for the operation of the school system to the executive officer.
Specific duties of the Board include:
- Ensure creation of a vision and goals for the district and evaluate district progress towards the vision and the goals
- Adopt and evaluate policies that guide district actions
- Approve the school district’s annual budget consistent with the district vision and set the tax rate
- Hire a superintendent to serve as administrator of the district and evaluate the superintendent’s success
- Communicate the district’s vision and success to the community
Goals
- GCCISD students will achieve growth in all identified student groups.
- GCCISD students will demonstrate college and career readiness by increasing career technical certification and or college credit.
- GCCISD will develop a plan for effective facility usage, maintenance and student population changes.
- GCCISD will be fiscally responsible and maximize funding sources.
Qualifications
- Eligibility
- Qualified Voter
- Official Oaths
- Compensation
- Single Member Districts
- Cadidates's Residency Term
Eligibility
To be eligible to be a candidate for, or elected or appointed to, the office of school board Trustee, a person must:
- Be a United States citizen.
- Be 18 years of age or older on the first day of the term to be filled at the election or on the date of appointment, as applicable.
- Have not been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be:
- Totally mentally incapacitated and the person's mental capacity has not subsequently been completely restored by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction; or
- Partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote and the person's guardianship has not been modified to include the right to vote or the person's mental capacity has not been completely restored by a subsequent final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction.
- Have not been finally convicted of a felony from which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities. Atty. Gen. Op. LO 96-114 (1996)
- Be a resident of Texas and the territory from which the office is elected for the period of time described at CANDIDATE'S RESIDENCY TERM, below. Tex. Const. Art. XVI, Sec. 14
Election Code 1.020; 141.001(a); Brown v. Patterson, 609 S.W.2d 287 (Tex. Civ. App.-Dallas 1980, no writ)
Qualified Voter
A person may not be elected Trustee of the District unless the person is a qualified voter. Education Code 11.061(b)
"Qualified voter" means a person who:
- Is 18 years of age or older;
- Is a United States citizen;
- Has not been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be:
- Totally mentally incapacitated and the person's mental capacity has not subsequently been completely restored by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction; or
- Partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote and the person's guardianship has not been modified to include the right to vote or the person's mental capacity has not been completely restored by a subsequent final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction;
- Has not been finally convicted of a felony or, if so convicted:
- Has fully discharged his or her sentence, including any term of incarceration, parole, or supervision;
- Has completed a period of probation ordered by any court; or
- Has been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disability to vote;
- Is a resident of this state; and
- Is a registered voter.
Official Oaths
Compensation
Single Member Districts
Cadidates's Residency Term
- Prefiled Candidacy: An individual seeking election to the office of Trustee by having his or her name placed on the ballot must have been a resident of the state for 12 months, and a resident of the territory from which the office is elected for six months, prior to the last date on which the candidate could file to be listed on the ballot.
- Write-in Candidacy: An individual seeking election to the office of Trustee by write-in vote must have been a resident of the state for 12 months, and a resident of the territory from which the office is elected for six months, prior to the day of the election.
- Appointment to Office: An individual appointed to the office of Trustee must have been a resident of the state for 12 months, and a resident of the territory from which the office is elected for six months, prior to the day on which the appointment is made.Election Code 141.001(a)(5)
- 'Residence' Defined: "Residence" shall mean domicile, one's home and fixed place of habitation to which one intends to return after any temporary absence; one does not lose one's residence status by leaving to go to another place for temporary purposes only. Election Code 1.015
Continuing Education
- Each Board member must complete any training required by the State Board of Education (SBOE). The minutes of the last regular meeting of the Board held during a calendar year must reflect whether each Board member has met or is delinquent in meeting the training required to be completed as of the date of the meeting.
- Continuing education for Board members includes orientation sessions, an annual team building session with the Board and the Superintendent, and specified hours of continuing education based on individual needs.
- New Board members shall participate in a local orientation session within 60 days before or after their election or appointment.
- Newly-elected or appointed Board members shall participate in three hours of training regarding the Texas Education Code (TEC). For Board members in subsequent years of service, two hours of training on the Update to the Texas Education Code is required.
- Annually, it is required for each Board member to spend three to six hours in team building skills.
- New Board members shall complete ten hours in Continuing Education with Board members in subsequent years of service participating in five hours of Continuing Education training.