Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD Earns Governance Recognition

For Immediate Release: August 12, 2008
Contact: Bill Nemir, 800.580.8272, ext. 6417 

(AUSTIN) – Hurst-Euless-Bedford (HEB) ISD joins a select cadre of public school districts that has earned distinction for good governance from the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB). The district met specific criteria to be recognized in the Association’s Good Governance Program and will be featured in the TASB magazine, Texas Lone Star.

To be recognized, a district must meet six criteria: undertake the TASB governance audit, notify TASB when the audit is complete, be rated acceptable or higher in the accountability system two of the four most recent years, have rising assessment participation, achieve acceptable or higher in the FIRST rating system, and demonstrate that all board members have met training requirements.

“Undertaking the TASB Board Effectiveness Audit is no small task, and I know HEB ISD worked diligently to incorporate all of the audit practices into its board work. TASB’s Board of Directors applauds the efforts of this and other exemplary school boards as they serve their communities on behalf of Texas schoolchildren. The district leadership team is well deserving of state and national honors for its ongoing commitment to improving student achievement and creating an involved and informed community,” said Bill Nemir, TASB Leadership Team Services director.

“What most impresses me about the HEB board is the way they ‘walk the talk,” said Nemir. “Their undertaking the Audit was their part in the district’s overall emphasis on continuous improvement at all levels. The board felt it couldn’t ask for continuous improvement from the staff unless the board was willing to do at least the same. And they continue to make new improvement efforts. This is what leadership is all about,” he said.

Previous honorees in the Good Governance Program include Pampa, Big Spring, Castleberry, Northside (Bexar County), Richardson, San Antonio, and Weatherford ISDs. 

TASB is a nonprofit association established in 1949 to serve local public school districts. School board members are the largest group of publicly elected officials in the state. The districts they represent serve more than 4.5 million public school students.