Registration for SBEC Public Comment
Instructions and Procedures for Meetings
Individuals may register to make written public comment until 5:00 PM (Central Time) on Wednesday of the week of the Board meeting via the link below up. Individuals may register to make oral public comment until 30 minutes prior to the meeting start time. Individuals submitting late registration less than 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting may not be allowed to speak.
Registrants for public testimony have two choices to submit SBEC Public Comment:
- Written Comment – Submitted written comment will be emailed to the SBEC members on Wednesday prior to the Board meeting. Individuals may submit written testimony following the link below or to the SBEC Public Comment inbox at sbecpubliccomment@tea.texas.gov.
- Oral Testimony – Registered members of the public will be permitted to make oral testimony during the meeting.
The presiding officer of the board or committee shall take appropriate action to avoid unduly repetitive comment and to assure that different members of the public with differing points of view have reasonable access to the board or committee. The presiding officer shall strive to ensure that representatives from both sides of an issue are able to address the board or committee.
The board shall not allow public comment regarding individual agreed orders.
Non-Agenda and Consent Items:
i. The Board shall allocate up to thirty (30) minutes at the beginning of each regularly scheduled meeting of the full board for public comment on non-agenda and consent agenda items.
ii. Each speaker shall have three minutes, unless the Board extends the time. Comment invited by board members shall not be counted against the speaker’s time.
iii. The presiding officer shall announce in open session which registered speakers, if any, shall not be heard and the basis for this determination. The Board may not overrule a decision with regard to a non-agenda or consent item.
Agenda Items:
i. Each speaker shall have three minutes, unless the Board extends the time. Comment invited by board members shall not be counted against the speaker’s time on agenda items.
ii. The Board shall allocate up to 30 minutes, total time, to public comment on each agenda item; however, the Board may, by majority, vote to adjust the total time allocated to public comment on agenda items. The presiding officer retains discretion to determine which speakers shall be heard if the number of speakers exceeds or is expected to exceed the time allocated for public comment, giving priority to new speakers and alternating comment by viewpoint.
Committee Comment:
i. Public comment to a committee shall be limited to items posted for action or discussion.
ii. Each speaker shall have three minutes, unless the committee extends the time. Comment invited by committee members shall not be counted against the speaker’s time.
Registering to Provide Comment:
(1) Pre-registration. Speakers may register during regular business hours until two business days preceding the meeting. The speaker is required to use the form adopted by the board, which is available on the TEA’s website.
i. The speaker must provide his or her name, organizational affiliation, if any, and indicate which agenda item or topic shall be addressed. A separate form shall be submitted for each agenda item or topic on which the speaker shall testify. Additionally, the registrant shall disclose his or her viewpoint on the item or topic, as well as whether he or she, and the organization represented, if any, is a lobbyist registered with the Texas Ethics Commission. The date and time the registration was received shall be noted.
ii. If all information required by this operating procedure is not provided on the form, the presiding officer may disallow the comment.
iii. A person may register only one person, either himself or herself, or another person. Organizations are encouraged to register only one person per item. Registrants are encouraged to bring twenty (20) written copies of comment.
iv. A registrant offering written materials in lieu of oral comment shall provide the materials to staff for distribution. Written comment shall not exceed three pages of double-spaced text and shall be attached to a completed registration form. Written comment may be submitted in person at the meeting or by mail, fax, or electronic mail, as specified on the registration form. Written materials offered in lieu of oral comment should be submitted two business days before the meeting to ensure that members have had an opportunity to consider it, but must be submitted no later than 30 minutes prior to the meeting. Board minutes shall reflect the name of the registrant, affiliation if any, and the item or topic addressed. Copies of the written comment shall be provided to all board members but shall not be attached to the board minutes.
(2) Late registration at the board meeting. Late registration for providing oral or written comment will be accepted up to 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the board meeting.
The registration form requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or the full Acrobat program to complete. Many tablet devices, Apple Machines, or Windows 8 machines may not come with this program. You can download a free version of Acrobat Reader here: http://get.adobe.com/reader
Once you have completed the registration form, please attach the completed form and submit via email to sbecpubliccomment@tea.texas.gov.
For questions or help with filling out or submitting the form, please call the Educator Leadership and Quality division at 512-936-9831.
If you do not receive email confirmation of your registration within 48 hours, please email sbecpubliccomment@tea.texas.gov.