AUSTIN – Commissioner of Education Mike Morath today notified leadership in the Beaumont Independent School District that the transition from the current appointed board of managers to an elected board of trustees will begin.

As part of the transition process, two elected board of trustee members will become part of the board of managers. In a letter to BISD Superintendent John Frossard, members of the current BISD board of managers and elected board of trustees, Commissioner Morath named Nathan Cross and Denise Wallace-Spooner as his initial two appointments. The appointments of Cross (elected in 2017 to represent District 5 on the BISD board of trustees) and Wallace-Spooner (elected in 2017 as an at-large representative on the BISD board of trustees) are effective immediately.

“The district has demonstrated significant progress and initiated changes in governance and leadership within the district,” wrote Commissioner Morath in his letter to BISD leadership. “As a result of the progress achieved by the district, the governance of the district will now begin transitioning from the appointed board of managers to the elected board of trustees.”

In his letter, Commissioner Morath noted the progress made within Beaumont ISD, specifically:

• the district’s 2016-2017 financial accountability rating of Above Standard;
• the district’s 2017 academic accountability rating of Met Standard; and
• participation by district administration, members of the board of managers and the elected board of trustees in Lone Star Governance, a workshop focused on research -based practices of high-impact governance and leadership behaviors.

In 2014, a board of managers was appointed in the district following two TEA investigations into various Beaumont ISD special education, finance and governance issues. The Commissioner of Education appointed a board of managers to replace the existing elected board of trustees, which has been responsible for overseeing management of a district. Under State law, a board of managers remains in place until the Commissioner initiates a transition process.

Commissioner Morath will continue to designate elected board of trustees members to replace board of managers members until the appointment of the board of managers expires. The appointment of the BISD board of managers is set to expire on Feb. 6, 2020. 

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