Tennessee School Boards Association

The mission of the Tennessee School Boards Association is to assist school boards in effectively governing school districts. Through the years, TSBA has helped school boards and their members reach their highest potential through association programs, meetings and services. TSBA also provides school board members a collective voice in matters of legislation and public education concerns.

In 1953, the Tennessee legislature officially recognized TSBA as "the organization and representative agency of the members of school boards of Tennessee" and authorized TSBA to provide services through membership dues paid by school boards.

All services of TSBA are designed to help school boards and their members to better serve the children in their school system.

The annual membership dues for each board of education consist of a basic fee of $600 plus a graduated fee based upon current expenditures of the school district (not including capital outlay).

The graduated portion is determined by multiplying the current expenditures of the district (from the most recent Annual Statistical Report) by a factor of .000225 for the first $20,000,000 and a factor of .00006 for the next $50,000,000 and .000005 for amounts above $70,000,000.

TSBA keeps a constant watch over all legislation and State Board of Education Rules and Regulations affecting local school districts. The staff works with members of the General Assembly, state officials and education-related organizations in developing state policy that serves the interests of local boards of education. Following are some examples of how TSBA represents its members in the legislature:

TSBA was a leader in launching the Basic Education Program (BEP). Meetings of the committee that developed the BEP proposal were held at Tennessee School Boards Association offices and TSBA representatives held key leadership positions on that committee. Since the inception of the BEP, TSBA has fought to preserve the spending flexibility inherent in the program.
TSBA worked for many years to gain authority for school boards to employ superintendents rather than have them elected. TSBA was the sole education organization working to pass this legislation. Consider how much it is worth for your school board to be able to select its chief executive officer and have that chief executive officer be accountable to the board of education.
TSBA was responsible for the legislative provision that allowed school boards members receive a $75 per day stipend for attending school board academies.
TSBA was successful in securing health insurance options for those school board members interested in joining the state insurance plan.
TSBA continuously works to prevent bills from becoming law that would take management authority from local boards of education, i.e., legislation that would severely limit boards' policy-making authority regarding personnel; provide instant tenure to teachers; and expand the scope of collective bargaining in Tennessee.
TSBA has successfully worked against countless numbers of bills aimed at mandating school curriculum and forcing school system consolidation.
TSBA has been instrumental in working with Congress and the Tennessee General Assembly in making common sense changes to No Child Left Behind and the state's accountability system.
TSBA fought to preserve local board authority on the conversion of existing public schools to charter schools.
TSBA works both through courts and in the legislature to defend school board authority from efforts by county commissions to gain more control over school system finances including the authority to select sites for school buildings as well as the selection of architects and contractors for those facilities.

In addition to serving as an advocate for local boards of education in the legislature, the Government Relations Department provides members with all current and relevant legislative information. TLN Notes , a legislative newsletter, is published weekly during the legislative session. This update provides information and legislative advocacy direction to TSBA members. The Legislative Scoop, which contains information on every bill pertaining to K-12 education, is updated continuously throughout the session to allow board members to analyze and track bills from the time they are introduced. As members of TSBA, boards also receive a comprehensive legislative report at the end of each legislative session.

TSBA's state legislative efforts are supported by the Tennessee Legislative Network, or TLN, which is composed of board members representing each of the school districts in Tennessee. The TLN is governed by a board of directors, which sets TSBA's legislative priorities based on resolutions and position statements adopted by delegates of local school boards at the delegate assembly.

TSBA's federal legislative efforts are supported by the Federal Relations Network, or FRN. The FRN was established by the National School Boards Association and consists of board members from each congressional district. Each year TSBA takes part in the NSBA Federal Relations Network Conference, where Tennessee school board members visit the nation's capitol to meet with the state's senators and congressmen to discuss the needs of local school systems.

TSBA has an experienced school law attorney on staff to provide board members, superintendents and other school administrators with legal opinions and interpretations of statutes, rules and policies. The legal department maintains a complete, up-to-date library of attorney general opinions, federal and state statutes and court decisions affecting the public schools of Tennessee, plus an extensive collection of other school law resources. TSBA's legal department presents a School Board Academy School Law module three times a year, which school board members may choose as an elective to satisfy their annual academy requirement. There is no charge to the participating school board member. In fact, each board member receives a $75 stipend for participating.

The TSBA Policy Department provides boards with consistent, effective and timely policy statements. The TSBA Policy Service is a member of the American Association of State Policy Services, which provides access to a wide variety of policy information from other states. The policy department provides the following to member boards, upon request:

Model policies addressing a wide range of topics from recent legislative and state regulation changes to court decisions;
Consultations by telephone, mail or fax for assistance in the development and revision of individual school system policies;
Extensive research files are maintained with sample policies from boards in Tennessee as well as samples from other states. These are faxed or mailed to boards for reference when they are developing policy; and
Assistance in writing new policies as well as review of policies for educational soundness and legal implications.

TSBA's communications department keeps members informed about the latest trends in education, on both a state and national level, with its publications. The Journal, a quarterly magazine, and BoardTalk, a monthly newsletter, keep Tennessee board members up to date on what's happening with other school boards across the state, as well as what's going on with education funding and other national issues.

A wealth of valuable information is housed on TSBA's Web site. Board members can find information about and register for upcoming meetings and school board academies, get the latest on what's happening "On the Hill" in the Capitol Watch section, or ask the TSBA attorney a legal question.

In addition, the department produces training materials for school board members, distributes press releases when board members attend TSBA events, coordinates the Award for Excellence in Education Reporting program and works with school system public relations personnel to help create a better understanding of public education.

TSBA's communications department oversees the Ambassador Program, a grassroots advocacy effort that builds greater public confidence in our schools and better educates the public about public education. This community outreach effort provides an opportunity for school board members in Tennessee to increase public awareness and understanding of current public education issues facing our communities, state and nation through speaking engagements to local Chambers of Commerce, Rotaries, parent-teacher groups, churches and other organizations. Ambassadors also get their message out via the local media, through television talk shows, community radio programs and meetings with newspaper editorial boards.

TSBA provides the only labor relations service to school board negotiators in Tennessee. Even to non-negotiating school boards, this service is important because if negotiating boards do a good job, it is far less attractive to non-negotiating teacher associations to unionize. For negotiating boards, it is essential that their negotiators be prepared to represent management at the table. It is equally important that school boards and their members understand the negotiating process and the board's role in the process. TSBA membership fees are nowhere close to the amount at stake in the negotiating process for any school board in Tennessee. TSBA advises school board negotiators and publishes a bi-annual newsletter for negotiators.

TSBA promotes school boards and their members and seeks recognition of them. TSBA offers the following recognition programs: Boardsmanship Award Program; Scholars’ Circle; Board of Distinction; School Board of the Year; Tennessee School Board Member of the Year/C. Hal Henard Distinguished Service Award; All Tennessee School Board; Award for Excellence in Educational Programs; Awards for Excellence in Education Reporting; and School of the Year. For a description of each of these award programs, click on "Awards" on our Web site.

TSBA also promotes School Board Week each year by obtaining a declaration from the governor and preparing and distributing public service announcements in print format.

The Board Evaluation Service will be provided by a TSBA consultant. The consultant will provide an evaluation instrument to be completed by each board member; tabulate the final results and develop a summary of comments; report the results of the evaluation at a retreat; and conduct a team building session to identify areas in which the board excels and areas needing improvement.

For school boards striving to increase their effectiveness as a corporate board, TSBA conducts board retreats. Each school board should participate in an annual retreat, which includes time for planning, self-assessment and board development activities

TSBA members can take advantage of the opportunity to consult with TSBA legal staff on a variety of issues dealing with the application of school law in their districts.

TSBA conducts the following annual events for its members at a minimum registration fee: For a complete description of each meeting click on "Meetings" on our Web site.

In addition to the events listed above, TSBA periodically offers the following for its members:

The Superintendent Evaluation Service will be provided by a TSBA consultant on a cost basis. The consultant will assist the board in designing a performance evaluation instrument. The consultant will distribute the evaluation instruments to each board member and collect, compile and analyze the results. A written report of the evaluations will be presented to the board and superintendent.

Local boards of education may choose a Superintendent Search Service consisting of a complete search or one that has been customized to fit the needs of the particular board. Through this service, all or any portion of the process of finding candidates for a school system's superintendent position will be provided by a TSBA consultant on a cost basis. The consultant does not participate in the selection process but will be available to advise on how to proceed with an offer, as well as the features of an employment contract.

The Superintendent Search Service handles all of the legwork associated with the search so that the board can concentrate on the most critical steps in the search-setting the criteria, interviewing the most qualified candidates and selecting the next superintendent of schools. Services include: identifying board priorities for a new superintendent; conducting a needs assessment with system employees and the community; vacancy notification; screening candidates and reference checking.

The TSBA Policy Department maintains the TSBA Legal Reference Manual, a guide to State and Federal laws and regulations that impact Tennessee public school systems. The Customized Policy Service provides custom-tailored school board policy manuals. The Policy Maintenance Service is an updating service offered to school systems that have brought their manual into compliance with current law. The TSBA On-line Service encompasses the maintenance service and provides searchable board policies on the board Web site with links to TSBA's Legal Reference Manual.

An analysis of contracts, union proposals, attorney general opinions and labor relations court decisions are available to school system negotiators, superintendents and board members for a nominal fee. TSBA conducts workshops for negotiators in January and August at a minimum registration fee.

TSBA offers members a tool to help build better ties with the community. Bridges, a public relations subscriber service, can make a school system's public relations efforts a breeze. Subscribers receive 10 packets via e-mail that contain tip sheets, speeches and guides for carrying out special events like School Board Week and Teacher Appreciation Day.