Member Selection Process

School Board Selection Process

Fort Sam Houston ISD is one of three districts in Texas whose boundaries are coterminous with a military installation. (The other two are Lackland ISD and Randolph Field ISD.) FSHISD falls under Texas rule, as all other public school districts, and not under the U.S. Department of Defense. It does not have any taxing authority and is represented by a five-member board instead of the usual seven.

 

To be considered for a position on the FSHISD Board of Trustees, a person must be a registered voter in Texas and live or be employed on Fort Sam Houston. Enlisted military personnel and military officers may be appointed to the Board; however, a majority of the board members will be civilians, and all may be civilians.

 

The FSHISD Board of Trustee (BoT) Selection Panel is facilitated by the Installation School Liaison Program Manager (SLPM) and directed by the Procedures for Appointment to Board of Trustees approved by the 502 ABW/CC in July 2023. When a board vacancy occurs, announcements are widely distributed through Public Affairs, installation agencies/units, Command and Senior Enlisted Leader channels, and official social media pages. A panel of installation representatives selected by the Child & Youth Services (CYS) Flight Chief and vetted/approved by the 502d Force Support Squadron Director, interview applicants and make a recommendation to the installation commander. Applicants are evaluated based on criteria from TEC 21.041(a) including availability to serve as a trustee, community involvement, objectivity, fiscal competency experience with budgetary matters, experience with public school education and likelihood of serving entire two-year term. Once nominee recommendation(s) are approved by the installation commander, the nominee packages are sent forward to TEA to include in the State Board of Education (SBOE) quarterly meetings for final approval and appointment.   

 

Public school board members are citizen leaders who provide a critical service to education. They have one of the most important volunteer jobs in the country and face the toughest challenges. They spend many hours meeting training requirements, adopting policies, hiring personnel, recognizing programs and staff, attending school events, and all the time focusing on student achievement.

Additional questions related to the selection process and/or individuals interested in becoming a BoT member should contact the FSH SLPM at 210-823-6500 or the CYS Flight Chief at 210-652-5973.