SECTION 53.1001. Board of Directors

(a) Term of office.

(1) A member of a regional education service center (RESC) board of directors shall be elected for a three-year term. The term of office shall begin June 1.

(2) If a vacancy occurs due to death or resignation of a member of an RESC board of directors, a 30-day period shall elapse, after notice has been given to the board chair, before the vacancy is filled.

(3) At the beginning of the 30-day period, notice of any vacancy shall be given to the president of the board of trustees and the superintendent of each school district in the education service center region and shall be posted in appropriate locations.

(4) A vacancy for the unexpired term of a member of an RESC board of directors shall be filled by appointment by the remaining board members.

(b) Election procedures.

(1) A member of an RESC board of directors must be a United States citizen, at least 18 years of age, and a resident of that education service center region. He or she may not be engaged professionally in prekindergarten-Grade 12 education or be a member of a board of any educational agency or institution other than the State Board of Education. The eligibility of an RESC board member under this subsection is determined by the requirements specified in this subsection as they existed on the date the RESC board member was elected or appointed to office.

(2) A member of an RESC board of directors shall be elected by the boards of trustees of the school districts in that education service center region.

(3) Any eligible person wishing to seek election to an RESC board of directors shall file at the headquarters of that RESC in person or by certified mail between February 1 and February 20. No filing fee shall be required. Each RESC board of directors shall adopt policies concerning filing procedures.

(4) By February 1, notice of the time and place for filing shall be posted in appropriate locations and submitted to appropriate newspapers in the education service center region for publication and to the superintendent of each school district in the education service center region.

(5) A ballot shall be developed and submitted to the board of trustees of each school district in the education service center region by March 1. Placement on the ballot shall be determined by drawing. Each member of the board of trustees of each school district in the education service center region shall have one vote for each vacancy on the RESC board of directors. Completed ballots shall be returned to the chair of the RESC board of directors by April 5. The RESC board of directors shall canvass the ballots at its next regularly scheduled or special meeting, but not later than May 31, and determine the winner by a plurality of the votes cast. In the event of a tie, the names of the candidates who have tied shall be resubmitted to the board of trustees of each school district in the education service center region.

(6) The provisions described in subsection (b)(2) and (5) of this section do not apply if all positions in the election are uncontested. In the event of an uncontested election, the RESC board of directors may determine that no election will be held. The RESC board of directors must make this determination prior to March 1. If, due to an uncontested election, the RESC board of directors determines that an election should not be held, the RESC board shall declare the unopposed candidates elected to office. The RESC executive director shall notify the commissioner of education of the results of an election, whether contested or uncontested.

Source Note: The provisions of this §53.1001 adopted to be effective September 1, 1998, 23 TexReg 5964; amended to be effective December 26, 1999, 24 TexReg 11324; amended to be effective April 9, 2017, 42 TexReg 1757; amended to be effective July 2, 2019, 44 TexReg 3264