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TEA News Releases Online April 5, 2017

Commissioner Morath announces extended Beaumont ISD transition


AUSTIN Commissioner of Education Mike Morath announced today that members of the
current board of managers in the Beaumont Independent School District (BISD) have agreed to
stay in position for an extended period of time to ensure a smooth and effective transition for the
community.

The announcement comes following a visit to the district where Commissioner Morath saw
firsthand some of the progress achieved through the leadership of the current board of managers
A.B. Bernard, Lenny Caballero, Jack Carroll, Joe Domino, Vernice Monroe, Robert Turner and
Dr. Jimmy Simmons.

The district has certainly come a long way in a relatively short period of time thanks to the work
of the board of managers and superintendent Dr. John Frossard, said Commissioner Morath. I
want to make sure that progress continues for the people of Beaumont and all students in the
district. Its great to see that Dr. Simmons and the current board of managers share that goal and
are willing to help bring it to fruition.

Over the past several months, Commissioner Morath, BISD Board of Managers, and Texas
Education Agency staff have had ongoing discussions regarding the current transition with the
goal of ensuring an effective changeover to new board leadership.

After discussion with TEA staff, it was determined that installing a new board of managers
could delay the move to an elected board, said Dr. Simmons, Beaumont ISD Board of Managers
President. In addition, it would put enormous pressure on all concerned to transition multiple
boards. Upon the commissioners request that the current board remain, we have agreed to stay
on for an extended term.

The board members agreement to continue parallels elections now taking place for positions on
the Beaumont ISD board of trustees. The BISD election is set for May 6. Those elected in the
May election will not be sworn into office as long as an appointed board of managers remains in
place. The appointed board of managers will continue to operate in place of the elected board of
trustees and be responsible for overseeing the management of the school district.

Commissioner Morath still encouraged the Beaumont community to participate in the board of
trustee elections, noting that those elected may eventually be called upon to serve the district
once the transition back to an elected board is initiated. By state law, the Commissioner is
responsible for initiating the district transition back to an elected board. Once initiated, the
transition takes two years.

In 2014, Commissioner of Education Michael Williams named and installed a board of managers
in the district. The Commissioners decision to appoint a board followed TEA investigations into
various BISD special education, finance and governance issues.
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