GovernancePublished October 28, 2026Last fact-checked October 28, 20266 min read

School Board Associations in Texas: TASB vs. TEE and What It Means for Katy ISD

Katy ISD relies on the Texas Association of School Boards for its policy manual, legal updates, and trustee training. A newer group, Texans for Excellence in Education, offers an alternative. Here is a side-by-side look, including real costs.

Quick answer

For decades, nearly every Texas school board, including Katy ISD, has relied on the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) for policy management, legal guidance, trustee training, and risk pools. Texans for Excellence in Education (TEE) launched in 2023 as an alternative with a different governance philosophy and lower advertised fees. Katy ISD currently partners with TASB. Membership in either group is voluntary and decided by the local board.

What changed or what the rule says

Under Texas Education Code § 11.159, school board trustees must complete continuing education and governance training. State law gives local boards broad discretion over which associations, vendors, and legal consultants they use. TASB, founded in 1949, is a nonprofit association that also runs core infrastructure such as Policy On Line, which hosts and codifies district policy manuals against state law, along with trustee training, human resources consulting, and risk management pools. TEE, launched in June 2023, presents itself as a direct alternative. It emphasizes individual trustee accountability to voters, is skeptical of the traditional "Team of Eight" model (the seven trustees and the superintendent governing as one unit), and offers policy consulting focused on parental rights and curriculum oversight. Carroll ISD and Princeton ISD became TEE's first member districts in late 2023, and Conroe ISD began a trial membership in 2025.

Why this matters to Katy ISD

Katy ISD's entire localized Board Policy Manual is maintained through TASB Policy On Line. When the Legislature passes new laws or the Texas Education Agency changes rules, TASB issues numbered updates that reconcile Katy ISD's local (LOCAL) policies with the state legal framework (LEGAL). The broader debate reflects a real governance question: should trustees mainly work in unison with district administration, or act as independent overseers who audit administrative recommendations? Switching providers also carries real costs, including data migration, software transitions, legal review, and separate procurement for shared services like insurance pools.

Side by side: what Katy ISD has vs. the alternative

Katy ISD's current provider is TASB. The table compares it with TEE using publicly reported figures. Fees vary by district size and by which add-on services a district buys.

Side by side: what Katy ISD has vs. the alternative
Topic	TASB (what Katy ISD uses now)	TEE (the alternative)
Founded	1949. Nonprofit association serving nearly every Texas school board.	June 2023. Nonprofit launched as a direct alternative to TASB.
Annual membership dues	Scaled by district size. Conroe ISD, a large Region 6 district, pays the maximum annual fee of $11,000 (Houston Chronicle, June 2026). Brenham ISD, a small district, was quoted about $10,000 including core services (KWHI, 2023).	TEE says its membership fees are half of TASB's. Conroe ISD began with a free trial membership in 2025.
Policy manual service	Policy Service is a separate subscription priced by enrollment, with additional fees for local and legal policy updates. TASB does not publish the rate.	Carroll ISD's 2024-2025 agreement lists $1,100 per year for Policy Connect online policy hosting, with additional charges possible for policy updates depending on scope.
Katy ISD's estimated cost	Not separately published by the district. Based on reported figures, dues for a district Katy ISD's size would likely be at or near the $11,000 maximum, plus Policy Service and other optional subscriptions.	Not quoted for Katy ISD. Switching would add one-time costs for policy migration, legal review, and procurement of replacement services.
Policy hosting	Policy On Line, the system that hosts Katy ISD's current Board Policy Manual.	Policy Connect, which includes migration of an existing online policy manual.
Other services	Legal assistance line, trustee training (Governance Camp, Summer Leadership Institute, Online Learning Center), human resources services, risk management pools, BuyBoard purchasing cooperative, BoardBook meeting software (add-ons).	Policy services, board tools, human resources support, energy and fuel cooperatives, insurance services, and a purchasing cooperative.
Governance philosophy	Promotes the "Team of Eight" model: board and superintendent govern as one team.	Emphasizes individual trustee accountability to voters and independent oversight of administration.
Track record	Decades of statewide use and established legislative update cycles.	A small but growing number of member districts, including Carroll and Princeton, with a shorter service history.

Founded

TASB (what Katy ISD uses now): 1949. Nonprofit association serving nearly every Texas school board.
TEE (the alternative): June 2023. Nonprofit launched as a direct alternative to TASB.

Annual membership dues

TASB (what Katy ISD uses now): Scaled by district size. Conroe ISD, a large Region 6 district, pays the maximum annual fee of $11,000 (Houston Chronicle, June 2026). Brenham ISD, a small district, was quoted about $10,000 including core services (KWHI, 2023).
TEE (the alternative): TEE says its membership fees are half of TASB's. Conroe ISD began with a free trial membership in 2025.

Policy manual service

TASB (what Katy ISD uses now): Policy Service is a separate subscription priced by enrollment, with additional fees for local and legal policy updates. TASB does not publish the rate.
TEE (the alternative): Carroll ISD's 2024-2025 agreement lists $1,100 per year for Policy Connect online policy hosting, with additional charges possible for policy updates depending on scope.

Katy ISD's estimated cost

TASB (what Katy ISD uses now): Not separately published by the district. Based on reported figures, dues for a district Katy ISD's size would likely be at or near the $11,000 maximum, plus Policy Service and other optional subscriptions.
TEE (the alternative): Not quoted for Katy ISD. Switching would add one-time costs for policy migration, legal review, and procurement of replacement services.

Policy hosting

TASB (what Katy ISD uses now): Policy On Line, the system that hosts Katy ISD's current Board Policy Manual.
TEE (the alternative): Policy Connect, which includes migration of an existing online policy manual.

Other services

TASB (what Katy ISD uses now): Legal assistance line, trustee training (Governance Camp, Summer Leadership Institute, Online Learning Center), human resources services, risk management pools, BuyBoard purchasing cooperative, BoardBook meeting software (add-ons).
TEE (the alternative): Policy services, board tools, human resources support, energy and fuel cooperatives, insurance services, and a purchasing cooperative.

Governance philosophy

TASB (what Katy ISD uses now): Promotes the "Team of Eight" model: board and superintendent govern as one team.
TEE (the alternative): Emphasizes individual trustee accountability to voters and independent oversight of administration.

Track record

TASB (what Katy ISD uses now): Decades of statewide use and established legislative update cycles.
TEE (the alternative): A small but growing number of member districts, including Carroll and Princeton, with a shorter service history.

Dollar figures are from public reporting and district documents for other districts and may change year to year. Katy ISD's actual spending on association dues and subscriptions can be confirmed through district financial records or a public information request.

Where Katy ISD excels

Katy ISD maintains a publicly accessible, continuously updated Board Policy Manual, so parents, staff, and community members can follow policy revisions. While the district uses TASB's baseline legal framework, the Board has customized local policies, such as library book review processes, student device rules, and local grievance procedures, to reflect Katy's priorities rather than adopting generic templates. The district also reviews its service agreements and memberships so taxpayer funds go to organizations that deliver real legal compliance, risk protection, and operational value.

What I would watch as a trustee

I would regularly audit what the district spends on association dues, legal subscriptions, and conference travel so every dollar supports campus operations, trustee training, and classroom outcomes. I would make sure any policy service the district uses delivers prompt, legally sound updates after every legislative session, protecting Katy ISD from administrative errors and liability. And I would make sure trustee training, whether from TASB, Region 4 Education Service Center, or another provider, emphasizes ethical governance, fiduciary oversight, and accountability to local voters rather than passive deference to central administration. My loyalty is not to any state association. It is to Katy ISD students, parents, and taxpayers.

What this does not mean

Leaving TASB does not leave a district without policy. Boards own the content of their adopted local policies and can hire independent school law firms to manage their manuals, although TASB states that its coding structure, LEGAL policies, and Policy On Line hosting are proprietary and tied to membership. Neither TASB nor TEE has legal authority over local trustees. Final votes on budgets, superintendent hiring, and local rules stay with the Katy ISD Board of Trustees. Switching also does not happen overnight: insurance, benefit cooperatives, unemployment pools, and policy hosting are separate contracts that require formal procurement and transition planning.

Sources and further reading

External sources open in a new tab. Accessed or reviewed October 28, 2026.

Related explainers

All explainers