TX HB1197

Candidates for independent school district board of trustees must declare their political party affiliation on their application, or state they are not aligned with any party

School board elections must be held on the same date as the general election for state and county officers (November), eliminating previous options to hold elections with municipal, hospital district, or junior college elections

Trustee terms are standardized to four years only, removing the three-year term option; elections will be held biennially with half of trustee terms expiring every two years

Political parties whose gubernatorial candidate received at least 20% of votes must nominate school board candidates through primary elections; parties receiving 2-20% may use primaries, and smaller parties must nominate by convention

School districts holding elections on dates other than the general election must change to the November general election date by December 31, 2025; filing fee for school board candidates is set at $75