Fort Worth ISD is considering a new conflict-of-interest policy that would ban campaign donations from vendors to trustee candidates. The proposal, which was given initial approval by the state-appointed board of managers, aims to create a new standard for school board ethics in Texas.

Background

The policy targets campaign contributions from the district’s contractors to the school board members who determine whose bids prevail. Currently, district vendors can give $2,000 to each trustee per year, but the rewritten policy would drop this limit to zero and cap gifts to board members and their families.

The policy would apply to both managers and trustees. A review of campaign finance reports found that seven of the district’s elected trustees have accepted a total of $84,450 in campaign contributions from three law firms that do business with FWISD.

Reactions

Trustee Michael Ryan expressed concerns that the proposal would limit who can run for the school board to those with deep pockets. Ryan, a retired educator, knows the cost of running a school board campaign and warned that vendors would work around the policy by donating to political action committees.

Board President Pete Geren said the policy is necessary to ensure transparency and accountability. Geren stated that the line should be bright, and the rules should be public, so that no one has to guess what constitutes a violation.

Original reporting: Fort Worth Report — read the source article.