| 9. DISTRICT HIRING, PAY, PERKS, DISCLOSURE & CONTRACTS: I pledge to see that the superintendent's employment contract be posted on the district's website along with current-year disclosure forms from administrators and trustees and a one-time salary and stipend schedule for all employees. Given the current financial climate, I will not approve the hiring even as independent contractors of any individuals who have retired and are collecting taxpayer-funded TRS checks. I will also pledge to have the monetary value of our superintendent's additional perks posted online including but not limited to annuities, car allowances, gas allowances, insurance allowances, travel and professional membership allowances, and any other items that constitute additional pay for the superintendent. I pledge to reveal ALL salary and other benefits provided to the superintendent whenever they are allowed and to limit the superintendent to a three year contract that may not be renewed until it expires and to not approve automatic employment contracts from any sources or automatic renewals for top administrators. I will work to encourage our current superintendent to actively train his/her replacement from within and in the event he/she leaves to keep the search process transparent including making all names of all candidates public. I pledge to limit all other administrators, teachers, and other employees to a one-year contract which must be renewed or terminated in May of each year. I will also insist that every board member be allowed to review the superintendent's expense reports and yearly health report from his/her physical as well as all legal matters in which the school district is a participant when they occur. I also pledge to limit administrative attendance (other than for the superintendent) at professional conventions to one every two years which shall be paid for by the employee with only three days of leave allowed for attendance. I will work to ensure that the school district does not pay any dues for any district employees making more per annum than the average taxpayer in our school district; employees earning more can pay their own dues. 10. INTERNAL CONTROLS: I pledge that I will obtain a copy of our district's policies regarding internal controls including cash handling and expenditure approvals, have a meeting for the purpose of reviewing those policies with the district's administrative leadership and invite citizens for a review with questions and answers with the goal of reducing possibilities for fraud and waste including lowering discretionary administrative costs; I will invite input from citizens. |
| 1. RAISING STANDARDS BY SETTING MY PERSONAL EXAMPLE: If I am arrested for any reason including but not limited to driving under the influence and am found guilty or pay a fine, or if I am assessed a fine by the Texas Ethics Commission and pay it, I will resign from the school board immediately. Once I have filed to enter the school board race I pledge to stay in the race until election day; if I am elected, I pledge that I will not resign for any reason except the death or life-threatening illness of someone in my immediate family. 2. NEPOTISM: I pledge that I and my immediate family, including spouse, children, parents, grand- children & cousins, or in-laws of these relations, will not do business or be employed in any way, directly or indirectly with or by the school district and/or its vendors (current or potential) during my tenure. 3. GIFTS: I pledge that I and my immediate family, including spouse, children, parents, grandchildren and cousins, or in-laws of these relations, will not accept any gifts or payments of any kind including but not limited to goods, services, cash, meals, travel and reimbursement from the school district and/or its vendors during my tenure; this includes board trainings, meals and retreats; in lieu of taxpayer- funded food I will pay for my own meals. 4. BOARD GOVERNANCE/TEAM OF EIGHT: Recognizing that "Team of Eight" is not mentioned anywhere in the Texas Education Code, I pledge that I will limit my contact with TASB and TASA by not attending any of their conferences or training sessions and will obtain all of my required training hours online with an emphasis on our district’s finances; I will include a one-page summary report of my trainings to be included in the next public agenda packet. While I will obey the law as regards school board governance, as an elected official, I am entitled to and will ask the same questions as any member of the public. I will also work to see that all of our school board meetings are videotaped with a link in an easily accessible place on our district's website. |
| Commitment Card - Martin Luther King, Jr. I hereby pledge myself—my person and body—to the nonviolent movement. Therefore I will keep the following ten commandments: 1. Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus. 2. Remember always that the non-violent movement seeks justice and reconciliation — not victory. 3. Walk and talk in the manner of love, for God is love. 4. Pray daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free. 5. Sacrifice personal wishes in order that all men might be free. 6. Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy. 7. Seek to perform regular service for others and for the world. 8. Refrain from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart. 9. Strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health. 10.Follow the directions of the movement and of the captain on a demonstration. I sign this pledge, having seriously considered what I do and with the determination and will to persevere. Name____________________ Address__________________ Phone___________________ Nearest Relative___________ Address__________________ Besides demonstrations, I could also help the movement by: (Circle the proper items): Run errands, Drive my car, Fix food for volunteers, Clerical work, Make phone calls, Answer phones, Mimeograph, Type, Print Signs, Distribute leaflets. ALABAMA CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS Birmingham Affiliate of S.C.L.C. 505 North 17th Street F.L. Shuttlesworth, President |
| Signed Commitment Pledges for Civil Rights Marchers (1963) |
| Signed Ethics Pledges for School Board Members/Candidates (2011) |
| Because I am seeking a position on the _____________________ school board in order to serve, to give rather than to take, and because I want every penny possible of our tax dollars to be spent in the classroom with our children and their teachers, and because my intent is to hold myself to higher standards and practices such as the Golden Rule than currently required by law, I am seeking to raise the general discourse regarding public education by voluntarily publicly pledging: |
| _____________________ __________________________ Date Name |
| 5. INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE: Because our greatest input and control as American citizens is at the local level, I will work to bar any participation in International Baccalaureate or any other United Nations or non-U.S. system. 6. TRANSPARENCY: I pledge to put our district’s check register and board packets online including none-HIPAA materials and to record all executive sessions; I will not participate in any executive sessions where the budget is on the agenda and will walk out of any when the discussion goes off-topic. 7. BUDGET: I pledge that I will encourage our superintendent to involve our community -- not just school employees -- in a line-item budget adoption process, 100% open to the public, via a series of public meetings during the year. I will not approve any new construction. Further, I will work to eliminate all administrative waste and to reduce our district's spending by 5% each year. 8. CREDIT CARDS: I pledge that I will work to require that the district discontinue all district-owned and issued credit cards including those maintained by administrators, employees and trustees, plus all purchasing cards. In the event it may be necessary for the district to have a few cards for emergencies, I will personally monitor and make public those receipts and purchases each month, and work with the district to post all taxpayer-funded itemized receipts on the district's website; I will welcome citizen input as to appropriateness and necessity of purchases. |
| (Updated Jan. 17, 2011 / 2:35 pm) |