3.3.25 – Texas Scorecard

“Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying Org -- TASB -- Pays Massive Salaries”

By Will Biagini

Excerpts from this article:

https://texasscorecard.com/state/taxpayer-funded-lobbying-org-pays-massive-salaries/

COMMENTS BY DONNA GARNER: TASA and TASB both require “dues,” and those dues come from the taxpayers’ pockets. 

Then TASA and TASB use those dues to pay for big-time lobbyists who go to Austin and lobby the legislature for more school funding. 

That funding, of course, has to come from the taxpayers. 

In essence, we taxpayers are paying TASA and TASB to raise taxes on ourselves!  

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Excerpts from this article:

https://texasscorecard.com/state/taxpayer-funded-lobbying-org-pays-massive-salaries/

According to TASB’s most recent 990 form, at least 16 of its employees make more than the governor of Texas, who earns just over $153,000 each year.

The Texas Association of School Boards [TASB] is a lobbying organization that is funded almost exclusively by Texas taxpayer dollars through school district dues. 

TASB paid a combined total of $927,644 to just two of its employees during fiscal year 2023.

Executive Director Dan Troxell was paid $412,101 in direct compensation by TASB. 

Another $64,154 is listed as “other compensation from the organization and related organizations.”

Similarly, TASB paid First Public Managing Director William Mastrodicasa $351,224 in direct reportable income. 

He was also paid an additional $100,165.

…A TASB representative told Texas Scorecard that all of its employee salaries are informed by continual market analyses conducted by New York-based consulting firm Mercer. 

…The spokesperson went on to say that their top salaries “were found to be at or below the market median, according to the latest compensation review.”

…TASB also asserts that Texas school districts are saving tens of millions of dollars through the organization’s services. 

James Quintero, a policy director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told Texas Scorecard that “Quasi-governmental groups, like TASB, siphon untold sums away from Texas public education for reasons unknown.”

“It’s truly a mystery how they spend our tax dollars and why,” said Quintero.

He also said that the public currently does not have much insight into the inner workings of TASB. Yet, from what is publicly available, Quintero described it as “alarming.”

“It’s time to start asking why,” he said. “Why is TASB allowed to divert so much money away from the classroom? Why are taxpayers shouldering an extra burden for TASB? Why is the salary of any government or government-adjacent employee so high?”

…State Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) has filed a measure to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying, which is a priority of the Republican Party of Texas.

 

MORE INFORMATION

2.6.23 -- “TASB’s Transgender Agenda Being Shoved at Texas Public Schools” -- From Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/tasbs-transgender-agenda-being-shoved-at-texas-public-schools/

1.16.25 -- "Put an End to Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying" -- By Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/1-16-25-put-an-end-to-taxpayer-funded-lobbying-by-donna-garner/

 

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