AUSTIN — A Dripping Springs ISD trustee says a consultant close to the Texas Association of School Boards advised school board members to weaponize teacher pay to motivate teachers to become active during the legislative session and influence how teachers vote. Rob McClelland, the trustee, says he was so disgusted by the remarks that he left in the middle of the discussion “because I was not going to subject myself to that stupidity.”

The advice to weaponize teacher pay was given by Moak Casey CEO Buck Gilcrease during a panel discussion on education finance at TASB’s Summer Leadership Institute from July 12-15 in San Antonio.

McClelland recounted his experience in an interview with the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Mandy Drogin.

“Before we got into the meat and potatoes of school finance, the CEO, who I’ve never met before in my life, starts going on a rant…a rant about the failure of school board trustees, the failure of teachers to vote a certain way to persuade the legislature to do certain things.” McClelland said. “(Gilcrease) was encouraging us to utilize compensation as a weapon to try to change the way our teachers would vote.”

“And that was the point that I got up and walked out—and there were a few people who got up and followed me,” he said. “Because I was not going to subject myself to that stupidity—to weaponize compensation against our educators. I mean, it’s ridiculous, right? It’s absolutely ridiculous.”

This account comes several months after audio of a superintendent caught pleading for teachers to vote for specific candidates in an upcoming primary election and tying it to teacher pay.

McClelland emphasized that he’s speaking as an individual, and not on behalf of the DSISD board.

Moak Casey’s Gilcrease did not respond to an email asking for a comment on this matter.

But TASB spokesperson Sylvia Wood distanced the organization from Moak Casey—even though Moak Casey is one of TASB’s top partners.

“Organizations besides TASB often present at our events and all registrants are notified that the views expressed in presentations and materials offered by non-TASB staff are the views of the presenters only and do not necessarily reflect the views of TASB, its members, officers, directors, or staff,” she said.

Watch McClelland’s full interview with Drogin here.

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