Tarrant County College doubles down on plan to abolish faculty councils, for now

Tarrant County College reaffirmed this week that it will uphold its initial plan to abolish its faculty associations, but said it may take steps starting this fall to reestablish them to comply with a new Texas law.

The Star-Telegram reported Aug. 15 that unlike some Texas colleges that scrambled to restructure their faculty councils to comply with the law starting Sept. 1, TCC leaders had decided to wait. After that story published, the issue was added to the agenda for a TCC board meeting Aug. 21. The board decided not to change course.

Senate Bill 37 requires public colleges and universities to abolish their faculty associations as currently structured and gives the chancellors and trustees more power over faculty discipline, hiring and curriculum. Supporters say it aims to curb what they see as liberal bias within higher education. Critics say the legislation is an overreach that strips faculty of rights. The law also creates an office of the ombudsmen that will oversee complaints about colleges.

The version of the bill that the governor signed removed the language about curriculum that would limit faculty’s academic freedom when it comes to courses with content on race, gender and equality.

TCC trustees Shannon Wood and Laura Forkner Pritchett asked that the issue be added to the Aug. 21 agenda. The far-right political organization True Texas Project supported efforts to preserve the faculty councils, said Julie McCarty, the group’s CEO.

The new law doesn’t explicitly ban faculty associations and senates. It does change the makeup of those organizations, including reducing their sizes. This required colleges and universities to revise their constitutions and bylaws in order to comply.

TCC’s joint consultation committee, or JCC, represents faculty groups from each of TCC’s districts. The JCC had presented to trustees a plan for reorganizing the faculty councils to comply with Senate Bill 37 by Sept. 1.

Madelyn Bowman, the JCC chair, had sent the plan to TCC’s general counsel’s office on July 16.

At Thursdays trustees meeting, Nicole Spears, an assistant professor of English urged the board to support the plan. She described the faculty associations as having an important role in strengthening communication and collaboration across the college community.

“The faculty association consistently identifies concerns that might otherwise go unnoticed,” Spears said. “Thanks to collaboration among faculty across disciplines as well as our counselors and librarians, this collaborative approach ensures that policies reflect a wide range of instructional and student support perspectives beyond problem solving.”

Spears said the faculty association gives educators a consistent opportunity for leadership.

“Serving on the JCC gave me a deeper understanding of how the college operates, and allowed me to see the bigger picture of institutional decision making,” Spears said. “That experience made me a stronger, more effective teacher.”

Spears explained that the faculty associations are the bridge between students and the administration, and at times even between the adjunct instructors and the administration. Members have been able to propose changes to lab hours to better meet student needs, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, they have advocated for continuing some remote work through student support hours.

Bowman, the JCC chair, expressed her gratitude that the plan was before the board.

“I believe that the ability of faculty members to provide the faculty voice is essential, and only faculty members can do so, faculty-led and faculty-initiated,” Bowman said. “Committee work is also vital. “

The TCC board asked Antonio Allen, general counsel for the college, to answer questions about what is required under the new law.

He was asked by board member Veronica Chavez Law, if it was correct that the board would not be able to approve the plan presented by the JCC, given the bill's strict requirements.

“That is not accurate,” Allen said. “The board is certainly free to consider any policy change that it wants to, and vote to approve any change.”

Allen said Senate Bill 37 was passed on June 20, and the board didn’t have a meeting scheduled in July. At the time, they had not received guidance from the Texas Association of School Boards.

He said that he wanted to make sure that the college had guidance on how to interpret the law.

Allen said a process to reorganize the JCC and faculty associations could begin in September, with a new structure in place by the end of the year.

TCC trustee Shannon Wood acknowledged that colleges have not had much time to take action.

“Our Tarrant County College faculty is the heartbeat of our campuses, and we appreciate everything they do to help encourage and promote student success; that's why we’re here,” Wood said.

Wood made a motion, seconded by Pritchett, to create an ad hoc committee of three trustees to facilitate and streamline the review and implementation of the policy. The motion was not passed.

Chancellor Elva LeBlanc said the college is committed to excellence, which means that they must take due diligence to understand the law, the fiduciary responsibilities and the full implications for the college.

“We value our faculty greatly, and we value this college greatly, and we must protect the college,” LeBlanc said.

Bowman said the board’s decision to allow the faculty associations to be abolished Sept. 1 was disappointing.

“I understand that when general counsel is telling you this is the process, and then you have to accept that,” Bowman said. “So I completely understand where they were coming from.”

Benjamin Faust, an economics instructor, said he also was disappointed.

“We’re missing out on a formal way for a faculty to express concern and make recommendations. And so it has to be through other channels,” Faust said. “There are missing components now.”

Faust said he is a Republican who voted for the governor and GOP lawmakers, but the repercussions of Senate Bill 37 make him want to vote for Democrats in the future.

“They’re putting the pressure on this board here,” Faust said. “It’s been interesting to see my own repulsion of how Republicans are behaving now versus when I was a little bit younger.”

This story was originally published August 22, 2025 at 7:50 PM.