VanDeaver resigns Texas House seat early, takes over state school boards association Oct. 1

NEW BOSTON, Texas — Gary VanDeaver resigned his Texas House seat last week, three months before his term was up, and a day later the Texas Association of School Boards named him its next executive director.

VanDeaver, a New Boston Republican who represented House District 1 for nearly 12 years, delivered his resignation letter to Gov. Greg Abbott on Sept. 21, effective at the close of business that day. TASB announced his hiring Sept. 22. He starts Thursday, Oct. 1.

“My entire career reflects my belief that a strong public education system represents the best shot for all Texas children to achieve the American dream,” VanDeaver said in TASB’s announcement. “I am excited to have the opportunity to work with the great people at TASB and thankful to the TASB Board for trusting my leadership as we continue to serve our members and the students they represent.”

TASB, founded in 1949, is the Austin-based nonprofit that trains, advises and lobbies on behalf of the state’s elected school trustees. Its member districts serve more than 5.5 million students. The association’s board chose VanDeaver through a search led by a selection committee with the consulting firm Korn Ferry, according to the release.

“The ability to relate to elected school board members who are responsible for governing school districts, to understand the challenges and opportunities in running school districts, and to bring the perspective of the many rural members were key reasons for his selection,” TASB President Tony Hopkins said.

Tiffany Dunne-Oldfield, TASB’s deputy executive director, has been acting executive director since August. The release did not address the departure of Dan Troxell, the former Leander ISD superintendent who preceded her.

Why he left early

In his resignation statement, VanDeaver said leaving before January would let his successor be “better positioned to serve the great people of HD1 in the upcoming 90th legislative session,” and would “allow me to better prepare for life after the legislature.” He did not mention the TASB job.

“Serving in the Texas House has been one of the great honors of my life,” he said.

VanDeaver announced in December that he would not seek a seventh term. He was first elected in 2014 after a 33-year career in public schools that began as a vocational agriculture teacher and ended as superintendent of New Boston ISD. In Austin he served on the House Appropriations and Public Education committees.

His last two years in office were defined by his opposition to school vouchers. Abbott backed a pro-voucher primary challenger against him in 2024, and VanDeaver survived a runoff against Chris Spencer with 53 percent of the vote. In 2025 he was one of only two House Republicans to vote against Senate Bill 2, the $1 billion education savings account program that was Abbott’s top legislative priority. The Republican Party of Texas censured him in October 2025.

Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, a conservative advocacy group that gave VanDeaver a failing grade on its fiscal index in every session he served, criticized the hire this week as a sign TASB intends to keep fighting school choice and defend taxpayer-funded lobbying.

The seat

House District 1 covers Bowie, Cass, Lamar, Morris and Red River counties. Spencer, who won the March Republican primary, faces Democrat Sean Huffman in the Nov. 3 general election. The winner takes office when the 90th Legislature convenes in January.

Abbott’s office had not announced a special election to fill the remaining months of VanDeaver’s term as of Wednesday. Until one is held or the term expires, the district has no representative in the House.

VanDeaver holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education and a master’s and doctorate in educational administration from what is now East Texas A&M University in Commerce.