Dr. Amanda Bigbee

As the daughter of a public school administrator, my upbringing instilled in me a tremendous passion and enthusiasm for public education. I was not meant to teach (a week of substitute teaching substantiated that fact), so I decided to support education with a law degree.

Fresh out of law school I was lucky enough to work at a firm with a municipality section. That provided me with experience representing school districts and educators in litigation in state and federal court as well as in administrative hearings, but my work also included other municipal clients like cities and police officers. I then made my way to a law firm that specialized in preventative school law. For three years I counseled school districts regarding most all school law matters before they were faced with litigation. At that firm, I gained experience in policy drafting and analysis, personnel matters, special education, student discipline, First Amendment issues, contract negotiations, open government, and anything else that would affect a public school in Texas. While I thoroughly enjoyed working with schools across the state, I believed the best and most efficient legal advice would be provided by an attorney who has the opportunity to truly know and understand a school from the inside. As general counsel for a suburban district in north Texas for 15 years, I was able to wholly dedicate myself to the legal well-being of one education system.  I am now employed by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) where I serve as the Division Director of Policy Service. Helping school districts - large and small - across the state is a dream come true. Good policy is the foundation of good governance. I am humbled and privileged to work to improve the public education system for Texas’s students one word at a time!

My passion for public education and helping more educators led me to an adjunct professor roles at both Texas Christian University and my alma mater Baylor University. While teaching doctorate-level school law courses I gain perspective from those doing different types of work with different perspectives. My work at the collegiate level focuses on the practical application of legal principles to scenarios that administrators can expect to tackle during their careers.