Click here for the 2024-25 Conference Calendar:
The Texas Constitution spells out the education requirements for members of Commissioners Court.
Per Government Code Section 74.025, County Judges are required to earn 30 credit hours during their first year of office, and 16 credit hours for each 12-month reporting period following the first year in office. There are now additional requirements for a County Judge who performs magistrate duties.
Per Local Government Code Section 81.0025, County Commissioners must earn 16 hours for each 12-month period in office; eight surplus hours may be carried from one 12-month period to the next.
For additional detailed information on education requirements, please see Key Concept on page 10 of this issue.
The County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas is committed to providing a variety of educational opportunities, per Article II, Section 4 of the CJCAT Constitution: “This Association shall sponsor and co-sponsor educational conferences, seminars, and other programs for county officials and county employees to study information relative to county affairs and assist those officials in need of Continuing Education credits, as required by law.”
“Education is ever-changing,” shared CJCAT Legislative Chairman Rick Bailey, Johnson County Commissioner. “Stay educated, and you will be effective.”
Planning is well underway for the 2024-25 CJCAT regional and state conferences, with specific details available in our County Calendar.
Go Above and Beyond
Pursue Commissioners Court Advanced Curriculum Certification
Earning your Commissioners Court Advanced Curriculum certification is a worthy resolution that has already been achieved by more than 750 officials.
Commissioners Court Advanced Curriculum (CCAC) is a comprehensive educational program designed specifically for members of the Commissioners Court.
CCAC was adopted by the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas in 1992 to provide curriculum for an advanced study in county government. The program is continually updated as foundational information provided in the original program is merged with material necessitated by legislative changes and the new and varied challenges faced by a rapidly growing state.
The development of CCAC is a combined effort of the CJCAT, the V.G. Young Institute of County Government, a part of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, and the Texas Association of Counties.
“The Commissioners Court Advanced Curriculum Program offers County Judges and Commissioners advanced training beyond the state mandated educational requirements,” explained Hays County Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe, chairman of the CJCAT County Commissioners Education Committee. “The program helps us gain a greater understanding of every elected office, including duties and responsibilities, which equips us to provide the needed resources for services that benefit our county residents.”
CCAC provides a comprehensive course of study as follows:
- Phase I Orientation – 16 hours-plus
- Phase II Basics – 16 hours
- Phase III Advanced Instruction – 32 hours
Phase I Orientation courses currently are offered at the Seminar for Newly Elected County Judges and Commissioners, which is conducted every January following an election year. Since it is not feasible to require County Judges and Commissioners to retroactively attend the orientation seminar, County Judges and Commissioners who assumed office prior to Jan. 1, 1995, are permitted to substitute 16 hours of other approved instruction for the orientation course.
Phase II County Government Basics includes instruction concerning the duties and responsibilities of all county officers and departments. Phase III includes advanced instruction in the functions of county government. These courses are offered at the annual County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas regional and state conferences and the annual V.G. Young Institute of County Government School for County Commissioners Courts.