Administration and Committees

The UIL office is located at 1701 Manor Road, on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. The UIL is administered by the executive director and a support staff of approximately 50 people.

Many contests are directed by University of Texas at Austin faculty who teach in the area of the contests they direct.

UIL staff members cannot penalize any school or student; they may give an opinion or staff interpretation. Only the appropriate committee can give a final interpretation or apply a penalty.

Legislative Council

The Legislative Council is the rule making body composed of 32 public school administrators. Twenty are elected by school superintendents, with a representative chosen from each of the six conferences in each of the four geographical regions of the state. The chair of the Council appoints eight members from larger schools, to ensure a more balanced representation of students ethnic populations and women.

The Council acts on many proposed amendments. An affirmative vote by a majority of superintendents is required to change an eligibility rule or to make a major change in UIL policy. Rules approved by the Council or by vote of member schools require further approval of the Commissioner of Education before they are implemented.

State Executive Committee

The State Executive Committee, appointed by the Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency, is composed of eight school administrators, representing each of the four geographical regions and each of the six conferences, and a minimum of four-at-large members.

This committee interprets the rules, settles disputes between different UIL districts and disputes which arise past the district level, conducts investigations and hearings of alleged violations, and hears appeals.

Waiver Review Board

The Waiver Review Board reviews decisions of the UIL Waiver Officer when an appeal of a waiver decision is filed. The Waiver Review Board consists of twelve persons, whose terms begin on July 1, four appointed members and six elected members from each of the six conferences. Each elected member serves a four-year term. The selection of appointed members reflects sensitivity to ethnicity, gender and student population size of districts.

District Executive Committees

District executive committees are composed of one school administrator from each school in a UIL district. These committees exemplify grass roots control at its best. They arrange contest schedules and certify district representatives for the next level of competition. They administer and enforce the rules and settle disputes within a district. They have original jurisdiction over all eligibility questions within the district.