The Municipal Court Clerk Certification Program is sponsored by the Texas

Court Clerks Association in cooperation with the Texas Municipal Courts

Association, Texas Municipal Courts Education Center, and Texas State

University. The Texas Municipal Courts Education Center is funded by a

grant from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

Municipal Court Clerk Certification

17th Edition

FY 2017-2018

End of Year Report Prepared by:

Tracie Glaeser,

Program Coordinator

Robby Chapman,

Program Director

Hope Lochridge,

Executive Director

Valerie Chavez,

TCCA Intern

Lily Pebworth,

Communications

Assistant

Inside this report: page

Assessment Clinic 25

CMCC– Level III 4

Exams 5

Exam Evaluation-

Level I & II 12-19

Exam Evaluation-

Level II 20-24

Goals 26-27

Growth Statistics 2

Intern Report 28

Participation

Numbers 2

Prep Sessions 3

Prep Session

Evaluations-Level I 6-8

Prep Session

Evaluation-Level II 9-11

Renewals 3

“What you do speaks so loud that I cannot

hear what you say”.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

FY2018 Participation (As of August 31, 2018)

Page 2 End of Year Report

Growth In Total Participation

This year, we once again experienced a sub-

stantial increase in Level III. The assessment

clinic attendees increased from 24 partici-

pants in FY17 to 27 in FY18. TMCEC received

22 journals during FY18. Of the 22 new jour-

nals, 9 were returned for revisions and 2 of

those were later resubmitted, and 13 have

passed the journal phase and achieved Level

III. Of the 93 Level III clerks, 73 remain active

in municipal courts and 20 have become inac-

tive or no longer work in the court field.

The chart above shows annual participation

increases within individual levels. The graph

to the upper left is a snapshot of program

growth trend since 2009. The graph to the

lower left displays total participation by year.

There has been a 5.62% decrease in overall

participation in FY18.

The decrease may be a direct correlation to

the continued drop in Class C case filings

causing position reduction in courts across

the state. TMCEC trained more than 360 new

clerks in FY18. Clerks who took the Level I

exam immediately after the July New Clerks

School received an average score of 80%.

71% of the new clerks who took the exam

passed and achieved their Level I.

In FY18,

504 cities

participating

in the

Certification

Program, an

6.5% increase

from FY17, a

33% increase

from FY16

Newly Certified

in

FY 16

Newly Certified

in

FY 17

Newly Certified

in

FY 18

% Change

from FY 17

All Certified Clerks

Ending 8/31/18

Level I

Certified 172 138 145

+5.07%

650

Level II

Certified 79 53 61

+13.21%

483

Level III

Certified 2 13 15

+15.38%

93

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Annual Participation by Level

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Total Certification Participation Year

This was the last year of Prep Sessions at regional seminars before they were moved to the TCCA chapter

level training. These sessions offer a review of the subject matter presented on the exam as well as a

practice test. The new teaching methods have been well received. Attendance has varied over the years

as seen in the chart below. Dates, locations, and attendance are listed as compared to prior years.

Preparation Sessions

Page 3 End of Year Report

Date Location Level I Level II

10/23/2017 Longview 9 4

11/14/2017 Austin 12 6

01/08/2018 San Antonio 14 12

01/22/2018 Galveston 10 9

02/11/2018 Houston 12 9

03/05/2018 Addison 35 29

03/26/2018 San Antonio 0 0

04/02/2018 Lubbock 12 5

04/30/2018 South Padre Island 11 2

06/04/2018 El Paso 4 3

06/25/2018 San Antonio 8 8

Totals for FY 2018 127 87

Totals for FY 17 148 125

Totals for FY 16 121 86

Totals for FY 15 191 54

Totals for FY 14 113 93

The capacity to learn is a

gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the

willingness to learn is a

choice.

-Brian Herbert

Certifications

Lost FY 17

Fail to Renew

FY 17

Certifications

Lost FY 18

Fail to Renew

FY 18

Certifications

Lost FY 16

Fail to Renew

FY 16

Active 6 21 13 35 4 22

Inactive 101 80 83 70 61 96

Certification Status

Active Certified Municipal Court Clerks (Level III) *This section is in chronological order through 8/31/18

Page 4 FY 2017-2018

1 Jennifer Sullivan 26 Lei Holder 51 Christine Valdovino 76 Tiffany Totah

2 Connie Crenshaw 27 Bonnie Townsend 52 Jannell Williams 77 Erin Westmoreland

3 Alicia St. Cyr 28 Lisa Howard 53 Jaime Brew 78 Amy Baldwin

4 Susie Garcia 29 Dianna Faulkenberry 54 Karen Armstrong 79 Jennifer Hale

5 Janell Kucera 30 Terri Neal 55 Linda Rose 80 Paul Rex

6 Luevada Posey 31 Amy Bockes 56 Brittany Rychlick 81 Brittany Wright

7 Carol Gauntt 32 Pam Folsom 57 Courtney Powers-Acklin 82 Rosena J. Becker-Ross

8 Christy Punches Dyer 33 Jo Sacharko 58 Sherry Brandt 83 Kimberly Jozwiak

9 Kathryn Wells-Vogel 34 Parlee Norton 59 Patty Stav 84 Angela Fleming

10 Jeanie Roumell 35 Luanne Anders 60 Rosemary Bell 85 Debbie Landrum

11 Tracie Glaeser 36 Cathrine Leloux 61 Melissa Strickland 86 Kendra Beverly

12 Julie Kubeczka-Day 37 Teresa Borcik 62 Shannon Wagner 87 Laurence Glick

13 Karen Renfrow 38 Rachel Frasier 63 Kaylee Brune 88 Courtney Broussard

14 Phyllis Mathison 39 Leona Clay 64 Valerie Bryant 89 Abril Lamb

15 Cynthia Wells 40 Rene Moses 65 Claudia Lemon 90 Jacob Wetzel

16 Deborah Jessup 41 Fawn Mackey 66 Sarah Friberg 91 Amanda Cox

17 Krystal Strong 42 Clifton Deryl Corley 67 Christina Dahse 92 Melinda Weller

18 Rhonda Kuehn 43 Kimberly Kierce 68 Lisa Davis 93 Jennifer Dorsett

19 Maria Busche 44 Lesa Keith 69 Lee Ann Oliver 94 Claudia Quentero

20 Elaine Brown 45 Delena Franklin 70 Jessica Utton

21 Elaine Bourgoin 46 April Christiansen 71 Sally Forbus

22 Amanda Degan 47 Jennifer Bozorgnia 72 Janis Fletcher

23 Cathy Haney 48 Mary Jane Grubb 73 Carla Bonham

24 Pat Riffel 49 Bobbie Spence 74 Patti Jo Towne

25 Helen Wo 50 Landra Hudson-Solansky 75 Jeremy Leonard

TMCEC and TCCA

work together in fa-

cilitating exams at

TMCEC events. Each

site offers all 3 levels

of the exams. This

list provides exam

locations and testing

statistics for TMCEC

events in FY18.

Scheduled testing dates and locations for fiscal year 2019 are listed below.

Exams

Page 5 FY 2017-2018

Date Location Level I Level II Level III Total

09/15/2017 TMCEC Office 1 1 1 3

10/20/2017 TMCEC Office 2 1 2 5

10/25/2017 Longview 5 4 0 9

11/16/2017 Austin 8 7 3 18

12/15/2017 Austin 19 6 0 25

01/10/2018 San Antonio 11 7 0 18

01/24/2018 Galveston 5 13 4 22

02/01/2018 Austin 0 2 6 8

02/09/2018 McAllen 0 1 0 1

02/13/2018 Houston 15 14 5 34

03/07/2018 Addison 37 28 3 68

03/23/2018 TMCEC Office 1 4 4 9

03/28/2018 Traffic Safety 5 5 3 13

04/04/2018 Lubbock 5 4 0 9

04/20/2018 TMCEC Office 3 2 0 5

05/02/2018 S. Padre Island 10 4 1 15

05/16/2018 TMCEC Office 1 5 3 9

06/06/2018 El Paso 0 3 0 3

06/13/2018 Austin 6 1 6 13

06/27/2018 San Antonio 9 7 12 28

07/20/2018 Austin 24 6 2 32

08/10/2018 TMCEC Office 7 10 4 21

Totals for FY 2018 174 135 59 368

Totals for FY 2017 161 150 72 383

Totals for FY2016 264 176 77 517

Totals for FY2015 276 161 49 486

Totals for FY 2014 184 160 53 397

09/14/2018 TMCEC Office 03/04/2019 Addison Crowne Plaza 06/17/2019 Austin Omni Southpark

10/22/2018 Tyler Holiday Inn 03/25/2019 Houston Omni Westside 06/24/2019 Austin Omni Southpark

11/13/2018 Austin Omni Southpark 04/08/2019 Lubbock Overton Hotel 07/12/2019 Austin Omni Southpark

11/30/2018 Austin Omni Southpark 04/19/2019 TMCEC Office 07/26/2019 TMCEC Office

01/07/2019 San Antonio Omni Colonnade 04/29/2019 SPI Isla Grand 08/12/2019 TMCEC Office

01/14/2019 Galveston San Luis Resort 05/24/2019 TMCEC Office 08/22/2019 TMCEC Office

01/31/2019 Georgetown Sheraton Hotel 06/03/2019 Abilene Elegante Suites *TCCA October 2019

02/13/2019 Houston Omni Westside 06/10/2019 Austin Omni Southpark *TMCA to be announced

Test Taking Tips:

Prepare, take good

notes, ask questions,

take a break the day be-

fore the exam, and most

importantly, practice pos-

itive self-talk. You can do

this!

Update Certification Materials—85th Legislature

Update certification materials to include new laws.

This includes a revision to Level I & Level II study

guides (2), practice tests (2), crossword puzzles (2),

prep session facilitator materials (2), flash cards (2),

online flash cards (2), OLC study session (2), Loop

Cards (2), teaching aids & treasure boxes (2), exams

(2), and master answer keys (9). This is a total of

29 items that must be reviewed for revision, edited

and implemented. As in any other legislative year,

this majority of our year will be consumed by this

major project. (Complete)

Enhance Visual Learning

Review the feasibility of implementing additional

visual aids in the Level I and Level II study guides.

(Level I-Complete )

Marketing

Create a seal for certification program, to be used in

recognition of court clerks, build camaraderie within

the program, and promote certification within the

state. (Complete)

Prep Sessions

Prep sessions were moved to the chapter level train-

ing forum in FY 18-19. TCCA was diligent in secur-

ing locations and instructors prior each regional

seminar. This new training format has been market-

ed to constituents through TCCA and TMCEC.

(Complete)

Additional Study Material

Vocabulary, Level I & Level II flash cards were

adapted from the study guides and Online Learning

Center (OLC). These were printed for product sales

and sold through TMCEC. Short video segments for

the OLC were produced last summer, and we con-

tinue to build our collection of new videos.

(Complete)

Revise Level III Required Reading

Formed subcommittee to assist in the selection of up-

dated Level III books. A new list of books was devel-

oped. Security and Financial Management were imple-

mented with changes on 9/1/18. The remainder of

the changes will begin on 9/1/19. This change was in

direct response to constituents requests for more up-

dated topics. (Complete)

Security

Revised Level III Part B test to include questions from

the book, “Protecting Court.” This exam was effective

9/1/18. (Complete)

Excerpt Financial Management Guide

Create a new version from an excerpt of the original

book that excludes outdated information. This will al-

low the reader to focus on the actual portions repre-

sented in the Level III test. (Complete)

Create new Study Questions

Revise exam and study questions for Level III Security

book and Financial Management Excerpt. (Complete)

Create Level III Master Set

This set includes all books from the previous list and

all books that have been added. Each book has exam

questions marked by tabs and is cross referenced

with a notebook of exam and study questions.

(Complete)

FY 17/18 Exam Analysis Binders

Each year, exam results are analyzed using the grad-

ing system to define areas needing educational ex-

pansion or content updates. From these results many

improvements have been identified and updated.

(Complete)

Revise L3 Existing Study Questions

Based on the annual exam analysis results, two of the

L3—Part C study question and exams were expanded

& revised.

FY17-18 Certification Program Goals Status—Completed The following includes progress of goals set for ourselves in fiscal year 2018

Page 6 End of Year Report

Create a FAQ Pamphlet

Create a pamphlet for test proctors to hand out after

each exam which describes “next steps.”

Expand Vocabulary Tools

Continue to expand learning tools through the addition

of new legal terminology to increase the total number of

vocabulary flash cards.

New L3 Reading List

Publicize and market the new Level III Reading List.

Update the webpage and publish articles that encour-

age clerks to move forward.

Create New Study Questions

This requires time to read each new book and create

study questions by January which will allow clerks to

begin preparing to test on the new L3 reading materials

effective 9/1/19.

Create New L3 Exams

Create new exam questions for each of the six (6) new

book added to the Level III reading materials.

Update “Level III Planning Guide”

This guide was previously called the “Level III Applica-

tion & Requirements Packet.” It will be broken down

into a user friendly, updated guide to complete the Lev-

el III certification.

Update Journal Instructions

Review and revise the Level III Journal Handbook to re-

flect a more appropriate journal & observation process.

This document was created many years ago with little

consideration of how the program may change. Revi-

sions to expectations in the journal submittal process

will be considered during FY 19.

Course of Study

Develop and publish a promotional handout outlining

the recommended order for completing each level and

phase of the program, beginning with Level III.

Redesign Clerk Publication Form

The existing form needs the seal and branding to be

added and upscale the overall look of the document.

Texas Map Graphic

Create map visually depicting certification participation

by city or region.

ONGOING GOALS

TCCA L3 Mentor Program

Continue to explore and improve formalized mentor-

ing sessions/groups for all levels of certification

testing for individuals who prefer more one on one

study time. The most immediate need appears to

be in the Level III portion of the program, which cur-

rently has no study session. This is a TCCA project

which is in ongoing development.

Update Study Guides

The Level I and Level II study guides, flash cards,

learning tools and teaching materials continue to be

updated to reflect changes from legislative ses-

sions.

City and Court Recognition

TMCEC will continue to offer further recognition for

cities and courts who participate in the clerks pro-

gram.

Uniform Promotional Branding

Continue to develop uniform branding of the clerk

program and certification across educational semi-

nars, publications, and media. Develop a recogniza-

ble brand associated with the program for use in

promotional and recognition materials. Consider

additional promotional branding, including applying

the seal to more merchandise and using on certifi-

cation presentation materials.

Statistical Metrics

Review and create new reports from performance

data to reflect program success which can be used

in promotional materials, publications and the web-

site. Create metric definition and rules related to

how statistics are shown in annual reports and other

published items.

TMCEC Website-Ongoing

Continue to reimagine and update TMCEC website

for the Clerk Certification website. Goals are (1)

simplify accessibility of program rules, tools, and

forms and (2) market the program to city manage-

ment and a larger demographic. In addition, TMCEC

will continue to develop new media to broaden out-

reach and participation.

FY 18-19 Certification Program Goals The following includes a list of new and ongoing goals for fiscal year 2019.

Page 7 FY 2017-2018

The City of San Antonio has the highest number of employees participating in

the Certification program with a total of 62.

The City of Houston has the second highest number of employees participat-

ing with a total of 52.

The City of Arlington has the third highest number of employees participating

with a total of 39.

The City of Plano has the fourth highest number of employees participating

with a total of 24.

8 Municipal Courts in the state have more than 1 clerks certified at Level III.

The Cities of Austin, Friendswood, Katy, League City, Manor, Richardson, Sug-

ar Land, and Webster are the only cities who currently employ two (2) or

more clerks that have achieved the esteemed Level III designation of CMCC.

TCCA hired,

as an inde-

p e n d e n t

contractor,

a criminal

justice stu-

dent intern from Texas State

University. Valerie Chavez

served as the Certification

Assistant in the summer of

FY 2017-2018. Valerie

worked May 25 through Au-

gust 21, 2017 at the TMCEC

office in Austin. She worked

part time from 20-30 hours

each week. She was as-

signed a variety of tasks by

the Program Coordinator and

Executive Director. This chart

is an overview of the pro-

jects assigned to the intern

and their final status.

Intern Report

Project Status

Posted and updated exam records for the fis-

cal year of 2018.

Completed

Assisted in evaluating individual exam results

when requested for program coordinator

Completed

Worked with program coordinator on certifica-

tion test results, renewals, and certification

records management.

Completed

Created master Level III book sets with test

questions and answers marked.

Part A & C Complete

Input certification data & survey data for end

of the year statistics.

Completed

Worked on printed reports and other certifica-

tion materials as assigned.

Completed

Page 8

Fun Facts

Texas Municipal Courts Education Center

2210 Hancock Drive

Austin, TX 78756

512.320.8274 ● 800.252.3718

www.tmcec.com ● Fax: 512.435.6118

Honorable Mention

The Texas Municipal Courts Education Center (TMCEC) was formed in 1984 by the Texas Municipal Courts Association (TMCA) to provide extensive, continuing professional education and training programs for municipal judges and court personnel. TMCEC is financed by a grant from the Court of Criminal Appeals out of funds appropriated by the Legislature to the Judicial and Court Personnel Training Fund.

Page 9

Name City Level Year Certified at Level I Years in Program

Nancy Sanford Crandall II 12/5/1997 21 years

Jeanie Roumell Westlake III 8/4/1998 21 years

Luevada Posey Killeen III 6/12/2002 19 years

Name City Years in Certification

Program

Carol Gauntt Willow Park 20

Phyllis Mathison Manor 20

Pamela Folsom Lumberton 20

Bonnie Townsend Luling 15

Erin Westmoreland Lochart 7

Certified Judges, Level III—CMCC

Number of Judges Level 1st year of participation Years in Program

10 Judges I May 1999 19 years

18 Judges II December 1998 20 years

Certified Judges, Level I & II

Certified Clerks, Longest Participation