The Harlingen CISD board approved the district’s proposed House Bill 3 targets for early-childhood literacy and math and a five‑year district goal for college-, career- and military-readiness (CCMR).

District presenters explained the HB3 requirements and the district’s targets: early-literacy and early-math goals are set as five‑year, measurable targets tied to the district’s most recent third‑grade STAAR performance, with year‑by‑year increments intended to move the district toward the state-recommended benchmark (the district used its 2023–24 baseline to set incremental targets). For CCMR, administration presented a five‑year goal to increase the percentage of graduates meeting at least one CCMR indicator (dual credit, AP, SAT/ACT/TSI readiness, industry-based certification, or military enlistment) to 95% by the district’s five‑year target date.

Dahlia Garcia described the CCMR indicators and the district’s approach: "Our five-year goal is to ensure that 95 percent of our students graduate college career military ready," she said. Garcia emphasized that the goal is meant to drive strategic, campus-level planning and to align counseling and course offerings with readiness indicators.

During public comments, Maria Williams, a parent, said her son (a sophomore) is being asked to choose between sports and band because CCMR-course requirements and electives are scheduled in the same periods. Williams said the district had told her that passing the TSI (Texas Success Initiative) would satisfy CCMR in reading and math, but that the TSI reading section is difficult and is typically a twelfth-grade issue. She asked whether parents could receive waivers or scheduling accommodations so students can participate both in fine arts (band) and athletics while still meeting CCMR expectations.

Superintendent Corton and staff acknowledged the scheduling tension between district accountability/CCMR expectations and student extracurricular interests and said they would follow up to clarify scheduling options. Trustees asked administration to explain the interaction of course-period constraints, CCMR indicators and the TSI in a follow-up briefing so the board could understand whether schedule flexibility, counseling changes, or waivers could reduce forced choices between extracurriculars and CCMR coursework.

Ending: The board approved the HB3 early-childhood and CCMR goals. District leadership committed to returning with clearer guidance on scheduling, counseling and TSI use so campuses and families can minimize conflicts between CCMR-course requirements and students’ participation in band or athletics.