The College Station ISD Board of Trustees approved a purchase of professional‑development services from Solution Tree on Oct. 21, authorizing $236,861.80 through the TIPS cooperative (contract #220601) using Title II funds.

The motion to approve the purchase passed unanimously: Dr. Darren Payne moved, Trustee Kristen Wilson seconded, and the board voted 7–0 to approve the expenditure.

Why it matters: the purchase continues a multi‑year district initiative to implement PLC (Professional Learning Community) structures, RTI (response to intervention), behavior solutions and instructional coach development across campuses. Administrators told trustees the work is federally funded in large part, and the district says nearly all Solution Tree spending since 2002 has come from federal sources.

Board presentation and timeline

District staff summarized a multi‑year timeline that began with the district’s strategic plan (2021) and intensified in 2023 with PLC‑at‑Work training. The district described two campus cohorts, summer institute attendance, on‑site campus coaching, instructional‑coach development, and a behavior‑solutions track designed to align behavioral systems with the PLC structures.

Administrators described current and planned activities for 2025–26 including continued on‑site coaching, “RTI at Work” training for all 19 campuses, a “Beyond Labels” training focused on removing labels and emphasizing student strengths, and ongoing behavior‑tier‑1 implementation. The district said individual campus coaching sessions from Solution Tree associates will provide targeted feedback for principals and guiding coalitions.

Funding and accounting details

Administrators provided a funding breakdown showing the majority of Solution Tree expenditures came from federal funds (including Title II, Title I, IDEA and Title III) and ESSER allocations. The presentation emphasized that roughly 97% of Solution Tree spending since 2002 came from federal sources and about 3% from local funds; the purchase on the board agenda was financed through Title II (professional‑development) funds.

Trustee comments and oversight

Trustees asked about vendor selection, anticipated tapering of external services, staff buy‑in, and metrics to measure program impact. Administrators said Solution Tree was selected because of a long track record with PLC models and availability of Texas‑based associates, and they said external support will taper as campus staff adopt and sustain the models. Trustees emphasized the need for ongoing measurement of academic and behavioral results to assess return on investment.

Action taken

The board approved the purchase as presented; trustees also discussed the larger multi‑year spending on Solution Tree services and how federal program rules guided fund allocation decisions.

Ending

Administrators said they will continue to report implementation updates and requested continued trustee oversight as campuses move from external support to in‑district capacity building.