Willis ISD board approves district and campus improvement plans, sets targets for attendance and college readiness

The Willis ISD Board of Trustees approved the district improvement plan and associated campus improvement plans on Sept. 10, voting 7-0 to adopt the district’s five-goal, 38-performance-objective plan that outlines actions to raise attendance, strengthen instruction and increase college- and career-readiness.

The plan, presented at the board meeting by a district staff member, sets districtwide targets including a 96% attendance goal and multi-year objectives tied to Texas House Bill reporting metrics. "These plans are aligned with our superintendent and board guardrails," the presenter said while describing the document’s alignment with the state accountability system and the district’s strategic priorities.

The district plan calls for strengthening Tier 1 instruction using recently adopted high-quality instructional materials (HQIMs) and research-based strategies; expanding supports for emergent bilingual and special education students; using data systems to identify students in need of intervention; and leveraging the Teacher Incentive Allotment to recruit and retain teachers. The plan also outlines monitoring: formative reviews in October, January and March and a summative review in May.

Sarah Baloo of the district’s teaching and learning staff outlined implementation support for the HQIM adoptions, describing summer vendor trainings and a new classroom-level implementation tracking system. "We want 100% of our teachers implementing those materials consistently by the October staff development dates," Baloo said, noting that district teams had already visited hundreds of classrooms to collect implementation data.

Principals from the district’s campuses summarized campus-specific action steps that tie into the district plan. Willis High School Principal Eric King highlighted plans to strengthen tiered attendance interventions and campuswide behavior supports to reduce disruptions and improve attendance. Calfee and other campus principals explained targeted interventions for emerging bilingual students, use of small-group instruction, increased collaborative planning and regular data meetings after unit assessments.

Board member Jay Jones moved to accept the superintendent’s recommendation to approve the district and campus improvement plans; Coach Carey seconded the motion. The board approved the motion unanimously, 7-0.

The plan documents list 60+ strategies across instructional, staffing and communication areas and reference required state targets under House Bill 3. District staff said the district improvement plan is dynamic and will be revised based on the scheduled formative reviews and ongoing data. The district will provide midyear progress updates to the board and adjust strategies as needed.