Judson trustees adopt 2025'26 academic acceleration CAPA and hear detailed campus turnaround plans

The Judson Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve the district's 2025'26 academic acceleration CAPA and spent the remainder of its special meeting receiving presentations and asking questions about campus turnaround plans, monitoring, and resources.

After returning from closed session, the board heard consultants and district leaders outline the state accountability context and potential TEA interventions. Consultants said TEA may escalate oversight after three consecutive low ratings; districts that receive a notice following a third-year rating must submit turnaround plans and TEA can impose varying levels of supervision, up to a conservator, if improvement is not demonstrated. Consultants used a "clock" metaphor for a district's limited time to implement corrective actions and said final TEA ratings become official after the appeals process (expected in December).

District staff presented the CAPAs for academics, organized around four levers: professional development, master schedule, progress monitoring and adoption of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM). Staff said the district adopted Bluebonnet math for K'Algebra I and cited external coaching from Carnegie Learning and Branching Minds. A draft outcome originally listed a 100% teacher full implementation target by Oct. 20, 2025; staff acknowledged pockets of resistance but reported walkthroughs showing wide adoption (a staff speaker cited "98%" implementation in classrooms) and described an ongoing PD and coaching plan to increase fidelity.

Staff also explained changes made in response to board feedback: progress-monitoring outcome date moved from September 2025 to October 2025; the professional development implementation target adjusted to 90% to allow a phased roll'out; the master schedule CAPA remained unchanged. District leaders described a district dashboard and campus-level dashboards used for monitoring unit-assessment, discipline and attendance trends; they proposed a board-only executive summary or quarterly report to balance transparency with concerns about sensitive student or personnel data.

On staffing and scheduling, staff detailed targeted teacher moves (placing higher-performing teachers or academic trainers on turnaround campuses), master schedule redesigns that include MTSS/intervention blocks and added academic-trainer positions at Metzger and other campuses. Staff described tutoring pilots and vendor partnerships (Papaya tutoring via Responsive Learning, Title I and other funds) where contracts include performance guarantees.

Trustees raised cost and grant concerns, noting some turnaround strategies (extended day/year, pay-for-performance) carry major cost. Staff said they have sufficient resources to implement the CAPAs as written but that larger enhancements would require additional funding; they also cautioned that some grant programs bring additional obligations for principals and staff.

The board approved the academic acceleration CAPA on a 7'0'00 vote (motion by Miss Ryan, second by a trustee listed as "Second" in the record). Staff noted the turnaround plan drafts remain posted for public feedback and scheduled a public hearing for Oct. 16 at 5:00 p.m.; plans are due to TEA by Nov. 21 but district leaders said they intend to submit as soon as possible to obtain TEA guidance earlier in the cycle.

Next steps include continuing small-group conversations between trustees and administrators, posting dashboards and executive summaries for board monitoring on a regular cadence, and holding the Oct. 16 public hearing ahead of the regular meeting where the board is expected to vote to adopt the turnaround plans.