Willis ISD superintendent says district is on track for HB3 early‑literacy goals amid strategic‑plan rollout

Superintendent Dr. Kimberly James told the Willis ISD Board of Trustees that the district’s multi‑year strategic plan is producing measurable mid‑year gains and that the district is on track to meet its House Bill 3 early‑literacy targets.

Dr. James presented six year‑one objectives tied to five district goals — student success, financial stewardship, instructional effectiveness, relationships and communications — and reviewed mid‑year MAP and STAR results by campus. She said the district’s use of high‑quality instructional materials, targeted academic sprints and strengthened small‑group instruction are among the actions producing growth.

“Willis ISD now requires all students’ cell phones to be stored out of sight during the school day,” Dr. James said while summarizing changes to the student code of conduct made to comply with House Bill 1481. She also noted ISS placement review procedures, revised consequences for vaping and expanded teacher authority for classroom removals as recently adopted code changes.

District staff reviewed grade‑level and subpopulation data, including projected STAR proficiencies for second and third grades that the superintendent described as “getting closer to the 90/60/30 goal.” Dr. James presented evidence of improvement at multiple campuses: examples included middle‑of‑year MAP increases in biology and algebra and campus growth percentages that district leaders said support the view that the new curriculum and implementation fidelity are contributing factors.

During the presentation principals and program leaders described campus‑level tactics such as weekly collaborative planning, targeted intervention (“proud time”/“CAT time”) and student goal‑setting routines. Board members praised the progress and attributed gains to consistent leadership and implementation across campuses.

The board voted to accept the superintendent’s long‑range governance/HB3 guardrails and the superintendent’s guardrail update as presented.

The presentation included district‑level safety updates (completed drills, a third‑party safety audit under review and the districtwide Raptor panic‑button implementation) and a financial‑transparency initiative: Willis ISD’s partnership with ClearGV to provide public, real‑time access to district funding and expenditure data.

Next steps noted by staff include continued fidelity monitoring, a May summit for evaluation and the April CTE advisory meeting to expand community partnerships. The board’s acknowledgment did not change funding or policy beyond the previously adopted code changes; operational next steps and campus action plans will proceed under superintendent direction.