Whitehouse ISD Families,  Wow, just one month left. Here we go! If you’re a parent of a child in a transitional year–kindergarten, 5th grade, 6th grade, 8th grade, or senior year–you’re probably feeling a lot of emotions right now. And that’s completely normal. These milestones bring a mix of excitement, pride, and maybe a little bit of disbelief that the year flew by so quickly. My advice? Soak it in. Take the pictures. Cheer a little louder. And be sure to double-check your communications from teachers and campuses so you don’t miss a single celebration or event.

When I sat down to write this newsletter, I had to scroll back through my calendar to remember everything that happened in April. It’s been a full month with testing, campus events, and recognitions for our assistant principals, librarians, bus drivers, aides, and more. I also had the chance to speak at elementary career days (though I’m not sure the superintendent role ranks quite as high with kids as teacher, police officer, or some of the other awesome jobs our parents have!). 

Then I looked ahead to May and couldn’t help but laugh. It’s packed! On May 1-2 alone, we have our Life Skills Track Meet, CTE Career Day, High School Decision Day, and a Superintendent Student Advisory meeting. 

If you’re available on May 1, I’d love to invite you to cheer on our students at the Life Skills Track Meet, taking place at Wildcat Stadium from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. For those of you with students in grades 8-12, please encourage them to check out the Career Fair, as we’ll have a wide range of industries represented. It’s a great chance for them to explore future career paths and ask professionals questions. 

This is the best time of year. Let’s make the most of it!

You may remember that earlier this year, I shared that last year’s school ratings were delayed because of a lawsuit. However, you might not have known that the 2022-23 ratings were also held up in court for nearly two years.

That changed earlier this month. The courts gave the go-ahead for 2022-23 ratings to be publicly released today, April 24. You can now view them at txschools.gov. I believe in keeping our community informed about the issues that affect our schools, and I want to share where we currently stand:

• 2022-23: Whitehouse ISD received an overall “B” rating. Our campuses earned 36 out of 43 possible academic distinctions, which is a reflection of the hard work happening in our classrooms every day. These distinctions are something to be proud of!

• 2023-24: We’re still waiting on the release of these grades. They’re part of a separate legal challenge, but as previously shared, we project receiving a “B.”

So, why all the delays and lawsuits? In short, the state changed how it grades schools without giving districts the chance to adjust to the new rules. Under the new system, a school could actually improve and still receive a lower rating. Many districts raised concerns and took legal action, which has held up the release of ratings statewide.

Like others, Whitehouse ISD has felt the impact, specifically in how the state measures college, career, and military readiness at the high school level. But I want to assure you, we’ve stayed focused on what matters: looking at our data, making changes where needed, and doing everything we can to help every student grow and succeed. That’s been a priority for me since day one.

I’ll continue to keep you updated as we learn more. While the 2023-24 ratings remain uncertain, we expect the 2024-25 ratings from this current school year to be released in August.

Community Assessment Survey Results

Thank you to everyone who participated in our recent Community Assessment Survey. Overall, families and community members expressed high levels of satisfaction with the extracurricular and co-curricular programs, facilities, safety, and community engagement efforts in Whitehouse ISD.

Among the most common suggestions were expanding junior high athletics and fine arts programs such as baseball, softball, and orchestra; adding CTE courses like cosmetology and architectural design; increasing campus safety measures; and offering more community-wide events and ways to connect with district leadership. 

We appreciate your input and will continue striving to grow and improve in these areas.

There’s been a lot of movement in Austin, but not much has been finalized just yet. We’re keeping a close eye on a few key issues – educational savings accounts (vouchers) look like they’re headed to the governor, and both the House and Senate have proposals on the table for school funding and teacher pay. A student discipline bill has also passed the House.

I’ll share a more detailed update in May once more is set in stone. The regular session is scheduled to end on June 2, unless a special session is called. Stay tuned!

Congratulations, Teachers of the Year!

One of the best parts of this job is getting to celebrate the people who make Whitehouse ISD such a special place. I want to congratulate our 2024-25 Campus Teachers of the Year. These educators represent the heart of what we do and go above and beyond for their students.

• Brown Elementary: Ms. Sanders

• Cain Elementary: Ms. Allen

• Higgins Elementary: Ms. Agnew

• Stanton-Smith Elementary: Ms. Hamill

• Holloway: Ms. Black

• Whitehouse Junior High: Ms. Solomon

• Whitehouse HS: Mr. Treat

• AIM Center: Ms. Willis

Celebrating Student Excellence Districtwide It’s always a privilege to celebrate the achievements of our students. From the dance floor to the robotics arena to the concert stage, Wildcats continue to accomplish great things! First Ladies Dance Team – National Champions! The WHS First Ladies had an impressive showing at the American Dance Drill Team Nationals, bringing home five National Champion titles! With over 70 teams competing, they stood out for their dedication and talent. Highlights include an Outstanding Director award for Nikki Whitley, Academic Champion third place honors with a 3.81 GPA, and an undefeated season for the Officers.  District Robotics Competition Students across WISD recently competed in our annual Robotics Competition, sponsored by Trane Technologies. After weeks of coding, building, and testing, teams from Stanton-Smith, Brown, and Higgins earned top honors. Huge thanks to our volunteers who made the event a success. It was an honor to help judge! WHS Shines at UIL Band Contest Whitehouse High School hosted this year’s UIL Concert and Sight Reading Contest and our Wildcat Band programs didn’t disappoint. Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Winds, and Concert Band earned superior ratings in both performance and sight reading. Symphonic Band also earned an excellent on  National Signing Day We’re also proud to celebrate four more Wildcats taking their talents to the next level! Congratulations to the following student-athletes for signing to play collegiate sports:  Audrey Hall, Soccer, East Texas Baptist University Javi Gonzales, Soccer, UT Tyler Braxton Ladwig, Soccer, Lubbock Christian University Landon Neely, Soccer, UT Tyler Congratulations to all of these students, staff, coaches, directors, and sponsors! Strong work!