Killeen ISD starts TEA ‘Turnaround Plan’ after three middle schools rate low three years in a row

KILLEEN, Texas (KWTX) - For three years, three Killeen ISD middle schools have performed at a ‘D’ or ‘F’ rating level, according to the Texas Education Agency.

At a Sept. 23 board meeting, the acting superintendent Terri Orsborne started a conversation about what can change.

While a concrete plan isn’t in place, the school board is starting to talk about how they can turn things around.

The TEA requires certain actions after multiple years of not meeting accountability.

This meeting is the first step in creating a plan so the district and parents can understand what the turnaround plan is, why it’s required by the state and how it is used as a framework for school improvement.

“It’s designed to make sure we are addressing not just surface level challenges with a few strategies but persistent and ongoing under performance through a comprehensive plan that is specifically designed to improve instruction,” Osborne explains.

The three middle schools in question are Manor, Eastern Hills and Palo Alto. Manor Middle School has received a ‘F’ rating every year since 2023 and both Palo Alto and Eastern Hills got a ‘D’ in 2023 but have received ‘F’ ratings since.

“The turnaround plan is designed to do just that, turn this around. Not just one the surface, not just with one campus but everyone,” Osborne says.

This meeting was just step one of building a new foundation by looking at their current reality vs. their future vision for these schools.

“As we develop a turnaround plan, our requirement is that we assess where we are. Assess and accept the brutal facts, put them on paper of our current reality but where are we going? That is the first part of the turnaround plan,” she says.

From there, they will be able to determine which method will best serve their students.

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