The Stafford Municipal School District Board of Trustees voted 7-0 to approve a targeted improvement plan for Stafford Middle School required under the Effective Schools Framework and tied to a Texas Education Agency (TEA) grant.

The plan, presented by Stafford Middle School Principal Miss Vanison, describes campus efforts to use data-driven instruction and the Strong Foundations mathematics program, including data rooms, an attendance wall, student STAR-score goal-setting (“star talks”), tiered Saturday tutorials and gradual-release training for teachers. Miss Vanison said the campus used Carnegie Learning this year as its primary curriculum and plans to switch to Bluebonnet for 2025–26. She told the board, “If we do not receive the additional grant funds, we are gonna reallocate our general funds to continue to support the implementation of data driven instruction in tier 1 practices.”

Why it matters: the board must approve a school’s ESF-required targeted improvement plan for the campus to receive and properly spend TEA grant funds meant to improve academic systems and student outcomes. The presentation emphasized both supports for students who are below grade level and enrichment for students who already meet standards.

Key elements and context
- Grant and timeline: Stafford Middle School voluntarily applied for and received TEA grant funding for 2023–24 and 2024–25, supporting systems and structures to improve academic achievement. The principal said she did not have the full grant-amount details on hand and would follow up with the board on the total amount. The plan covers current initiatives and contingency steps if additional grant funding is not awarded.
- Instructional materials: the campus used Carnegie Learning (identified in the presentation as high-quality instructional material per TEA) for math this year and plans to transition to Bluebonnet in 2025–26. RLA practices are described as “grammar-driven instructional practices” to strengthen Tier 1 instruction; McGraw-Hill was noted as the previously used material the campus would revert to if necessary.
- Student engagement and progress monitoring: campus initiatives include data rooms, student data charts on each floor, visible campus rating and attendance targets, attendance competitions tied to small rewards, and “Spartan heads” on walls listing students who scored Meets or Masters on STAR. The campus also recorded a webinar for parents and collected feedback through ParentSquare.
- Professional development: the campus scheduled training (vendor-led gradual-release instruction and first-line instruction training) and ongoing data-driven instruction training for teachers.

Board action and procedure
Vice President Hamarani made the motion to approve the targeted improvement plan; Board Secretary John Baptiste seconded. The board chair called the vote and the motion carried 7-0.

What the plan does not specify
The principal said the original grant work began before she joined the campus and she did not have a full breakdown of grant expenditures during the meeting; she said she would provide follow-up details. The presentation also noted that if the grant funding ceases, campus leaders plan to reallocate general fund dollars to sustain core elements of the plan.

Looking ahead
The presentation cited ongoing parent engagement efforts (webinar recordings, ParentSquare surveys and weekly newsletters) and upcoming staff training intended to support implementation. The board’s approval allows the campus to proceed with implementation and to use the TEA grant funds within the ESF requirements.