Killeen ISD Faces State Mandate for School Improvement Plans

KILLEEN, Texas — Killeen Independent School District (KISD) must create improvement plans for three middle schools after receiving consecutive failing grades from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). During a school board meeting on Tuesday, Deputy Superintendent Terri Osborne outlined the state-required strategy aimed at boosting performance at Manor, Palo Alto, and Eastern Hills Middle Schools.

The TEA has mandated that KISD submit its turnaround plans by November 14, 2025. Manor Middle School received an F for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025, while Palo Alto and Eastern Hills earned a D in 2023, followed by two F grades.

According to state guidelines, schools that do not meet performance standards for multiple years must develop a comprehensive turnaround plan. This plan must be approved by both the local school board and the TEA. Osborne explained that these plans will help identify root causes of low performance and guide resources and efforts to improve student outcomes.

“These plans require campuses to improve student outcomes through specific interventions such as staff changes and enhanced training,” Osborne said during the meeting.

KISD is considering several models, including the Accelerating Campus Excellence (ACE) model, which would provide financial incentives to attract high-performing teachers to struggling campuses. Alternatively, the school district could partner with an open-enrollment charter school under the SB 1882 model.

The district’s improvement plans are part of a larger initiative called District Optimization, which addresses enrollment issues and potential funding losses. KISD’s administration is set to present its recommendations for optimization on October 28.

Osborne also laid out a timeline for the turnaround process. The district is drafting initial plans now and will finalize revisions by October 27 before submitting to the board for approval on November 4. TEA’s response to KISD’s proposals will be issued by January 16, 2026.

Failure to enact effective improvements could result in state intervention, including a conservator to oversee the district or potential school closures.

In addition to the three middle schools under scrutiny, Steve Lecholop, TEA’s deputy commissioner of governance, noted that six other KISD campuses also received D ratings in the latest assessments, indicating a need for continued oversight and intervention.