Crowley ISD Boardroom Rewind

Two returning school board members and one new trustee were sworn in for three years of service to the Crowley ISD Board of Trustees.

Chakina "CC" Watkins took the oath of office to serve a three-year term as Crowley ISD School Board Trustee, Place 5.

Gary Allen Grassia also was sworn in to serve another three-year term as a trustee for Place 6.

And Kelicia Lynn Stevenson will serve another three-year term as a trustee for Place 7.

The board also recognized outgoing trustee Daryl R. Davis II for his service on the board.

"Mr. Davis' passion for the students, for our administration, our staff, our community was unwavering," Trustee Dr. La Tonya Woodson-Mayfield said. "Just to say thank you would not be enough."

Trustees shared their reflections on Davis' service and said he would be missed.

"He made us better," Trustee June W. Davis said.

CISD trustees approved several personnel items in May, including:

• Dwight Perry (pictured right) as principal of Crowley Middle School. Perry comes to Crowley ISD from Cedar Hill ISD where he has most recently served as principal of Bessie Coleman Middle School. He has seven years of administrative experience and 12 years of teaching experience.

• Quentella Knox as district administrator of AI integration and organizational learning. Knox currently serves as principal of Crowley Middle School and has 16 years of education experience.

• Cornelius Rogers as coordinator of testing. Rogers currently is a data-driven instruction coordinator at Trinity Basin Preparatory and has 14 years of education experience.

• Alberto Torres as coordinator of dual language. Torres currently is an instructional support specialist in Crowley ISD and has 20 years of education experience.

Trustees celebrated the first-place winners of the Elementary UIL A+ competition that took place May 3 at the Bill R. Johnson CTE Center.

More than 600 students from campuses across Crowley ISD competed in English and Spanish events. The competition included 14 timed academic events such as Spelling, Number Sense, Storytelling and Ready Writing.

"UIL builds confidence and reminds students that learning is about effort, growth and rising to challenges," Rose Eatmon told trustees.

It is the largest academic competition in the district on the elementary level and all CISD campuses competed. Organizers of the competition are Eatmon and Gery Moreno.

View the presentation.

With excitement and a bit of sadness, the Crowley ISD Board of Trustees honored the graduating student trustees who served during the 2024-25 school year.

Students were applauded for the voice they bring to board meetings and the impact they have on their campuses and the district.

In addition to serving at two school board meetings, student trustees are responsible for gathering feedback from fellow students and bringing any celebrations, upcoming events, considerations and improvements to the attention of district leadership and the school board.

This year, student trustees also had the opportunity to travel to Austin and have one-on-one conversations with lawmakers during a Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) legislative event. A number of school districts were mesmerized by the Crowley ISD Student Trustee program and now want to implement a similar program, Board President Daryl R. Davis, II said.

"What you are doing is more significant than you probably realize," Davis said at the May 13 meeting. "You all have not only served our district, but you are literally trailblazers throughout the state of Texas."

Students wore special stoles during graduation ceremonies on May 24 in recognition of their service.

Graduating Student Trustees:

Crowley High School
Nevaeh Hamilton-Roberts
Rose Jones
Kennedy Nguyen

North Crowley High School
Dillion Dill
James “Ethan” Hunt
Ashly Machado
Mikayla Nicholas

Crowley Collegiate Academy
Heidy Ramirez-Tapia
Chancellor Slater

Above is a rendering of the front of North Crowley High School after renovations are completed.

Above is an aerial photo of the construction work happening on the new Crowley High School campus, specifically a new education wing.

Bond dollars are at work in Crowley ISD as four of the district's high school campuses see construction work.

Crowley Ninth Grade, Crowley High School, North Crowley Ninth Grade and North Crowley High School will each see construction impacts as a result of the voter-approved Bond 2023 program.

At Crowley Ninth Grade, students will see an expanded cafeteria, new floors, paint, tile, renovated administration area and library.

At North Crowley Ninth Grade, a foundation is being poured for a seven-classroom addition and collaborative area as well as a locker room and weight room expansion.

At North Crowley High School, a perimeter fence is being added that will also encompass North Crowley Ninth Grade.

North Crowley will also see an expanded cafeteria, library and administration area as well as the addition of a 16-classroom wing, among other renovations.

Crowley High School will receive a completely new campus. The new education wing is currently being constructed and demolition is expected soon on the existing gyms and locker rooms.

Superintendent Dr. Michael McFarland noted the relocations that will occur because of the Crowley High School construction. The district is working with other campuses, the city and nearby churches to assist.

Trustee June W. Davis noted the growing pains CISD is experiencing but pointed out the benefit.

"For our students to have state-of-the-art facilities that they deserve is very exciting to me," Davis said.

Watch an animation of the new Crowley High School campus.

Crowley ISD plans to present budget scenarios during upcoming June board meetings that address teacher raises and an increase in the district's contribution to employee health insurance.

Trustees will meet again on June 18 for a called board meeting to discuss budget scenarios. CISD plans to present a budget with a compensation plan for adoption on June 26. The budget year begins July 1.

In a meeting earlier in May, the district shared results from its Budget Priorities Survey. The prioritized list of responses includes:

1. Smaller Class Sizes
   
2. Employee Raises
   
3. Increase District Health Insurance Contribution
   
4. Future Readiness Initiatives (College, Career and Military)
   
5. Special Education Resources
   
6. Shooter Detection Systems
   
7. Campus Armed Guards
   
8. Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programming
   
9. Classroom Supply Allocations
   
10. Increase Campus Instructional Support Position

Crowley ISD's number of students achieving College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) rises each month, and additional CCMR data is still processing.

Crowley ISD is excited about new Future Ready initiatives it has rolled out to students this school year.

In an update to the school board on May 13, Dr. Tonni Grant, special assistant to the superintendent for College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) Accountability, shared highlights of the work being done to ensure that students leave CISD prepared for the future.

New Future Ready initiatives are designed to be intentional about not just meeting accountability standards but creating a culture where every student knows what it means to be Future Ready — and has a clear plan to get there.

"We want Future Readiness to be a way of life in Crowley ISD," Grant said.

Future Ready Initiatives include:

• Development of Future Ready Ambassadors student group
  
• Graduating Future Ready Campaign Launch
  
• Future Ready Friday Spotlights
  
• Future Ready Trainings
  
• Future Ready Audits and Campus Performance Reviews

Grant also highlighted the efforts to ensure that data is aligned across all systems and tracked and that there are clear workflows and expectations across departments.

If students graduate Future Ready, then can earn graduation cords and medallions. Check out crowleyisdtx.org/futureready to learn how students can become Future Ready and earn graduation regalia.

View the Future Ready presentation.

Check out Future Ready Friday spotlight reels like the one above on the Future Ready website: crowleyisdtx.org/FutureReady.

Cadet Col. Shekinah Nyoni is headed to the United States Military Academy at West Point to pursue a career in medicine.

Nyoni is a North Crowley High School graduate who began her educational journey in Crowley ISD at Dallas Park Elementary.

Learn more about Nyoni and her accomplishments in the video above.

Stay tuned for a Crowley High School graduate spotlight coming soon!

Don't miss your chance to join the Crowley ISD family and make a difference in the lives of students!

Benefits include stipends for in-demand positions, competitive starting salaries, employee child care center, Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) bonus pay, professional development opportunities and more!

Apply online at crowleyisdtx.org/careers

Check out some interesting Crowley ISD facts and points of pride in the video above!

We're shining a light on what makes Crowley ISD special through the voices of our students, parents, educators and community leaders!

Watch below members of our community share what makes them proud to be part of Crowley ISD, and we invite you to share your story too at crowleyisdtx.org/mycrowleypride.

Help us spread the word by sharing your story with friends, family and neighbors by using the hashtag #MyCrowleyPride on social media. Together, let’s continue building a community of pride, achievement and unity!

MEETING VIDEO: To watch a recording of this meeting, please click here.

Previous Board Summaries