Abilene ISD Board recognizes state solo, ensemble winners, reviews ESSA and Head Start plans

By Makalah Wright

The Abilene School District Board of Trustees held their monthly meeting on July 6, starting off with recognition for the UIL Texas State Solo and Ensemble Outstanding Performers.

The musical ensemble contest was held on May 25 in Austin, where local Abilene students performed excellently in their performances. Collectively, the school earned a total of 20 gold solo medals, 31 silver solo medals and 16 gold ensemble medals. Max Frick of the Cooper High School Band, along with Micah Mallet and Syler Richardson of the Abilene High School Choir, were recognized for their musicianship and character.

During a public hearing, Director of Federal Programs Shannon Marshall discussed the Every Student Succeeds Act application. The ESSA is the primary federal education law that holds public schools accountable for student achievement and ensuring equitable access to quality education. It provides grant funding through multiple titles (Titles I-IV) for which Abilene ISD applies on a basis — in order to allocate funds, the district is required to engage stakeholders to gather input on planned expenditures.

The purpose of the funds is significant — it targets the needs of disadvantaged and high need students, including those with disabilities, minority students, bilingual learners and more. Because the funding is tied to each student group’s specific need, it’s allocated toward certain priorities — such as strengthening basic programs and supporting effective instruction.

Director of Early Childhood Julie Wilson presented the Head Start self assessment and improvement plan of the 2025-2026 school year. In the self assessment, supporters like parents and community members have noted that the Abilene ISD Head Start program is a well-developed program with a history of strong performance and monitoring reviews. The success of educational practices has been evident in CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) scores, as well as investing heavily in staff members and campus culture.

There were no systemic issues reported and each program goal has managed to solidify a consistent outcome in terms of education quality and community engagement.

“Abilene has such a sweet community that when families are in need, we find resources very quickly for them,” Wilson said. “We want to continue to have those collaborative partnerships with the families, so they trust us and we can help them move forward.”