Two Connally ISD schools that have failed state standards for five years in a row appear to be making progress, but state intervention is now unavoidable, Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath said in a visit to the district Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, because of the degree of historic academic failures that have occurred, we’re in a situation where a decision will have to be made, and a decision is either campus closure or board of managers,” Morath said to reporters during a tour of Connally Junior High School.
Connally Junior High received its fifth consecutive F grade under the state’s A-F accountability system for its 2024 report, which was delayed in release until this summer. The school got a D for 2025.
Connally Elementary School received its fifth consecutive F in 2025.
Under state law, those results mean that Morath now must now take strong action.
Morath could appoint a board of managers from applicants within the community, temporarily replacing the elected board now in charge. TEA and Region 12 would collaborate and host community information meetings to provide information on the role. The commissioner selects the board of managers after they undergo screening, training and interviews, according to TEA.
‘Eager to learn’
Morath visited multiple classrooms Tuesday at Connally Junior High to observe students and teachers. In a sixth-grade math classroom, students learned how to calculate volume. Morath held a handout of the unit lesson as he observed the classroom.
Morath said later that he saw improvements in curriculum, teacher support and student support. Connally ISD implemented the Eureka math curriculum the previous school year in an effort to raise performance. This school year the district implemented the reading and language arts Bluebonnet curriculum alongside the math curriculum.
“These are kids that are full of hope and opportunity, very well-behaved,” Morath said. “They’re eager to learn, and I know that the administrative team here is working hard to try to provide improved quality of learning. The question is, how do we go even faster? How do we give kids the absolute best?”
Connally’s efforts
The 2024 and 2025 ratings were released Aug. 15 on the order of a judge in a lawsuit that had delayed the release of the 2024 report. Connally ISD as a whole received a D rating both years.
The previous release of the 2023 ratings spurred the TEA to order Connally ISD to implement turnaround plans for both the junior high and elementary school.
Betsy Burnett, Connally ISD executive director of instructional leadership and development, said Tuesday that the district’s administration and staff have changed in recent years.
She said the junior high school’s D rating for 2025 reflects student progress, but there is more to the district than the scores.
“We’re so much more than that letter score that gets published,” Burnett said.
Accountability ratings use State of Texas Assessments for Academic Readiness scores to assess student performance. Schools at the bottom have to show double the improvement in scores.
Connally Junior High ranked in the bottom 5% of state results on the test before COVID-19.
The district held walkthroughs at various campuses to evaluate how they can improve. This also helped students get used to having people observing them ahead of Morath’s visit. Ahead of the visit, staff at the district felt positive.
“I’m ready for Commissioner Morath to see what we’re doing every day,” Burnett told the Bridge on Monday. “And how hard our teachers are working every day, and to see all the wonderful new initiatives and how much progress that we know this year is going to bring.”
After Morath’s visit, Connally ISD Superintendent Jill Bottelberghe expressed appreciation for the visit.
“I am thankful that he was able to see firsthand the hard work that our teachers and students are putting in to make academic progress,” Bottelberghe said. “It was affirming to hear that several of our strategic initiatives fall in line with state recommendations. Moving forward, we remain committed to using all of our resources to make the necessary improvements to ensure student success.”
