Crowley ISD is one of five school boards from across Texas to be selected as Honor School Boards as part of the 2023 TASA School Board Awards. Each year, the program recognizes outstanding Texas school boards for commitment and service that has made a positive impact on Texas public school students.  

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The five Honor Boards were selected by a committee of Texas school superintendents, chaired by Lake Dallas ISD Superintendent Kristin Brown, who was the superintendent of Lyford CISD last year, when the district’s school board was named the 2022 Outstanding School Board upon her nomination. The selection committee’s decisions were based on criteria that include: support for educational performance, support for educational improvement projects, commitment to a code of ethics, and maintenance of harmonious and supportive relationships among board members.

The five school boards selected as 2023 Texas Honor School Boards are:

• Crowley ISD
• Corsicana ISD
• Montgomery ISD
• Texas City ISD
• Ysleta ISD

The School Board Awards Committee was impressed by the Crowley ISD board’s focus on continuous improvement and innovation.

Superintendent Michael McFarland said of his board: “Their unwavering commitment to the individual success of each and every student comes through on a daily basis in how they serve and support the efforts of the students, parents, educators, and community members of Crowley ISD. I have had the opportunity to closely observe the countless initiatives undertaken by the trustees in their pursuit of providing excellence in education for all. Their strategic vision, collaboration, and communication have resulted in significant improvements in academic achievement, financial solvency, overall student well-being and community engagement. Our board members are leading the charge to prove the case that diversity and excellence are not mutually exclusive, and it is because of this Board of Trustees, and their faith and fidelity through the tedious process of change, that students are excelling.”

While this is the first time in the award program’s history that the boards of Corsicana ISD, Montgomery ISD, and Texas City ISD have been selected as statewide honor boards, Crowley ISD’s board was chosen as an honor board in 2001, and Ysleta ISD’s board was an honor board in both 2011 and 1973.

Original announcement: July 5, 2023

July 5, 2023

The Crowley ISD Board of Trustees has been selected as the 2023 Region 11 (north central Texas) winner of the School Board Awards program, sponsored by the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA).  

A panel of local school superintendents selected Crowley ISD’s board as the Region 11 representative for this prestigious awards program, and the board’s application has now been forwarded to TASA to be considered for the state-level award.  

The award, created by TASA in 1971, was designed to recognize those school boards that have demonstrated outstanding dedication and have rendered ethical service to the children of Texas. The criteria emphasize evidence of support for the improvement of educational performance. 

The application process involves creating a digital booklet of information and documentation that address the following topics related to board activities:  
   • Functions as a policy-making body
   • Adherence to adopted board policies
   • Support for educational performance in accordance with state-established standards
   • Support for educational improvement projects and school transformation initiatives
   • Commitment to a code of ethics
   • Provision of financial support for the school system
   • Participation in workshops and other performance-improvement programs
   • Placement of the welfare of children served by the school system above personal or political motives
   • Public relations efforts, including community awareness
   • Maintenance of harmonious and supportive relationships among board members

To participate in this awards program, school superintendents must nominate their school board and submit the application to their regional education service center. The selection panel, which is comprised of area school district superintendents, evaluates the applications received and rates how well each applicant addressed the 10 areas of focus.    

Crowley ISD’s school board will now join 19 other boards from across Texas that will be considered for the state award. The TASA selection committee will review all 20 regional entries and announce five finalists on July 5. These finalists, designated as “Honor Boards,” will then be interviewed by the state selection committee, and the state winner will be named the “Texas Outstanding School Board” for 2023.  All five boards will be recognized at the TASA/TASB Convention on Sept. 30 in Dallas.

Region 11 is one of 20 education service center regions in the state.  It covers 10 counties in north central Texas that include 76 traditional public school districts and 90 charter school campuses.