At trustees' June 1 workshop meeting, the review of the Exceeding Excellence 2030 strategic plan was presented by TISD Deputy Superintendent Amy Schindewolf. The five-year plan began in 2024 and is currently in Phase 3 out of 5. The newly released funds will support the district's next steps.
The plan
According to its website, the mission statement of the Exceeding Excellence plan is to “empower students to become impactful, contributing citizens by providing innovative, individually rigorous and personally valuable educational experiences while partnering with the community.”
Schindewolf requested that an additional $975,000 be released from the committed fund so that the district can initiate Phase 3 of the plan, which trustees approved at the June 2 regular board meeting.
Some context
Schindewolf said the district was able to achieve multiple internal goals during phases 1 and 2 of the program, including but not limited to:
- Expansion of the Grow Your Own program
- Implementation of initiatives to track behavioral health and concerns
- Comprehensive guidance lessons
- Recognition of community partnerships
- Student education in cybersecurity and safety
- Community-wide bond updates
- Development of mini-lessons on practical life skills
Some of the initial goals of Phase 3 include but are not limited to:
- Expanding the Grow Your Own program again through partnerships
- School counselor professional development and support
- Community partnerships
- Innovative technology integration
- Curriculum writing
- Digital citizenship strategies
- College and career readiness strategies
Schindewolf said the plan officially began Sept. 10, 2024, when the mission statement, objectives, goals and strategies were approved alongside a $4 million committed funding package. On Dec. 10, 2024, $1.05 million was released from the fund to initiate Phase 1, with $795,317 of that being used. On June 3, 2025, Phase 2 was initiated alongside another committed fund release of $975,000—of which $801,317 was used. In total, the committed fund now has $2.4 million left to complete phases 3-5.
“We always want to be under budget, that's the goal,” Schindewolf said. “We want to get the work done without exceeding that budget.”
