Snyder ISD

Dear Snyder Staff and Families, 

At Snyder ISD, we view accountability, transparency, and a shared commitment to student success as essential to earning—and keeping—your trust. Your children, grandchildren, neighbors, and students deserve more than just strong test scores. They deserve a safe, supportive educational experience that prepares them for life.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has officially released the 2022–2023 accountability ratings. While this release was delayed due to state-wide legal proceedings, it does not change the path we are on. Throughout the uncertainty, we used predictive ratings and internal assessments to guide our decisions, determine student needs, and stay focused on the future.

Although the 2023 ratings were just released, we believe it’s important to provide context by reviewing data from the last three years and own the results. As a district, Snyder ISD received a “C” rating for 2023 and is predicted to receive a “C” for 2024. While this shows meaningful progress from where we stood in 2014, it also reinforces the urgency of our work. Our goal remains unchanged: to become an A-rated district where all students are on or above grade level.

As we all know, education is more than a single score—it’s about the daily experiences, growth, and opportunities we provide to students. The A–F ratings released by the Texas Education Agency provide a snapshot of how we’re performing compared to other districts serving similar student populations.

*For 2022, SISD received an official rating of 85. According to the TEA, if our 2022 district rating were recalculated using the new rules that took effect in 2023, it would change to a 77. 

**Testing for the 2024–2025 school year is currently underway, and we expect to receive updated results this summer.

In-Progress District-Wide Strategies That Are Driving Change

We’ve taken deliberate steps to address our challenges and build on our strengths:

• High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM): Three years ago, we adopted HQIM across PreK–5 and this year in grades 6–8 for Math and RLA. In 2025–2026, we’ll transition to the Board-approved Bluebonnet curriculum (a rebranded and improved version of what we are using now) to strengthen consistency and refine our instructional delivery.
  
  

• Recruitment and Retention of Experienced Educators: The Snyder ISD Board of Trustees approved a revised pay scale to reward experienced teachers and make the profession more sustainable for new educators, which will take effect in the 2025-2026 school year. A compensation study revealed our most experienced teachers were earning less than peers in neighboring districts—this change helps close that gap.
  
  

• Teacher Certification and Support: While our District of Innovation status through TEA provides flexibility, we are committed to ensuring that all educators are fully certified. We’ve created timelines and built-in support systems to guide uncertified teachers on their path to certification, as we know certification is directly connected to improved student performance in Reading and Math (from our Research Practice Partnership work with Texas Tech).
  
  

• Professional Development: We’ve expanded training through After-the-Bell sessions, Lead4Ward coaching, structured onboarding for new teachers, and tiered support systems that include campus leaders, content leads, and certification pathways.
  
  

• Aligned Campus Improvement Plans: Each campus operates under a focused, data-informed improvement plan aligned to district goals. These plans are consistently monitored, refined, and designed to keep all staff moving in the same direction that yields student growth.
  
  

• More Support from Leadership: Our district leadership team is more visible and engaged than ever before, conducting regular classroom walk-throughs, offering coaching and feedback, and participating in monthly instructional rounds to identify and respond to campus-wide trends.
  
  

• Strategic Academic Focus: We've expanded instructional coaching, added PLC leads, and aligned curriculum strategies across grade levels to promote consistency, collaboration, and high-quality instruction from Kindergarten through eighth grade.

The 2023 and 2024 ratings highlight both our challenges and our momentum. This isn’t about one year’s score—it’s about building a system that consistently supports student learning and teacher success.

We will continue to prioritize creating strong classroom experiences by recruiting and retaining high-quality certified teachers, providing high quality curriculum, and elevating the educational experience for all students. We are developing a three-year strategic plan that will support campus alignment, prioritize our goals, and ensure we continue building a stronger district—one that reflects high expectations for our schools, our students, and ourselves.

To our parents, your support of your children and our teachers matter. We’ve made progress, and we have more work to do. Thank you for standing firm in our mission to ensure that every student has access to a quality education.

To our staff, let’s stay focused, continue prioritizing the foundational components of strong instruction, building capacity through professional development, and collaboration in professional learning communities. Our students are counting on us—and we believe in what we can accomplish together.

With appreciation,

Bob Rauch
Superintendent, Snyder ISD

Brad Hinton
Board President, Snyder ISD

Jessica Gore, PhD 

Assistant Superintendent, Snyder ISD