School year kicks off with strategic planning in place

GRANBURY ISD

Jeremy Glenn is the superintendent of schools for the Granbury Independent School District.

Granbury ISD schools are back, and we welcomed more students than ever before.  Across all our schools, enrollment tops 7,500 students for the first time. 

Growth is often challenging, and we expect to begin long-range facility planning this fall to determine needs for GISD students and families.

We are implementing many initiatives established in our G2025 strategic plan adopted by school board trustees in May 2019. Our goal is simple: to build a learning environment that will allow students to thrive and expand their education beyond the walls of our schools and to prepare our students to compete in an ever-changing world.

Through G2025, we are emphasizing high quality instruction and learning opportunities so that all students are academically prepared.  Our new full-day pre-kindergarten program at Emma Roberson Early Learning Academy will build a strong foundation for many students.  In addition, at Brawner Elementary School, we have a strong dual language program and added several classrooms to accommodate a booming student population.

At Granbury High School, many athletics and fine arts programs are in full swing.  Football, volleyball, cross country, golf, swimming, and team tennis are all competing this fall.  The Pirate Band has been back for a few weeks, preparing the marching show for UIL and other invitational contests.  Our men’s choir received an invitation to perform at next February’s Texas Music Educators Association state convention. This is a big deal, and we know that the ensemble will spend many months rehearsing to sing in front of the largest audiences of music educators in the world.  In addition, our distinguished Marine Corps JROTC is already assembling its next competitive rifle team as they look to defend their national championship.

This year, our high school also begins a four-year program of study in aviation with introductory courses followed by classes on aviation ground school, aerospace engineering, and practicums. Students will be learning so many new things while they are at GHS, and many will be able to obtain their pilot’s license.  This is just one of many incredible opportunities in our career and technical education program. 

With agriculture, business, culinary, digital communication, education and training, engineering, health science, law enforcement, and more – there is something for every high school student. Moreover, many of these programs lead to college credit or certifications.

Finally, COVID-19 is still a reality that we are monitoring and continuing safety protocols. Per Gov. Greg Abbott’s order, school districts may not mandate masks/face coverings nor COVID immunizations.  However, our school administrators still have many procedures in place to limit student assemblies, space students out during lunches, and more. In addition, school nurses are available to test all students and staff for COVID-19 with state-provided rapid tests. Parents must provide permission for their children to participate.

We look forward to a great school year, and we invite parents and the community to join us on this journey to make GISD an educational destination.

jeremy.glenn@granburyisd.org