Superintendent Dr. Spicer told the Waco Independent School District board that the district's new strategic plan has been published after broad collaboration with staff, families, students and community partners and will be available on the district website.

"Our strategic plan reflects our shared vision for the future of our schools, outlining clear goals, measurable outcomes, and actionable strategies," Dr. Spicer said.

Dr. Spicer also reported the district's official enrollment snapshot submitted to the Texas Education Agency: as of the district's most recent records, Waco ISD has 12,910 students. That figure represents a decline of about 466 students from the prior year, a decrease of roughly 3.5%.

She said district staff are examining where losses are occurring and that the declines are concentrated in prekindergarten, kindergarten and ninth grade. Dr. Spicer described the decrease as larger than expected, noted prior-year comparisons, and said the district is studying the trend in the context of regional and state patterns.

Dr. Spicer provided demographic details in the snapshot: about 89.19% of students are economically disadvantaged (a slight increase from the prior year), special education participation rose by 2.6 percentage points, and students qualifying for gifted-and-talented services increased to 11.46% from 10.91%.

She also reminded trustees that the district will share Thanksgiving-family meal schedules beginning Nov. 5 and said some campus meal events will be hosted at larger campuses to accommodate attendance.

Copies of the strategic plan and the enrollment snapshot will be posted to the district website and shared through regular communication channels, Dr. Spicer said.