As we wrap up the first full week of school, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to each of you. Thank you for being an essential part of the Willis ISD family and for making student learning a top priority. Your unwavering commitment to the students of Willis ISD is truly at the heart of everything we do. Every staff member and every department plays a vital role in our shared mission, and we are grateful for your dedication.

Sept. 2: Labor Day Holiday

Sept. 11: Board Meeting

Oct. 9: Board Meeting

Oct. 11: Early Release

Oct. 14-15: Staff Development Days

Oct. 16-18: Fall Break

We are thrilled to announce an exciting upgrade to our employee health and wellness benefits. Effective November 1, we are launching a membership program with Next Level Urgent Care to offer employees direct access to a variety of improved healthcare services. The membership, called Next Level Prime, will be included for all employees on a Willis ISD health insurance plan at no additional cost. With Next Level Prime, there are no co-pay fees to visit a Next Level Urgent Care location and no increase in insurance premiums. It will also be available to employees not active on a Willis ISD health insurance plan for a monthly fee of $30 for employees only, or $60 for employees and their families. With the shift to Next Level Prime, the district Wellness Center will close effective November 1, 2024.

What does this mean for you?

The Next Level Prime membership offers a broader range of healthcare services designed to meet your needs more effectively. Here’s what you can look forward to:

- 7-day a Week (9 am-9 pm) Access to In-Clinic Care: Visit any Next Level Urgent Care location for primary care and urgent care needs.

- 24/7 Access to Virtual Care.

- 24/7 Care Navigators to answer health questions and schedule appointments (Spanish-speaking care navigators available).

- No visit co-pays with Next Level Prime Membership.

- Comprehensive Health Services: Enjoy primary care, urgent care, well-child exams, preventative screenings, blood draws, referrals to specialists.

- Personalized Wellness Programs: Benefit from tailored health and emotional wellness coaching to help you achieve a healthier lifestyle, whether it’s weight management, exercise, or managing chronic conditions.

- Convenient Access: Convenient access to multiple locations and flexible access through an easy-to-use app.

What’s Next?

The district will be hosting benefit meetings at every campus and department to explain these changes in detail and assist you with the upcoming annual enrollment. We strongly encourage you to attend one of these meetings to ensure you are fully informed and ready to take full advantage of this new benefit.

Stay tuned for more details, and thank you for being a valued member of our team.

If you have any questions, please contact Denise Brenner in the Business Office by completing this form.

The Board of Trustees has unanimously called for a bond election to be placed on the November 2024 ballot. The bond is a continuation of the referendum on the May 2024 ballot, which was only partially approved by voters.

The bond package consists of three separate propositions designed to address educational and extracurricular opportunities and facilities while focusing on needs associated with population growth and student programs.

The bond election will present voters with three separate propositions:

Proposition A: Construction of a comprehensive Student Activity Center to be located at Willis High School. The multipurpose building would provide additional classrooms, boys and girls locker rooms, a weight room, a media room, and an indoor field for all student groups to utilize.

Proposition B: Construction of an Athletic Complex and Stadium to accommodate large home and visitor crowds, plus replace the nearly 50-year-old structure requiring increasingly costly repairs. The facility will be located on property already owned by the district at the corner of Highway 75 and FM 830, across from Willis High School.

Proposition C: Addition of an Aquatic Center with a 50-meter USA-sanctioned swimming pool and dive well. The pool would be used by the current swim and dive team for practices and meets. The district will develop a water safety program for elementary-aged students. The district will also look into offering Red Cross Lifeguard Training to WISD students.

This bond referendum comes after Willis ISD voters approved Proposition A of the May 2024 bond, which provides funds for a Willis High School 9th grade expansion to add capacity for 1,200 students, Willis HS parking lot upgrades, a new transportation center, and general infrastructure improvements.

Last spring, the district received the results of a demographic study conducted by Population and Survey Analysts (PASA), a respected research firm that partners with school districts across Texas. PASA’s projections show that Willis ISD has entered a moderate to fast growth rate and is predicted to add an additional 10,000 students by 2033, effectively doubling current enrollment.

If voters approve all three propositions on the ballot this November, the potential increase is 1 cent to the I&S tax rate. The Willis ISD Board of Trustees has managed to maintain a fiscally conservative tax rate, lowering the overall tax rate by more than 31 cents over the last six years.

According to Board President Kyle Hoegemeyer, “Willis ISD is obviously experiencing significant growth in infrastructure and homes. Along with that growth we see evolving needs in our students, families and staff. The projects proposed in this bond election are a reflection of what our board, administration and Long-Range Planning Committee members have identified as needs that focus on improving the overall academic experience for students in Willis ISD.”

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Early voting will run from October 21 through November 1. Any new Willis ISD residents not already registered to vote must register by October 7 in order to vote in this election.

We are proud to announce that Lagway Elementary has been named a STAR campus in the annual Honor Roll presented by Educational Results Partnership (ERP), part of the national Campaign for Business and Education Excellence. Honor Roll schools represent those that were comprehensively higher performing on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Reading Language Arts and Math Assessments, for all cohorts of student populations served, and that are improving outcomes for historically underserved student populations. To make the Honor Roll, a school must have comprehensively performed above the mean at least 80 percent of the time for all cohorts of students served and for all grade levels served, and must have 33 percent or more students designed as socioeconomically disadvantaged (high poverty). Only 12% of eligible schools in Texas made the Honor Roll List. Congratulations, Lagway Elementary!

Representatives Lana Sultz and Jane Atwell from the Assistance League of Montgomery County Non-profit presented Willis High School with a $7,500 check to cover the Cosmetology students’ state certification exams for the 2024–25 school year. Thank you so much for your support! Also pictured are WHS Cosmetology teachers Carla Hernandez and Emily Berrigan.