Dear Graham ISD Community,

Thank you to all our families and friends who supported students throughout the 2025-26 school year. What a remarkable year it has been! I am so proud of the many individual and group accomplishments by our talented students and by our amazing staff. It was an awesome experience to watch the Class of 2026 receive their diplomas at Newtown Field on Friday, May 22. As they step into their new role as graduates, we wish them success in college, trade school, the workforce and service in the military. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for these new GISD alums.

A big congratulations to our Lady Blues Cheerleaders who recently brought home the hardware from their competition at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine. They won the Championship trophy for their Cheer Routine, and were named Reserve Champion for the Game Day Routine in their division, as well as several individual honors. Well done, cheerleaders and sponsors!

Thank you to our 36 teachers who have been serving Graham ISD on our Curriculum Design Teams. They are busy planning and getting our curriculum documents ready for our teachers to start incorporating into their classroom and course instruction for the 2026-27 school year.

 

I want to also thank the many volunteer students, educators, parents, community leaders and taxpayers who served the past seven months on our Facility Planning Committee. They made thoughtful recommendations to our School Board members last night that will provide the foundation for a Long-Range Facility Plan Trustees will consider in August. Be sure to read about these recommendations and take part in the community survey that is coming June 15. The deadline to participate is July 15 and we want all staff members and taxpayers in GISD to have the opportunity to share feedback and ideas with our leadership.

I am wishing each of you a restful and fun summer. Even as I write this, we are planning and preparing for a successful kick off to the next school year. We will send out a Summer Edition of the TeleGraham in July to communicate our Back-to-School activities. In the meantime, rest, rejuvenate and replenish.

Committed to Excellence,

Dr. Johnston

Seven months of research, tours and facility assessments culminated in a list of recommendations to the Graham ISD School Board on Wednesday evening. Citizen Co-Chairs Courtney Bennett and Matt Rader presented the recommendations on behalf of the 50+ members of Graham ISD’s Facility Planning Committee (FPC).

The FPC is made up of students, educators, parents, community leaders and taxpayers from across the community. The group has been meeting since last November to develop a Long-Range Facility Plan for GISD. This five-year plan will be presented to the School Board at their August 5 meeting, and eventually voted on by Trustees at their August 11 regular monthly meeting.

Policy CS (Legal) requires all public school districts to involve students, educators, parents and community stakeholders in developing a Long-Range Facility Plan. Committee members say it has been 18 years since local voters approved bond funds for capital improvements and new construction. 

Many of GISD buildings have systems that are beyond their current life cycles. The most urgent and significant needs are at the district’s oldest campuses, Crestview and Woodland Elementary Schools. Projects identified and prioritized by the committee focus on safety and security issues like drainage, lighting, fencing, security vestibules and connectivity between buildings for students traveling to classes.

Graham ISD is preparing to launch a Community Survey designed to collect feedback and perceptions about facility planning and district communications. The survey will be available in both English and Spanish, and will officially kick off on June 15 when staff and current GISD parents receive an email with the survey link. 

For taxpayers, the district is preparing a postcard that will be mailed to residential and commercial taxpayers who are not employees or parents of current students. The postcard will include a QR code where recipients can use the camera on their mobile phones to click on the survey link. A printed survey URL will also be provided so the recipients can type in the survey link, if preferred.

Survey questions will focus on the district’s ongoing efforts to communicate and engage the community on a regular basis. Questions will also focus on the work of the district’s Facility Planning Committee (FPC) and the recommendations they made to the School Board on June 3. Participants in the survey will first be encouraged to read and learn more about the work and recommendations of the FPC before completing the survey by the July 15 deadline.

A summary of survey results will be shared with members of the FPC and the GISD Strategic Planning Committee during a joint meeting on Tuesday, August 4. Results will also be shared during a Board of Trustees workshop on Wednesday, August 5. The results will also be shared with the public as a slide presentation on the FPC website that same evening.

“We support transparency and effective communication in Graham ISD. And because of this, we want as many people to participate in the survey as possible so we can determine next steps as they relate to our communications efforts and the Long-Range Facility Plan being developed for Graham ISD,” said Superintendent Dr. Mary Johnston. “The volunteers on both our Facility Planning Committee and our Strategic Planning Committee have been very thoughtful about their recommendations and work. Now it is time for the greater Graham community to engage on these topics important to the school district’s future.”

To read more about the work of the FPC before taking the survey, please visit the dedicated Facility Planning Committee webpage.

On Wednesday evening, the Graham ISD Board of Trustees adopted the 2026-27 school budget as presented by the Administration. The budget includes a 3% raise from the market midpoint for all staff and is based on a Refined Average Daily Attendance (a combination of projected enrollment and attendance) of 1,935, down 33 students from the prior year. Like many Texas districts, GISD graduating classes are larger than incoming kindergarten classes.

The 2026-27 adopted budget includes $10.6 million in local funding, $17.5 million in state funding and approximately $1 million in federal funding. The total revenue for 2026-27 is estimated at $29.2 million, about $541,000 less than the prior year. Anticipating less state funding, the GISD Administration has been working to reduce overall expenses by more than $700,000 in an effort to lower the operating deficit so Trustees could approve a staff raise. Expenditures for 2026-27 are estimated at $30.6 million.

The 2025-26 budget will close out on June 30 following a decision to change the district’s fiscal year from September 1 to July 1. Many Texas districts have made this same decision to experience one-time cost savings to alleviate the current strain of operating a deficit budget. As a result, GISD leaders will be able to put a surplus into the district’s Fund Balance, as they work to increase revenue and decrease expenses over the upcoming years.

The adopted budget is based on a projected tax rate of $0.9860 per $100 assessed valuation. The Maintenance & Operations tax rate is projected to drop by .04% to $0.6754 and the Interest & Sinking rate is projected to remain at $0.3106. GISD has maintained a steady I&S tax rate for the past six years which has allowed the district to pay down past bond debt early, saving taxpayers money in interest. The M&O rate has dropped significantly, as well, due to changes in the school finance laws.

The School Board’s next regular meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11. Trustees meet in the Graham Learning Center. Among the items on the agenda will be results of the Community Survey and review of the DRAFT Long-Range Facility Plan.

During the June meeting, the Board of Trustees also recognized many students for individual and team accomplishments. These include the following:

View and download below!

Thank you to each of our Graham ISD community members for the attention given to Graham Safe messaging and the Standard Response Protocols this school year. It is important for our students and staff to be prepared in a safe, supportive environment to react in emergency situations. The support of parents, staff, and local law enforcement is vital to the security of Graham ISD students. Thank you again!

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Dear Parent or Guardian:

Texas law now requires school districts to distribute information to parents and guardians about the safe storage of firearms. The information will help you learn about options for, as well as how to talk to your child and others about, the safe storage of firearms.

It is unlawful to store, transport, or abandon an unsecured firearm in a place where children are likely to be and can obtain access to the firearm. Under Texas Penal Code 46.13, a person commits the offense of making a firearm accessible to a child if the child gains access to a readily dischargeable firearm, and the person with criminal negligence:

The penalty for allowing a child access to a firearm can range from a Class C misdemeanor (punishable by a $500 fine) to a Class A misdemeanor (punishable by a $4,000 fine, a year in jail, or a combination of the two).

Texas exempts the purchase of firearm safety equipment from Texas Sales and Use Tax.

Remember, a gun should be stored unloaded in a safe or locked container, with ammunition stored elsewhere. You can learn more and find additional resources from the Texas Department of Public Safety at https://safegunstoragetexas.com.

Applications can be found on Region 9

Graham ISD is always looking for good people, and you can help. Research has shown and our own experience supports, that new hires who come into the district through employee referrals are excellent contributors and stay with the district longer.

That is where our employees come in! If you know someone who would be a good addition to Graham ISD, you may be awarded a referral bonus of up to $500.00 (less taxes) if you refer a candidate and he or she is hired.

Employees must refer candidates to Human Resources through the employee referral program link on Graham ISD’s intranet or by using this candidate referral form.

Thank you for referring to potential employee(s). We appreciate your effort in helping GISD bring the best to our district family.

Federal funding represents a third revenue stream for Texas public schools, serving as a critical supplement to the primary funding sources of local property taxes and state aid. While the Texas Foundation School Program (FSP) is designed to balance state and local contributions based on property values and tax rates, federal funds, primarily delivered through grants under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), are specifically targeted toward closing achievement gaps for specific student populations.

The majority of federal assistance is distributed through Title grants, which are designed to support specific educational outcomes of targeted subgroups of students. These funds are intended to supplement (enhance), not supplant (replace), state or local funding. Federal funding makes up about 4% of GISD’s operating budget.

Every Monday through Thursday through June 18, children ages 2-18 can receive a free breakfast and lunch at Crestview Elementary School. Breakfast is served from 7:30 to 8 a.m. and lunch is served from 11 a.m. to Noon.

Graham ISD Offices and Schools are closed on Fridays through July 31. Graham ISD will be closed the week of June 29 - July 3. Each campus will have a message on their main phone line indicating summer office hours. Elementary school offices will re-open on July 13.

Thank you to the 36 Graham ISD teachers who stepped up to serve on the 2026-2027 Curriculum Design Teams. These teacher leaders worked hard this week to ensure that our students will have everything they need to thrive in the 2026–2027 school year. We appreciate your commitment to strengthening our curriculum and making a lasting impact on student success. We appreciate in advance the work you will do this school year to ensure success for our students.

We are excited to announce Mary Roberts as the next principal of Pioneer Elementary. Ms. Roberts attended Texas Tech University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education and Tarleton State University, where she completed her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership. She is also a proud graduate of Graham High School.

Ms. Roberts brings a wealth of instructional expertise and a proven track record of student-centered leadership. Over her career, she has consistently focused on fostering strong relationships and improving school-wide outcomes. Her experience in the classroom as a primary educator in Lubbock ISD, White Settlement ISD, and right here in Graham ISD laid the foundation for her transition into campus leadership roles.

Most recently, Ms. Roberts has served as the Assistant Principal at Crestview Elementary, where she successfully led school-wide data analysis cycles, conducted T-TESS walkthroughs, and implemented positive behavior systems. Prior to her time at Crestview, she was the Campus Academic Leader at Joy James Academy of Leadership in Castleberry ISD, where her leadership of curriculum implementation, teacher coaching, and data-driven PLCs helped improve the campus from a C to an A rating in just one year. 

As a reminder, this vacancy was created due to the promotion of Mrs. Donna Gatlin the Chief Academic Officer.

Congratulations to Mary Roberts, our new Pioneer Elementary Principal.

Have a Graham ISD student or staff member that deserves a shoutout in an upcoming newsletter or social media post? Take a few moments to share information about the achievement or contribution the staff or student made and share photos if you have them using the form provided below.

Check out the Online GISD Calendar for a more comprehensive list of upcoming academic, athletic, fine arts and extracurricular activities.

If you would like to host a flier in the Community Events section for upcoming monthly editions of the GISD TeleGRAHAM, send the information to communications@grahamisd.com.

Sign up for our Graham ISD summer athletic camps! You'll find camps for the following sports:

Thank you very much to Graham High Cheer & Blue Crew, FFA, and Woodland Thursdays on the Stage Drama Club for signing up! SEE BELOW and please consider joining us!

July 4th is going to be a big celebration as America approaches its 250th birthday! Stars and Stripes in Young County extends a special invitation to students, families, and school groups to participate in this year’s Fourth of July festivities.

School organizations, teams, clubs, and student groups are encouraged to get involved by entering the parade, representing their campuses, and showcasing their school spirit. This is a great opportunity for students to be part of a meaningful community tradition while celebrating our nation’s history.

This annual event has been shaped over the years by the leadership of Colonel Knox Bishop, whose dedication has helped bring the community together each Independence Day.

Organizers are working to expand this year’s celebration as we look ahead to America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 and welcome broad community participation.

For more information or to sign up, visit: www.starsandstripesinyoungco.com

Date: June 1-4

Time: 6-8 p.m. 

Who: Completed kindergarten-5th grade 

Where: FBC Graham

Date: June 8-11

Time: 9 a.m.-noon

Who: Incoming kindergarten-5th grade 

Where: FUMC