While students are enjoying their summer break, school leaders across Victoria ISD are rolling up their sleeves and getting to work. This month, campus leadership teams gathered for the inaugural Summer Planning Institute (SPI), a focused two-day experience designed to ensure every VISD campus is prepared for a strong and successful start to the school year.
As part of the district’s broader strategic plan to improve student outcomes, SPI offered principals, assistant principals, and instructional coaches dedicated time to dive deep into their campus data, collaborate on goals, and build comprehensive action plans that will serve as a guiding blueprint for the year ahead.
The work of the Summer Planning Institute isn’t just about scheduling or logistics—it’s about shaping the instructional culture for the school year. For two full days , campus teams analyzed multiple data points in order to understand the unique needs of their students and staff.
The event kicked off with a celebration of positive gains in student performance. With gains across the district, there was much to celebrate. Teams then worked diligently to identify their priority areas for the 2025-26 school year.
Each campus leadership team was charged with developing a School Action Plan that aligns with their individual campus priorities. These plans include clearly defined goals, targeted strategies, and measurable checkpoints that will be revisited regularly throughout the year. With VISD’s Academic Services team providing support and guidance, these action plans are designed to be living documents—adaptable and responsive as teams monitor their progress, reflect on outcomes, and make data-informed decisions.
VISD Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services, Tammy Sestak, emphasized that the Summer Planning Institute is not just another summer training—it’s a critical piece of the district’s commitment to academic excellence.
“The Summer Planning Institute is about giving our campus leaders the time and tools they need to reflect, plan, and start the year with clarity and purpose," said Sestak. It’s about placing students front and center and making decisions rooted in data, collaboration, and with high levels of execution.”
This year’s SPI also marked a milestone in how VISD is investing in its instructional leaders. The district’s expanded summer planning framework reflects a strategic shift—one that recognizes that strong campus leadership leads to strong instruction, and ultimately, student success.
As teams wrapped up their planning, the energy in the room reflected a sense of momentum and readiness.
After two full days of intense planning, campus leadership teams left the Summer Planning Institute feeling energized and equipped to continue our pursuit of Achieving Excellence or All in VISD. The school plans initiated during the SPI will continue to be developed and detailed as more data is received throughout the summer ensuring all campus leadership teams are ready for a strong start when school resumes in August.
While many people think of summer as a time to slow down, that’s not the case in Victoria ISD. This season is full-force work for campuses and teachers—because strong teachers lead strong classrooms, and that’s how we see student success. From data to decisions, and planning to purpose, the groundwork laid this summer will carry into every lesson, every hallway, and every student outcome in the year ahead.
Ashley Alvarez is the executive director of communications for VISD.