Dr. Joseph Waldron - Abilene ISD Superintendent

09/25/2026

Weekly Recap

Another great week across Abilene ISD, with plenty of reminders of why we do this work—our students and the people serving them every day!

Monday: I had a great conversation with the Community Foundation of Abilene about strengthening our partnership and creating even more opportunities for Abilene ISD students and families.

Tuesday: We filmed our next “Word with Waldron” from an Art II Honors classroom at Abilene High and had the privilege of recognizing our two 2027 Commended students, Corbin Babarick and Asher Jessup. We also kicked off our Long-Range Facility Planning Committee at AHS, beginning important work around the future of our schools and students.

Wednesday: We welcomed back our first SuperCrew of the year! I love how these students described their purpose: “a place for student leaders to have a voice to impact positive change for all students in Abilene ISD.” I also spent time at AHS for Civics Day, where the library was buzzing with students learning about and engaging in the civic process. We have really great students in Abilene ISD!

Thursday: An incredible day at Clack Middle School and Bonham Elementary seeing our LIFT instructional coaching work in action. I watched leaders and coaches working directly alongside teachers, providing immediate feedback and strengthening classroom instruction. This work is challenging and our leaders are being stretched, but seeing that growth happening right in the classroom was really incredible.

Friday: I spent time connecting with district leaders before heading into the weekend. The Coogs are home tonight against WF Memorial, while the Eagles are on the road at Lubbock High. Good luck to both teams!

Have a great weekend! Equipping Learners for their Brightest Futures!

09/24/2026

This is the returning SuperCrew!
They are student leaders who have a voice that impacts positive change for all students in Abilene ISD!

And they are pretty awesome humans, if I do say so myself!

New members have been nominated and will join us next month. I cannot wait.

09/24/2026

#1 in all of Texas!!

It is not often you get to say that, but today we do. The Clack Cardinals are the first school to get awarded the completion certificate for campus culture by our partner, Big Rock Educational Services.

The first. In all of Texas.
Congratulations to the team at Clack Middle School. You are making a positive impact every day.
Thank you!!!

09/24/2026

Incredible afternoon yesterday at the Abilene Eagle Library for Civics day!

This is a picture of just one of the many activities that were available to our students during Civics Day. On this particular table, for all those over 18, were the forms to register to vote.

Many of you may not know, but at our schools, we place a high priority on teaching our students their role in being an active citizen. We teach them that their right to vote is a responsibility and an honor and give them the choice to go ahead and register to vote.

In a classroom or attending school is not the right venue for any kind of political persuasion, it is a place to educate students on the very responsibility that is at the foundation of making our country so great.

The act of being able to vote!

09/19/2026

Just the beginning for this young lady!!! She is lightning fast!

‼️RECORD ALERT‼️

Last Saturday at the 2026 Abilene Invitational freshman Mia Garcia broke the Cooper High School Record in the Girls 5K with a first place finish in 18:28.50. That record didn't last long.

Today at the Hoka 2026 McNeil Invitational in Round Rock, Texas, Mia set a new record coming in at 18:28.10 to finish 17th (out of 244) in the Girls Gold Division race! 🔥

09/19/2026

Weekly Recap

It’s been another full and rewarding week in Abilene ISD! I’ve been all around the district seeing our students and staff building brighter futures. We remain laser focused on Equipping Learners for their Brightest Futures!

Monday: I started the week with our Leadership Team focused on the work ahead. One of my favorite stops was Mann STEAM Academy for an eSports tournament in Brittany Thomas’ class. It was great seeing students engaged, competing, and having fun together!

Tuesday: Our Executive Team spent the day collaborating around enrollment, long-range facility planning, our Big Rock Educational Services work through the LIFT Grant, strategic communication training with our Chief of Communications, and other priorities that impact students and staff. Our campus leaders also worked together on professional learning, special education, campus goals, and more. A productive day focused on moving AISD forward together!

Wednesday: We continued our strategic compensation work, kicking off our Strategic Compensation Cohort. I also enjoyed celebrating Oracle’s incredible $100,000 contribution to the Abilene Education Foundation and working with our team on LIFT performance management. I ended the day with a fun interview with the LOOP podcast team from ATEMS—they asked some tough questions!

Thursday: I spent time with district leaders working on strategy and solutions, provided an AISD update to the Abilene Education Foundation Board, and continued conversations around Board goals. We also began planning an inaugural Multicultural Celebration for the spring before wrapping up the day at the Abilene Chamber Awards Celebration.

Friday: I had the opportunity to attend the Cooper High School Hall of Fame Ceremony and celebrate the people and traditions that are part of the history of our schools. I also spent time connecting with Trustees on Board goals and with community leaders about the future of Abilene ISD.

Weeks like this are a great reminder that all of our work comes back to creating opportunities for students and supporting the people who serve them. Great things are happening across AISD!

09/17/2026

An incredible legacy!!

For the 15th consecutive year, Abilene ISD has earned an A – Superior Achievement rating through th...

09/17/2026

09/16/2026

A Word with Waldron…

Good morning!! I got to work early today and started walking around the building. There’s nothing like being outside at the only time of the day it seems to be cooler than the surface of the sun.

Today I can’t help but think it’s been about a month since the beginning of school and Abilene is just so blessed to have the incredible team of 2300 people serving the students of Abilene ISD.

In the first month, we’ve already had many celebrations, many puzzles to solve, in a few out of this world, incredible accomplishments. All that in just a few weeks. All of that focused on students.

It’s a great day in Abilene ISD!

Work hard today and have fun. Make a positive impact in command your moment. 

09/15/2026

Orange on Tuesday!!

🖍️Kindergarten Color Week! 🖍️
It’s Color Week! Don’t forget to wear RED on Monday! ❤️