Colorado ISD Board of Trustees Named 2025 Texas Outstanding School Board

TASA has named the Colorado ISD Board of Trustees the 2025 Outstanding School Board - the top honor in the TASA School Board Awards program, which has honored Texas school boards that have demonstrated commitment to their students and to their communities since 1971.

The Colorado ISD school board was chosen from among five finalists interviewed by a committee of Texas school administrators. The committee was impressed by how board members have focused on opportunities to break the cycle of poverty in their community by offering high-quality career and technical education (CTE) programs to students in their district.

"They raised the bar for students by educating for the future of their kids, not their past," the committee stated, commending the board for listening to their stakeholders and responding to their needs.

The committee also noted that the board shows clear strengths in ethics, harmony, and student-centered values. "The board is thoughtful and collaborative, with a visible focus on long-term planning, community relationships, and instructional improvement," the committee said when selecting the board as a finalist for the award.

In his nomination of the board for this honor, Superintendent Larry Polk said: "[The board's] unwavering commitment to student performance is evident in their strong support for academic innovation. From celebrating our growing eSports team and STEM programs to backing expanded dual credit and CTE opportunities, our trustees understand that achievement takes many forms and they support them all. … Their leadership has not only restored pride within our district, it has inspired a renewed belief in what public education can achieve."

Colorado ISD is a public school district serving approximately 900 students in Colorado City, Texas, in Education Service Center Region 14. Colorado City is the county seat of Mitchell County, located on the Interstate Highway 20 corridor in Central West Texas.

This is the first time in the award program's history that the Colorado ISD school board has received the Outstanding Board award or been chosen as a finalist, and the second time a board of trustees in Region 14 has won the award. The Abilene ISD Board took home Outstanding Board honors in 1991.

The other four finalists for 2025 Outstanding School Board are: Galena Park ISD, Region 4; Memphis ISD, Region 16; Plano ISD, Region 10; and Temple ISD, Region 12.

The 2025 Regional Honor Boards (semifinalists) are: Roma ISD, Region 1; Port Aransas ISD, Region 2; Orangefield ISD, Region 5; Grand Saline ISD (large district) and Overton ISD (small district), Region 7; Northwest ISD, Region 11; Round Rock ISD, Region 13; Anthony ISD (small district) and Clint ISD (large district), Region 19; and New Braunfels ISD, Region 20.