During their regular monthly meeting on October 20, 2026, the Montgomery ISD Board of Trustees recognized National Principals Month, honoring the district’s campus leaders for their dedication to MISD students, families and staff.
Teams of administrators and support staff from each campus joined the meeting to celebrate their principal, offering personalized introductions that highlighted the unique leadership qualities, strengths and contributions each leader brings to their school community.
“As a school board, we always enjoy the opportunity to celebrate our campus principals,” President Eddie Winn said. “We are grateful for the positive impact they make every day and for the way they inspire our students to strive for success. Their leadership sets the tone for a positive learning environment on every MISD campus and serves as outstanding role models for our students, families, teachers and staff.”
“It was especially meaningful to have our campus support teams lead tonight’s recognition of our principals,” Superintendent Dr. Mark Ruffin said. “Just as each MISD campus has its own unique personality, so does the principal who leads it. Who better to share what makes these leaders special than the team members who work alongside them every day? Their introductions offered a wonderful glimpse into the leadership, dedication and personality each principal brings to their school community.”
Employees Recognized for Emergency Response
The trustees also recognized a group of employees from Oak Hills Junior High School for their courageous actions in providing life-saving care during a recent medical emergency experienced by an MISD staff member.
Oak Hills Junior High School Principal Gifford Whitehead praised staff members Christie Fleming, Amy Gollogly, Michael McKnight, Vanessa Villarreal, Bonita Padilla, and Nurse Kelly Williams for their compassion, courage, and teamwork as they quickly provided aid to the staff member.
“In a critical moment, they responded quickly, remained calm, and worked together to provide immediate assistance until emergency personnel arrived,” Whitehead said. “Their presence, composure and preparedness to step in made a profound difference in a life. I am grateful for the care they showed and for the way they supported one another when it mattered most. Their actions are a powerful reminder of the strength of our school community.”
Dr. Ruffin, Superintendent stated, “It is an honor to recognize these hero staff members at our junior high campus tonight. When an employee was found to be unresponsive, these individuals acted without hesitation and administered life-saving care, performing CPR for over seven relentless minutes, and deployed an automated external defibrillator (AED) to successfully regain a pulse. Their heroic actions, composure under pressure, and immediate response saved a colleague’s life. Their courage serves as a powerful testament to the dedication of our MISD staff and a vital reminder of the life-saving importance of CPR and AED training across our entire community.”
Emergent Bilingual Program Update
Trustees also heard a report from Dr. Chris Summers, regarding MISD’s Emergent Bilingual program students in 2025-26. The number of emergent bilingual students enrolled in MISD increased by 4 percent from the 2024-25 school year. Emergent bilingual students in MISD continue to make progress in developing English language proficiency, with more students eligible to transition out of the program at the end of the 2025-26 school year, compared to years prior.
MISD Dual Language Program Cultural Night Preview
Finally, students and teachers from the Dual Language Program at Montgomery Elementary School shared a preview of their Cultural Night planned for later this month.
The MISD Dual Language program was launched in 2013. It is offered at Montgomery Elementary School and is available to all eligible incoming Kindergarten students whose native language is English.
The dual language immersion two-way program is a bilingual instructional model that integrates language minority and language majority students and provides instruction in the minority language (Spanish) along with English. It is a partial immersion model for English speaking students and a bilingual model for native Spanish speaking students. The program is designed to teach students a second language in a natural way, through subject content instruction and everyday classroom conversation.
Students in the application-based program have the opportunity to become bilingual and biliterate while developing strong communication skills, enhanced literacy, and valuable skills that can benefit them in college, careers, and life.
For more information about Montgomery ISD’s Dual Language Program, please visit the district’s Bilingual/ESL webpage: https://bit.ly/4hXFnCQ
