EARLY – Friday’s 2025 Education in Brown County Luncheon featured guest speakers from Brownwood ISD, Early ISD, May ISD, Zephyr ISD, Brookesmith ISD, Brown County Christian School, Cross Classical Academy, Howard Payne University, Ranger College, Texas State Technical College.

Hosted by the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce and Early Chamber of Commerce at the Early Visitors and Event Center, the following are just a few of the highlights from the speakers for each respective school:

Brownwood ISD (Superintendent Joe Young)

• Enrollment for the 2025-26 school year is up by 18 students at Brownwood High School and 15 students at Brownwood Middle School compared to the same time last year.
• Reduced 33 positions within school district, resulting in balanced budget with a small surplus. No programs cut and funding restored to programs that suffered cuts the year prior.
• Every employee in the district received a flat raise of $3,768 for the 2025-26 school year. Custodian, bus drivers, support personnel, etc. received an additional 10% raise, the ancillary auxiliary operational staff received an additional 5% percent raise, and the administrators received a 4% raise.
• Teacher Incentive Allotment resulted in 48 employees receiving $479,000 this past school year, and this year every Pre-K through 12th grade core teacher is in the program as more than $600,000 is expected to be distributed.
• 26 teachers in Brownwood ISD make over $80,000 per year, and with the Teacher Incentive Allotment four teachers in the district make over $90,000, while one makes over $100,000.
• Starting salary for teachers at BISD has increased from $36,500 in 2020 to $50,268 in 2025.

Early ISD (Superintendent Joan Otten)

• New Core Values Established – Purpose, Integrity, Empowering, Community and Excellence.
• Purpose – For Teachers: Plan lessons with clear goals, let students know what is going on, and connect that lesson to real life learning. For Staff: Support daily operations with intention. For Students – Engage in the learning with understanding how this affects other later.
• Integrity – For Staff: Do we always have the students in mind.
• Empowering – For Teachers: Creating classrooms where students feel safe to take risks and gain confidence. For Staff: Providing resources the teachers need so they can help the kids. For Students – Knowing that self-confidence and independence and willingness to take a risk.
• Community – For Teachers: Collaborating with colleagues and families and other people in the community to create a network of support. For Staff: Fostering a welcoming environment and helping everyone understand that they belong. For Students – Participating respectfully in class and school activities and supporting their peers.
• Excellence – Striving for the highest standards in every single thing that we do.

Howard Payne University (President Cory Hines)

• Howard Payne University raised $12 million, up from $6 million the year. prior. During Hines’ six-year tenure, $36 million has been raised.
• Howard Payne has invested $24.6 million into 69 projects across campus since 2019.
• Howard Payne University generated a $52 million economic impact for Brown County last year.
• 14% of Howard Payne graduates remain in Brown County.
• Enrollment is up 9% in 2025 after a 15% increase in 2024.
• New athletic director Adam Bright has title Howard Payne athletics “The Home Team of the Heartland.”

   

Ranger College (Vice President of Institutional Advancement Lindy Matthews)

• Ranger College believes education is a partnership, and dual credit program is best example.
• Over 300 students in Brown County dual credit courses with Ranger College in the spring of 2025.
• Ranger College Nursing and Cosmetology programs, located in Brown County, are two of the most impactful.
• Nursing program offers paths to obtain vocational nursing certificates or RN licenses.

  Nursing program has recently received grants totaling $693,000.

TSTC Brownwood (Provost Andy Weaver)

• Three graduations held per year, including one Thursday night that featured 240 students with 124 walking across the stage.
• Singular mission is to place Texans in great paying jobs, not to give out degrees.
• 50% growth over the last two falls on West Texas campuses.
• Brownwood EMS program is growing, Welding program at capacity.
• 28 students completed in CDL program since January.
• Working on starting CNA in Brownwood.

   

May ISD (Superintendent Chad Dail)

• Began as head baseball coach at May High School, in 16^th year with district
• 256 students, 54 employees for 2025-26 school year.
• 50 percent of teachers at May graduated from May High School.
• Over 80 percent of senior last year place in a post-secondary school.

   

Brookesmith ISD (Assistant Superintendent Bob Contreras)

• New Pre-K program starting this school year
• Working with Texas A&M Agrilife on a water-catchment project, which could yield up to 48,500 gallons for each inch of rain received
• New staff: Math teachers Kinsey Mickelson and Blake Hood; Science teacher Patti Bailey; Elementary core subjects Jared Watkins.
• New School Vision: Be kind, show compassion and respect to everyone. Always speak positively about others. Have a positive attitude. Everyday is a fresh start. Be the sunshine.

   

Zephyr ISD (Superintendent Stanton Marwitz)

• Received a $300,000 TCEQ grant to go toward the $420,000 purchase of three new 2024 school buses to replace 2003, 2004 and 2005 models
• House Bill 2 resulted in teachers with 3-4 years experiencing getting a $4,000 and those with 5 years experience or more got an $8,000 raise. All employees received a raise.
• Good Samaritan Ministries provides Food for Thought bags for Zephyr and other schools. GSM served 398 students per week over 17 campuses in Brown County at a cost of $7 per bag and $11,000 per month.

   

Brown County Christian School (Business Administrator Sarah Hoffman)

• Mission is to guide students to discover purpose, seek truth, and gain understanding.
• Tutoring is available this year to any students, not just Brown County Christian School students.
• 5 HPU students are serving at teaching assistants
• Working toward accreditation, have two items remaining on list of 88 to submit to become provisionally accredited, with three years to finish to the remaining requirements.

   

Cross Classical Academy (Head Administrator Shandra Harrel)

• CCA is a small, private Christian school founded in 2010, celebrating 15 years.
• Located in Union Presbyterian Church in Brownwood, grades 1^st through 8^th.
• Students attend school Monday and Wednesday, while Tuesday, Thursday and Friday are home days and children complete assignments at home with their parents.
• Enrollment up 20% this year,
• 24 staff members who received a 20% raise across the board.
• Mission is to make disciples by providing a Christ-centered education to students, striving to not only educate the mind of the child, but the whole heart, while growing to understand who God is and who God has created them to be.