KDH News Explores Charter Network’s Future KISD School Management
Killeen ISD trustees unanimously approved a three-year contract on March 24 to place one campus under Third Future Schools management. The Colorado-based charter network has run a Manor Middle School campus in Manor ISD since fall 2025 through a Senate Bill 1882 partnership.
Instructional approach at the campus
Classrooms use small pods and quick-response activities on dry-erase boards. Teachers time responses, often giving students 30 to 45 seconds to write answers.
Third Future Schools offers a required “Art of Thinking” course for grades three through eight. Zach Craddock, TFS superintendent, said the course focuses on problem-solving, critical thinking, and informational literacy.
Daily schedule and assessment
Core instructional blocks run about 90 minutes. Students receive grade-level instruction for roughly 42 to 45 minutes.
Teachers then deliver a five-question demonstration of learning tied to TEKS. Results are graded immediately and used for same-day remediation or acceleration.
About half of students who are proficient or advanced move to a team center for extended assignments. Learning coaches lead enrichment and more rigorous work there.
Accountability background and legal stakes
The Texas Education Agency released A–F scores for 2023–24 and 2024–25. Both Manor Middle School campuses earned F ratings for those years.
Manor ISD approved its partnership with TFS in February 2025. In September 2025, TEA Deputy Commissioner Steve Lecholop notified KISD about three consecutive unacceptable campus ratings.
Texas code says five consecutive unacceptable years can trigger either campus closure or appointment of a board of managers. A state takeover would suspend local trustees and install a commissioner-appointed superintendent.
Why districts chose SB 1882 partnerships
District leaders moved toward partnerships to avoid immediate state intervention and to buy time for improvement. Manor ISD noted the arrangement delays a possible TEA takeover for two years.
Killeen ISD will have TFS assume staffing, curriculum, and the campus budget at the end of the school year. The district will continue to manage the physical facility.
Operational details and next steps
TFS will bring its own pay scale and teaching model to the Killeen campus. The network has already begun meeting with parents to explain the transition.
The two campuses share a name but sit in different communities. The Manor campus lies about 12 miles east of Austin. The Killeen campus is near the Killeen Mall.
Community views
Some parents report visible changes. One parent said her seventh grader returned and now shows more motivation and ownership of learning.
Another parent said the campus has improved but still needs adjustments. She praised new programs while urging clearer boundaries in discipline.
Critics argue the SB 1882 approach sidelines local educators. A former candidate for the Killeen school board called the model a short-term fix that fails to build lasting capacity.
Filmogaz.com explores charter network’s future KISD school management as the district prepares for the handover. The outcomes will shape whether the model produces sustained gains or only a temporary pause from state intervention.
