Dr. Jessica Gore - Snyder ISD Superintendent

08/29/2026

Another full week across Snyder Independent School District, with our Strategic Plan continuing to guide the work: Students, Staff, Stakeholders, and Stewardship.

Monday included campus visits, leadership meetings, and a visit with Odessa College about opportunities for our Snyder ISD Automotive program. I also attended PTO and athletic meetings. Our families are important stakeholders, and listening and working together helps us improve the student experience.

Tuesday focused on our people and systems. Cabinet and instructional coaches were on campuses, we met with counselors and campus leaders, and continued planning for upcoming Tiger initiatives. We also held an AutoMech Roundtable with industry experts to ensure our programs connect students to real workforce opportunities. Thank you to Development Corporation of Snyder, Texas - DCOS for serving as the “bridge” to this type of work.

Wednesday was our Career and Technical Education (CTE) Advisory Committee and Business Roundtable with local businesses and community leaders. We heard themes around soft skills, interview preparation, first impressions, and workplace expectations. Listening and responding to our stakeholders matters! I also completed my annual CPI refresher training alongside members of our team.

Thursday I traveled to Region 14 Education Service Center for School Improvement Orientation. Accountability is our reality, and we are facing it head-on by strengthening instruction, using data, coaching teachers, and improving systems for kids. We wrapped up the evening with a quick board meeting for our 26-27 budget.

Friday included accountability work, coaching conversations, our first pep rally, campus visits for Hall of Fun, and preparation for next week. We ended with the best part: supporting our Tigers! 🏐🎾🏃‍♀️🎶🏈

Not every part of the work is exciting or easy, but every part matters. We’ll keep listening, learning, adjusting, and doing the steady work required to improve what happens for kids.

08/28/2026

We have three new members of the Snyder ISD Hall of Fun! These staff members are showing us that great learning and FUN absolutely belong together.

Mrs. Ritter | Snyder Intermediate

Mrs. Ritter is making math small groups something students want to be part of. Whiteboards, interactive stations, purposeful small-group instruction, and kids actively working on exactly what they need.

This connects directly to a priority in our Strategic Plan: we don’t wait two weeks to close a gap. Think athletics. When something isn’t working, you call a timeout, make an adjustment, and get back in the game. That’s what responsive small-group instruction allows us to do for kids.

Mr. Birks | Snyder Intermediate

We were walking the halls looking for FUN when we heard screaming. The good kind.

We walked in, and those kids were SO engaged in what Mr. Birks was doing. In true Mr. Birks style, his students love him, they were all in, and science learning was FUN. You could feel the energy before you ever walked through the door.

Ms. Murdock | Snyder Junior High

Junior High was our only campus without a Hall of Fun inductee, and I had a feeling that Neon Day on Friday would change that. Sure enough!

Ms. Murdock brought our high-quality instructional materials to life. Students were reading a grade-level text when a surprise visitor, Mrs. Gault, appeared with a plastic rat, gumballs, and some REALLY gross teeth.

I wasn’t even there for the full text, and immediately I wanted to read it.

THAT is what this is about.

Steady work. Strong results. And SO much fun!

Congratulations to Mrs. Ritter, Mr. Birks, and Ms. Murdock, our newest inductees into the Snyder ISD Hall of Fun!

08/27/2026

Queen of country music! 🩷

08/24/2026

One of our ongoing priorities is intentionally building relationships, expanding our network, and creating partnerships that open doors for our students, staff, and community.

Recently, a connection through Dr. Jacob Kirksey at Texas Tech University College of Education opened another one. I had the opportunity to sit down with Mary Lynn Pruneda, Director of Education and Workforce Policy for Texas 2036, for a candid conversation about Snyder ISD and the realities facing rural public schools.

We talked about rural school improvement, accountability, funding equity, student transfers, advanced academics, workforce preparation, and the challenge of measuring the entire impact of a public school system through a single accountability rating.

Most importantly, I got to tell the Snyder Independent School District story.

We believe in high expectations and accountability. We also believe student success is bigger than a test score. It includes academics, CTE, fine arts, athletics, safety, relationships, opportunities, and preparing students for life beyond our schools.

There is great work happening in Snyder ISD, and part of my responsibility is making sure people beyond Snyder know about it.

Relationships matter. Partnerships matter. And when conversations are happening about the future of public education in Texas, I want Snyder ISD students and our rural community to have a seat at the table.

08/23/2026

This type of service takes a special person. Mrs. McKay has just the right kind of heart, passion, and compassion for this type of work.

What a blessing to our district and students, as well as the thousands this could affect.

Snyder ISD counselor Shelbie McKay has been selected to participate in the Southern Regional Educati...

08/23/2026

I’m thrilled about multiple aspects of our organization, but this one is real special.

Sign up now!

I can’t wait to see the positive impacts of our Golden Tigers that we are launching soon! 💛

Adults age 60 and older are invited to join Golden Tigers, a new monthly Snyder ISD program designed to connect community members with the students, people, and work of our schools.

Each month, you will gain insight into the work happening in our schools, current priorities, and the ways those efforts support students. Members will also hear student and campus stories, ask questions, and learn about volunteer opportunities that match a variety of interests, schedules, and abilities.

Meetings will begin at 10 a.m. at the DCOS Building, 2514 Avenue R, Snyder, TX 79549.

September 18, 2026
October 23, 2026
November 13, 2026
December 11, 2026
January 15, 2027
February 19, 2027
March 5, 2027
April 9, 2027
May 14, 2027

Volunteer opportunities will be offered on other dates and at different times.

Who may join: Adults age 60 and older.

Sign up: https://forms.gle/29p3wVgxkYb7UqbQ9

Whether you want to volunteer regularly, help occasionally, or simply learn more about Snyder ISD, Golden Tigers offers a place to connect and contribute.

08/22/2026

I N S T R U C T I O N A L. R O U N D S. 🖤🤩

On Day 6 of school, district and campus leaders, members of our instructional team, and School Board members visited more than 40 classrooms across Snyder ISD for our first Instructional Rounds of the year.

And there was so much to celebrate!

We saw strong relationships between teachers and students, clear routines and expectations, students ready to learn, and strong Tier 1 instruction already taking shape.

So, what are Instructional Rounds?

They are not about evaluating individual teachers. They are about learning as a school system.

We visit classrooms across campuses, grade levels, and content areas to understand what our students are experiencing every day. What is working? What trends do we see? Where can we get better? And how can we provide the right support to keep moving forward?

It is also important for our School Board members and executive leadership team to spend time in classrooms. Decisions made in a boardroom or district office ultimately impact what happens between teachers and students. Staying connected to classrooms keeps our priorities where they belong: on kids and learning.

Then, the support follows.

You will hear us talk a lot about coaching this year because continuous improvement applies to all of us. Teachers, principals, district leaders, and the superintendent should always be learning and getting better.

Six days into the school year, I walked away incredibly proud of our Tigers!

Great people deserve great coaching, and our kids deserve adults who never stop getting better for them. 🐅

08/22/2026

W E E K L Y. R E C A P. ⭐️

Another full week of listening, learning, supporting, and moving Snyder ISD forward!

Monday was spent at Junior High and High School supporting campuses. We also finalized Adopt-A-Tiger and met with Big Country Electric as we continue working towards a solution for Junior High. The evening included a meeting with Snyder Primary PTO!

Tuesday included time at Primary and Intermediate, planning for our new Student Ambassador Committee, and several meetings focused on supporting students, staff, and district systems.

Wednesday was our first Instructional Rounds of the year! One of my priorities is creating opportunities for our School Board members to see and understand what actually happens in classrooms each day. We also included members of our executive leadership team because decisions made in an office ultimately impact teachers and students in classrooms. (More to come on Instructional Rounds in a separate post!)

Thursday we held our first Principal Meeting and Assistant Principal Meeting of the year. We focused on strengthening expectations and systems connected to our four Strategic Plan pillars: Students, Staff, Stakeholders, and Stewardship. The rest of the day was filled with meetings (including Oncor, who is our electrical distribution company at 3/4 of our schools) and work around several important district priorities.

Friday provided time to celebrate Jaylen at the Scurry County Texas 150th Anniversary Flag Ceremony and finalize my Superintendent Year 1 Plan, reflecting on where we are and where we need to go next.

Behind every week are countless conversations, adjustments, and problems being solved across our district. I’m grateful for a team that continues to listen, respond, and keep students at the center.

And our Tigers were busy competing and representing Snyder all week! 🏐🏈🏃‍♀️🐅

08/18/2026

Thank you Blake Fulenwider Snyder for the Porkchop fundraiser tonight benefiting Snyder Education Foundation that loves on our Snyder Independent School District teachers!

This is what strong community partnerships look like! 🖤🥩

* This is the only picture I took. Surely someone has a few that are … let’s say, more professional? 😖

08/18/2026

Thank you to the Snyder ISD School Board for donating and serving icecream sandwiches and water bottles at tonight’s Meet the Tigers! 🍦💧