About Isaacs
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History
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Sara Jane Isaacs was born in Bonham, Texas in 1925. She graduated from Bonham High School, received her bachelor’s degree in education from East Texas State Teachers College, now Texas A&M-Commerce and earned a Master’s in Education from the University of North Texas.
Sara and her husband Edward Isaacs Jr., moved to Plano in 1963, when Sara was hired to teach third grade at Mendenhall Elementary School, which was the district’s only elementary school at the time.
Mrs. Isaacs directed the first early childhood programs in the district with her appointment in 1967 as the district’s first Title I director. That same year, she successfully applied for the district’s first Head Start federal grant. She used the grant to initiate the first Head Start program during the regular summer school session with five-year-old students at Mendenhall. This was prior to kindergarten being incorporated into the public school system.
In the early 1970s, Sara Isaacs served as the school district's first elementary curriculum coordinator, making her the very first female administrator in Plano ISD. As public school kindergarten (1/2-day program) began, she wrote the guidelines for Plano ISD's program. Plano ISD's kindergarten served as the model program in Collin County since it was the first to be offered in the county. And, she continued to work with educationally-disadvantaged early childhood children.
In 1973, Mrs. Isaacs became the first female principal in Plano ISD when she opened Christie Elementary School. She served as principal there until she retired in 1986.
Sara Isaacs did attend the Isaacs Early Childhood School dedication ceremony in 2009. She said, "The first love I had was for the young early childhood children and working with the teachers of young learners."