View the 2020-2021 Annual Report

Dear Plano ISD Community:

The 2020-21 school year was like no other: a worldwide pandemic, an unprecedented snowstorm and an educational system that had to reimagine itself virtually overnight. As we present this Annual Report on behalf of the leadership team and our Board of Trustees, I am privileged to say that I am proud beyond words of our students, staff, families and community. Even while experiencing their own personal family needs, everyone’s “how can I help” spirit truly embodied what it means to be Plano ISD Proud. As we revisit the 2020-21 school year, one of the takeaways that we can all treasure is that everyone came together when it mattered most. The accomplishments that are shared through this Annual Report are truly remarkable when viewed through the lens of all of the circumstances that we faced. We see that our actions demonstrated resilience, compassion and, most of all, a community that always kept students at the center of all decisions.

Traditionally, schools have a summer that closes one school year and opens the door to another, but that was not the case in the summer of 2020. We maintained our connection with families, whether through daily communications, providing thousands of curbside meals, partnering with our community for needed resources, offering hotspots for internet access or teaming up with corporations, organizations and our Plano ISD Education Foundation to unify efforts to meet student, family and staff needs. The wave of wraparound support, feelings of goodwill and helping others will never be forgotten.

A few months into the school year—just as we all were beginning to experience a sense of normalcy, even with all of the health and safety protocols in place—Winter Storm Uri plunged the state of Texas into a deep freeze. Once again, our Plano ISD team responded by working around the clock to mitigate damage to our buildings so that we could safely reopen. All the while, our top priority remained the continuity of student learning.

The 2020-2021 school year was indeed a year that will go down in the history books as an unparalleled time in education. It is my sincere hope that when we reflect on that time, it is not for the challenges that we faced, but for the way we responded, the generosity of our community and the resilient success of our students.

I offer my sincere gratitude to the entire Plano ISD community. You are the epitome of what it means to be Plano ISD Proud.

Sincerely,

Sara M. Bonser
Superintendent of Schools