AUSTIN, Texas (KVII) — Two Texas Panhandle educators have been appointed to a new statewide commission that will help shape recommendations for improving public education in Texas.
Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Cassidy Estes of Amarillo ISD and Dr. Matthew Driver of Bushland ISD to the 21-member Texas Classroom Commission.
The commission is made up of current and former public school educators from across the state. Members will develop classroom-focused recommendations for Abbott, the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Legislature ahead of the 90th legislative session.
Estes is a fifth-grade English language arts and reading teacher at South Lawn Elementary School. She is entering her fourth year at the Amarillo ISD campus.
A Houston native, Estes earned a degree in education from Texas State University. Amarillo ISD said she enjoys watching movies, building Lego sets and traveling outside the classroom.
Driver is an assistant principal at Bushland High School. He has worked for Bushland ISD for four years and has 16 years of experience in education.
Driver oversees school operations, scheduling and instructional programs. He also teaches classroom management and secondary instructional delivery courses at West Texas A&M University.
He serves as an instructional materials consultant for the Texas Education Agency and as an Instructional Materials Review and Adoption reviewer for the State Board of Education.
Driver earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in educational leadership from WT. Before joining Bushland ISD, he worked as a social studies teacher and coach in Canyon ISD from 2010 to 2022.
“Texas teachers have the talent, understanding and expertise to ensure that every Texas student succeeds,” Abbott said in a statement. “That’s why educators must be at the center of the conversation.”
The commission will be chaired by Courtney Boswell MacDonald of Kerrville, a former classroom teacher and chair of the State Board for Educator Certification.
Texas Classroom Commission Members:
Abbigale Grataski, Calallen ISDBobbie Lynn Weir, Richardson ISDCassidy Estes, Amarillo ISDCrystal Stipes, Comanche ISDDanette Wofford, Nacogdoches ISD Dawnna Talley, Ector County ISDEric Hale, Dallas ISDHannah Landry, Bridge City ISDJean Streepey, Highland Park ISDJoMeka Gray, Temple ISDKarla Guevara, Riesel ISD Laura Fanning, Lubbock ISDDr. Matthew Driver, Bushland ISDNidia De La Cerda, Tuloso-Midway ISDNoe Perez, Los Fresnos CISDSergio Arjon, Houston ISDSusanne Whitley, Tomball ISDTevin King, IDEA Public Schools – El PasoTiffany Kilcoyne, Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISDValton Acree, Yorktown ISDVeronica Bayne, Killeen ISD
Abbott said the commission will build on previous groups such as the Teacher Vacancy Task Force and the Texas Commission on Special Education Funding. Those groups helped produce changes involving teacher compensation, special education funding, classroom discipline and the Teacher Incentive Allotment.