Tiffany Regan, Superintendent, Deer Park ISD

In an interview with Invest:, Tiffany Regan, superintendent of Deer Park ISD, discussed the district’s community roots, career and technical education pathways, and partnerships that connect students to industry. “Our district motto is preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s challenges. That is a tall order,” Regan said.

What distinguishes Deer Park ISD, and what milestones have shaped the district over the past year?

Deer Park ISD enrolls about 12,000 students and is home to a Super 6A high school, the 12th-largest high school in Texas. We are also a one-high-school town, which is unique because we have a small-town feel while still being large enough to give students strong access and opportunities.

Our roots are heavily tied to industry. Deer Park was founded when Shell moved into the energy corridor, so industry has always been part of our identity. Many of us are generational Deer Park graduates. I graduated from Deer Park ISD, my parents graduated from Deer Park, and my children are third-generation Deer Park students. I have spent my entire 30-year career in the district.

That illustrates the feeling of family we work to create. We want our students, staff, and community to feel like Team Deer Park. We are also one of the few districts with our own museum, located in the original building from when the district was founded. Alumni groups enjoy visiting and seeing what has been collected over the years.

How are expectations changing for what K-12 education should provide beyond traditional academics?

We see that most in career and technical education, which has been exploding. We are in our second year with a new career and technology building at the high school, and it continues to grow. Students can pursue jailer certification, 911 dispatch, petrochemical, pharmacology, future teaching, engineering, drafting, construction, and welding.

We strive to respond to industry demands. Because we are involved in community groups such as Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce, business leaders often tell us what they need. Then we can go back and think about how to provide that opportunity for our students.

This year, for the first time, we have students apprenticing in the district. One student wants to be an electrician, so we connected him with our maintenance department. We are also interested in creating our own pipeline within the district.

We have one of the few registered apprenticeships in Texas and have worked with Houston Endowment and the Texas Workforce Commission to move employees from low-wage to high-wage jobs. When teacher shortages were in the news, we created our own pipeline by paying for college for employees who do not yet have degrees or certifications. They work for us while becoming certified, then continue working for us.

How are partnerships helping Deer Park ISD align education with workforce needs?

We enjoy a great partnership with San Jacinto College, which is accessible and responsive when we bring ideas or feedback from students. San Jacinto College supports dual credit, early college, petrochemical programs, and the Promise program, which gives many students two free years of college.

This year, for the first time, we had a student graduate high school as an early college student with an associate degree, complete two free years at San Jacinto College, earn a bachelor’s degree in teaching, and come to work for us full time at age 20.

We also have an accelerated high school where students graduate nine months out of the year. Previously, students in the Promise program always started in the fall. We told San Jacinto College that some of our students needed that program sooner, and they responded almost immediately so students could start when they were ready.

Our CTE directors work hard to find opportunities to place students in the community. We have many co-op students who work half a day and go to school half a day, gaining on-the-job experience. We also rely on business and community partners for our ninth-grade mentoring program.

How is Deer Park ISD preparing students for emerging technologies and careers that may not exist yet?

One partnership we have is with GE Vernova. They chose only a few school districts, and we are one of them. We send students to learn how to build and maintain wind turbines that power AI. It has been a huge opportunity, and they have already offered our students jobs after graduation.

We have been teaching digital literacy for some time, but we have also added AI into our digital citizenship lessons. We use SchoolAI, which allows teachers to see the interactions between students and AI. That gives us a bird’s-eye view and allows teachers to have conversations with students about whether responses are appropriate and how to think critically.

We talk to students about being prompt engineers, starting in elementary school. We want them to learn how to use AI as a tool and get the best, highest possible use out of it.

When we think about careers that may not exist yet, we rely on our business partnerships because they are looking forward. Our district motto is preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s challenges. That is a tall order. We have to keep moving and looking forward, but it is a team effort.

How is the district supporting student wellness and resilience while balancing academic expectations?

One of the things we strive to do is find a place for everyone. At our high school, we have a fishing team, bowling team, chess team, and other opportunities that meet students’ needs outside academics. Our business is academics, but students are more than the academic side of things.

We also pay attention to screen time, especially in elementary school. We measure it and set goals around how much time students spend on screens or online. This year, we adopted new elementary reading and math curricula that are no-tech, manipulative-based, and hands-on. We did that purposefully to provide different opportunities for students.

Our mentoring program also supports students’ mental health by giving them another adult with whom they can have a positive relationship. We also have PALS, or Peer Assistance and Leadership, where older high school students mentor elementary students. They play board games, play outside, and provide another positive person for younger students to talk to. We are also one of the few districts with multiple counselors on elementary campuses.

How are students being exposed to entrepreneurship, STEM, and real-world career exploration?

This year, we had our first Junior Achievement team. Students launched their own company, published a book, conducted market research, and took the project through the whole process. At a recent banquet, they won several awards.

What impressed me was that they were already thinking about sustaining and growing the program. Some students were graduating, but they had already identified new leadership for next year.

Junior Achievement also connects students with industry. We took students to the Alley Theatre, which created a full day of marketing, research, and problem-solving challenges. It was a partnership I did not see coming, but we plan to continue it.

For students, it is about access, opportunity, and trying things. The more professionals we can put in front of them, the more they can ask questions, try, do, and experience different fields before they leave high school.