Cypress-Fairbanks ISD conservatives appear to be splintering ahead of a November election, putting them at risk of losing the 6-1 board majority that has allowed them to infuse a conservative political agenda into the state's third-largest school system.   The board president and vice president, who ran together on a conservative slate in 2021, are now running against each other in the same seat. Both Natalie Blasingame, a former administrator in Houston and Spring Branch ISDs, and Scott Henry, who works in sales, won the Harris County Republican Party's endorsement in 2021, but now the party has decided to endorse Blasingame in the race between the two. view article

Parents in Coppell ISD are pushing back as the district considers plans to close another elementary school. view article

Dr. Molinar’s big proposal involves placing seven campuses on a new resource model, giving her the power to keep only teachers who meet the highest standards. "They are identified as being in the top third of teachers across the state. That is huge based on the ACE model from Dallas ISD and saw several campuses go from F to B in one year," said Bridget Worley, chief impact officer at The Commit Partnership. view article

Another North Texas school district is considering a possible school closure as it grapples with an $8.5 million budget deficit. Coppell ISD says it's considering closing Town Center Elementary, among other possible changes. The move would save about $1.3 million in payroll, according to information shared by the district. view article

Austin ISD is preparing to consolidate schools to deal with declining enrollment and budget pressures. On Thursday night, parents and staff spoke with the board at the Austin ISD headquarters in one of the last public meetings before the district releases a draft plan on school closures. Parents and teachers argue academic struggles and low resources have caused the problems. Teachers also said budget cuts have impacted staffing, which has contributed to overcrowding in classrooms. A petition is also calling on the district to pause their closure plan view article

The Leander ISD Board of Trustees delayed a vote on a school consolidation plan and is preparing to hold a special meeting on a resolution they're considering. view article

As families walked into the Edgewood Independent School District meeting Tuesday night, their chants calling for justice echoed empty halls. “Whose schools are these? Our school!” they called. Families said they have been fighting problems over transparency, bullying and special education support for years. view article

The Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees is expected to vote on November 20 on a plan to consolidate schools in response to declining enrollment. While the district describes the measure as a way to ensure every student attends a fully staffed and resourced campus, a petition launched by Austin resident Roxanne Evans urges the board to delay the vote. view article

Monday night, Frisco Independent School District is set to consider the future of Staley Middle School. The board has contemplated closing the campus for months, citing budget, staffing challenges and aging facilities. Emotions have run high due to Staley’s importance as a cornerstone of the community. Many parents have told WFAA they feel the school has been 'historically underfunded' and 'overlooked' by the district. view article

Austin Independent School District (AISD) has some tough decisions to make about its failing campuses. The district is forced to submit turnaround plans for 24 schools after receiving failing grades from the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) accountability ratings, which were released last month. view article

Trustees in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD voted 6-1 Monday to adopt updated board operating procedures after a controversy over audio recordings and concerns over trustees' requests for information prompted the board to revisit the document. The updated procedures require trustees to ask for consent when recording conversations with a community member, Cy-Fair ISD employee or another trustee. The procedures also clarify the process for board members to make formal requests for both information. view article

Edgewood Independent School District’s board voted in favor of sanctioning its youngest trustee Michael Valdez during a special meeting Monday night. In a 6-1 vote, the board sanctioned 21-year-old Valdez for violating board policies because he did an interview with KENS 5 without authorization from the board president. Valdez was the lone “no” vote. view article

Five years ago, during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, the board voted to change the high school to Legacy High. On Tuesday, it reversed course.  Five years ago, during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, the board voted to change the high school to Legacy High. On Tuesday, it reversed course. view article

This month, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath didn't mince words: Fort Worth ISD's uptick in scores isn't enough. "Fort Worth has significant academic challenges; its level of grade level proficiency is materially lower than Dallas, even though demographically they are not any different," he said as he released accountability scores. Soon, Morath will be in Fort Worth touring different campuses as he plans the district's next step, which could include replacing the school board and the superintendent despite the improvement seen recently. view article

HUDSON — The Hudson ISD board of trustees held a public hearing for the district’s fiscal year 2025-26 budget and tax rate Tuesday evening inside the district’s boardroom.  The maintenance and operations (M&O) rate will be $.7552 per $100 taxable property valuation and the interest and sinking (I&S) rate will be $.084 per $100, for a total rate of $.8392, down from last year’s rate of $.8792. The average homeowner in Hudson ISD will see a tax decrease of $173.52 compared to fiscal year 2024-25, according to assistant superintendent Barrett Lankford.  The board unanimously adopted the property tax rate, which is the lowest in the county.  The board also unanimously approved a final amendment to the Hudson ISD and Stubblefield Learning Center budgets for fiscal year 2024-25, which ends Sunday. The district will end the fiscal year with a budget surplus of up to $367,379, Lankford said. view article

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Independent School District said it will not display the Ten Commandments, at least temporarily, after a preliminary injunction was filed by a district judge last week, according to a statement provided by the district to KXAN. view article

Round Rock ISD Board Pres. Tiffanie N. Harrison announced Aug. 21 that she will be stepping down from her role on the board to focus on her growing family. With the announcement, the board will now be tasked with appointing a new trustee to complete Harrison’s unfinished term, which ends in 2026.  “It has truly been one of my greatest honors to serve on this board. As someone who has walked these halls as a student, taught in our classrooms, and served as a trustee in roles from secretary to vice president and ultimately president, I have been honored by the trust this community placed in me,” Harrison said.  “Round Rock ISD has been at the heart of my life’s journey. The students, families, and staff of this district are incredibly special to me, and I am proud of the work we as a board have done to support the Round Rock ISD community. view article

The Leander Independent School District invited parents to give feedback Monday night ahead of a proposal its Board of Trustees will hear to consolidate several schools next month. Tensions were high Monday night as Cypress Elementary School parents tried to wrap their minds around a plan to consolidate their cherished campus with Naumann Elementary. view article

The Round Rock school board hopes to appoint a new president on Sept. 18 after Tiffanie Harrison announced last week she was planning on stepping down for personal reasons. Harrison, 39, has been a school board member since 2020. She became the district's first Black school board president in November when her fellow members appointed her to the position. view article

Maribel Gardea, a local advocate, was arrested at an Edgewood Independent School District board meeting last week but has since had all charges dropped. Gardea was taken into custody after speaking past her allotted time at the podium during a meeting where she was advocating for transparency, safety, and accountability from the district. view article

A routine school board meeting in Edgewood turned into a tense confrontation Tuesday night when a mother of two was handcuffed and escorted out of the district conference center after exceeding her speaking time. Maribel Gardea, 42, was addressing the board on student safety when her microphone was cut. The Edgewood ISD board president had announced at the start of the meeting that with 11 people signed up for public comment, each speaker would have two minutes. view article

Video shows the moment Edgewood Independent School District police officers removed a San Antonio woman from a school board meeting Tuesday night in handcuffs. Maribel Gardea was arrested on three charges: criminal trespass, resisting arrest and disrupting a meeting. Now, the nonprofit she represents is calling for action from the Edgewood ISD Board of Trustees. view article

A woman who was escorted out of an Edgewood Independent School District board meeting is facing three charges related to trespassing and disrupting a meeting, records with the Bexar County jail show. Maribel Gardea, 42, was taken out of the meeting in handcuffs on Tuesday evening after speaking past her allotted time during public comments, according to footage from the meeting posted on the district’s YouTube channel. view article

The Austin Independent School District superintendent said the district’s declining enrollment numbers are leaving too many schools under capacity and sees campus closures and consolidations as part of the solution. While he declined to pinpoint how many campuses could close, Matias Segura said it’ll be “more than a handful,” and added the district is looking to reduce costs by $30 million. view article

Beaumont Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Shannon Allen expressed her dismay over comments made by Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath regarding the district's recent STAAR test results. During a "Breakfast with the Superintendent" event on Tuesday, Allen addressed the situation, saying she was "shocked" by Morath's remarks. view article

The only time I can remember hearing sirens in Marathon (population 271) was for a school send-off. Six weeks into the 2024 academic year, I stood outside our K–12 public school with the student body and my fellow teachers on a dazzling West Texas morning to see our girls volleyball team off to regionals. Sheriff’s deputies, the fire department, and a fleet of pickups and Suburbans all lined up to escort the Lady Mustangs out of town. I was admiring the motorcade when I turned around and realized that my sixth-grade students had fled the school grounds and were sprinting down Avenue E—escaping!—in their Crocs. Panicked, I cried out after them.  “Don’t worry, they’ll come back,” another teacher assured me. They were only circling the block to catch the bus a second time. view article

Houston ISD's Board of Managers voted unanimously Thursday to formally opt out of allowing home-schooled students to compete in University Interscholastic League activities for the district.  In June, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law requiring public school districts to allow “non-enrolled students” living in the district to participate in official UIL activities unless the school board votes to opt out by Sept. 1.  view article

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Recent polling shows both President Donald Trump's and Governor Greg Abbott's approval ratings have dropped into net negative territory among Texas voters. Governor Abbott's decreased favorability is significantly linked to public opposition to Senate Bill 3, a near-total ban on THC products, which he ultimately vetoed. President Trump's approval in Texas has gone negative for the first time in his second term, largely due to Texans' concerns about his performance on the economy and inflation. view article

Roughly 170,000 students kicked off a new school year at HISD Tuesday, as enrollment continues to shrink about 4% a year over the past two years under state-appointed leadership. The district plans to announce an undetermined number of school closures later this year due to years of declining enrollment.  HISD has seen numerous changes in that span, including the controversial New Education System, teacher turnover, enrollment declines, and improvements in state test scores and accountability ratings. Additionally, the district had to implement the state's new law banning student cellphone use during the school day as this academic year kicks off. view article

MIDLAND — La’Toya Mayberry is proud of many things.  She’s proud of her family’s West Texas roots. She’s proud of her two daughters, Aniyah and Erinn, two formidably academic athletes who are continuing the family’s basketball legacy.   And five years ago, she was proud of the Midland Independent School District. Its board of trustees had voted to rename a school carrying the name of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, which she considered a stain on the community, to Legacy High School.  That pride may soon give way to shame. A new configuration of the Midland school board is set to consider reverting the school’s name to Midland Lee, affixing Lee’s legacy once more. A vote may come as early as Tuesday.  “My daughter is going to this school, and she's an athlete, representing the school, not just in Midland, but when we travel,” Mayberry said of her youngest, Erinn, a junior varsity basketball player. “What does this say to her that you want to restore a name that meant whites only?”  The debate in this West Texas town echoes a renewed national debate over honoring the leaders of the Confederacy, particularly in the South. view article

The Judson Independent School District board will vote Aug. 18 on seeking voter approval for a tax increase that could cut its historic budget deficit by more than $24 million next year. If trustees officially call a tax election, it will go on the Nov. 4 ballot. view article

The TEA commissioner said the state is watching Fort Worth ISD closely and might replace the school board. view article

The Temple Independent School District Board of Trustees has been named as an Honor School Board by the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) as part of the organization's 2025 School Board Awards, the district has announced. According to the district, Temple ISD is one of only five districts throughout the state of Texas to be selected for the honor, which is reportedly meant to "recognize outstanding Texas school boards for commitment and service that has made a positive impact on Texas public school students." view article

Along with every other public school in the state of Texas, Lubbock ISD is banning the use of cell phones. House Bill 1481 prohibits the use of all personal communication devices not only in the classroom, but throughout the school day. Superintendent Dr. Kathy Rollo says this new protocol will be an adjustment for everyone, from teachers to principals, students and parents. view article