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

The Clint Independent School District on Thursday approved pay raises and a one-time $2,500 payment for qualifying employees during the upcoming school year. view article

A growing number of Houston-area leaders are calling for the resignation of a Cy-Fair ISD board member after he made comments suggesting that the more Black teachers a district has, the greater the dropout rate. The comments were made Monday night during a work session about Cy-Fair ISD's equity audit report. view article

In a video address by the Conroe ISD superintendent, Dr. Curtis Null gave an update on the latest numbers on Friday as COVID-19 cases in the district continue to climb. Dr. Curtis Null, the Conroe ISD Superintendent, said, “We need to do something as a community to help make sure that we can keep our schools open and keep our kids safe.” According to the district in the first two weeks of the school year, there have been over 1,100 reported positive cases that included 962 students and 176 staff. view article

As COVID-19 cases rise and schools begin to come back into session, the safety of students is a top priority for many school districts. According to a social media post by Jim Hogg County Judge Juan Carlos Guerra, JHC ISD is taking precautions to protect students against rising case numbers. view article

A new board of trustees at Socorro Independent School District was sworn in Wednesday evening. New board members said they’re ready to get to work looking for a new superintendent for the district after Dr. Jose Espinoza resigned last week. view article

Amid Southlake Carroll ISD’s continued reckoning with inclusivity, which last week saw parents and advocates calling for the Department of Justice to get involved, two seats are up for grabs on the district’s board of trustees in the May 1 election. The dispute that candidates are campaigning during involves Carroll ISD’s controversial plan to promote cultural competency, which is tied up in court after a judge issued a temporary restraining order late last year. The plan is currently set to go to mediation as part of the lawsuit that has tied it up in court. view article

Katy ISD continued to experience upheaval Monday as Ashley Vann suddenly announced she was stepping down as board president and two new board members were sworn in, just a few weeks after Lance Hindt, the district's controversial superintendent, announced he would retire next January. When the school board returned from closed session Monday night, Vann acknowledged how proud she was to serve the school district during Hurricane Harvey and of watching the community come together, but then her tone shifted. view article

Trustees with Port Neches-Groves Independent School District are looking at ways to sweeten the pot for custodians. Trustees will hold a called meeting at noon Tuesday at the administration building, 620 Ave. C, in Port Neches where they will consider increasing the hourly starting pay rate for custodians from $8.51 per hour to $9.50 per hour. They will also consider offering additional summer work days to encourage current and future custodians a broader annual salary, which could assist in alleviating the custodian vacancy issues, according to information from the district. view article

Eagle Pass ISD administration and employees are pushing for voter participation as the Tax Ratification Election comes closer. At the Chamber of Commerce Community Breakfast on Wednesday, May 24, C.C. Winn High School Principal Jesus Diaz-Wever, Eagle Pass Junior High Vice Principal Yolanda Ramon, and Deputy Superintendent for Business and Finance Ismael Mijares stressed the importance of the election. “Saturday will be the chance for everyone in Eagle Pass to do something for these students,” said Ramon. “Our students deserve it. This is for them, we ask you to please remember that when you’re voting.” view article

The Frisco ISD School Board heard a summary of the proposed 2017-18 budget during its meeting on Monday. No action was taken. More than 50 budget recommendations were outlined in April to trim spending and generate additional revenue to address funding challenges. The recommendations were the result of months of work by employees, trustees, parents and citizens who shared ideas and input on possible solutions. Monday’s presentation included discussion of the remaining budget timeline, as well as a look at proposed budgets for both the maintenance and operations (M&O) fund, which pays for day-to-day expenses such as staff salaries, as well as the interest and sinking (I&S) fund, which pays off debt from issuing bonds to build new schools and fund other projects. view article

Here are six takeaways from the Round Rock ISD board of trustees voting Thursday to approve the RRISD District of Innovation plan: view article

The Frisco Independent School District meets Monday to work on some of the problems associated with being one of Texas’ fastest growing areas. The board will be voting on a proposal to help balance its budget by delaying the openings of four new schools. view article

The Dallas school board Thursday night voted against putting a tax ratification election before voters this fall. The proposed 13-cent tax hike would have given the district $100 million to fund early childhood education and early college high school programs. The district also wanted to expand a program that pays extra money to top teachers who take jobs in some of the district’s toughest schools. view article

Marfa ISD board of trustees groaned when Superintendent Andrew Peters announced he hired a Professional Service Provider (PSP), also known as a monitor as a result of the school district not meeting Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) academic standards. Holly Roberts, recently retired at Midland ISD, will assist MISD to meet TEA standards. Marfa ISD received an “improvement required” in TEA’s 2015 accountability rating, the only district in the tri-county area to get that moniker. Schools in Alpine, Fort Davis, Valentine and Presidio met standard and also received distinction designations. view article

Greg Aune, an Argyle ISD school board trustee, has resigned. Board members discussed in closed session whether to leave Aune’s position vacant, appoint someone to the seat or hold a special election to fill the position at Monday night’s school board meeting. view article

The Lampasas Independent School District met Monday to discuss the district’s fiscal year 2016 budget and proposed tax rates. “My idea was still to give everyone a tax break, but to make it 1 cent right now, and we could change it in a year if we need to,” board member Sam Walker said. “I think we are jumping the gun by dropping it 2 cents.” view article

The Palestine Independent School District school board held a special meeting Monday and Tuesday night to interview possible board candidates. A position on the board opened after the resignation of Dana Staples earlier this month. The board choose not to take action on the interviews during the closed session. After reconvening into open session, board members voted on the approval of the new student code of conduct for the 2015-2016 school year. According to Superintendent Jason Marshall, most of the changes made to the code were to appease decisions made in the legislative session. view article