Claycomb Associates, Architects

As school districts across Central Texas begin drafting budgets for the upcoming year, parents in Leander ISD worry about the possibility of school closures. The idea surfaced during recent school board meetings, as trustees seek ways to address Leander ISD's financial challenges. In February, Leander ISD announced a $34 million budget deficit. Since then, district leaders have taken steps to reduce costs, including cutting approximately 200 jobs and ending the International Baccalaureate program. Still, parents worry about what further budget cuts could mean for the district's schools. view article arw

A video showing what appears to be a male student assaulting a female student in a Taylor High School classroom has gone viral, causing the Katy ISD board of trustees to review the district’s code of conduct. view article arw

The future of Frisco ISD’s Staley Middle School is unknown as district leaders seek a second opinion from demographers. The district’s board of trustees discussed the campus closure April 14 during a regular board meeting. The board is expected to reconsider the school’s closure again in June. view article arw

The father of the Taylor High School girl in the viral fight video addressed the Board of Trustees at last night’s meeting. The Board reviewed the current disciplinary policy and will review cases to determine if a policy change is needed. view article arw

The EISD candidates forum will be held April 23 at the Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church, located at 7127 Bee Caves Road, Austin. Hosted by the Westlake Chamber of Commerce, a candidate meet and greet will begin at 6 p.m., with the forum starting at 6:30 p.m. view article arw

The Fort Bend ISD school board voted on a gender fluidity policy Monday night. At the conclusion of a board meeting that lasted more than four hours, the board voted to pass the policy with a 5-2 vote. view article arw

Parents are calling on Katy Independent School District to review its code of conduct after a violent student fight, captured on video, sparked concerns about how the district handles self-defense situations. The incident, which occurred at Taylor High School, shows a male student attacking a female student, who appears to be fighting back. Both students were suspended. view article arw

The Fort Bend ISD board of trustees voted to pass a controversial gender policy. The video above is from a previous report. The policy now requires the district to notify parents if their child requests to use a different name or pronoun. Board trustees mentioned their hopes that the policy would bring consistency and guide teachers on how to handle these situations. view article arw

On Monday, the San Antonio Independent School District Board of Trustees approved a pay increase for all full-time permanent employees for the 2025-2026 academic year. The package raises entry pay for hourly full-time staff to $17 per hour, while entry salary for teachers will increase to $60,000, according to a district news release. view article arw

Part of the policy would restrict facility usage and athletic competitions based on biological gender and require staff to notify parents if their child wants to go by a different gender. Other districts in the Greater Houston area have enacted similar policies, and likewise, it comes with mixed opinions. view article arw

Austin ISD was in the hot seat with quite a few issues at the forefront of Thursday night's board meeting. What we know: The future of Dobie Middle School is uncertain after it has not met state standards year after year. The school's performance must improve, or the TEA will take over. view article arw

The Spring ISD Board of Trustees declined to approve the Bluebonnet learning math curriculum at its board meeting on April 9. A motion was called more than three hours into the meeting to vote whether to approve the curriculum. The board voted 3-3, and since there was no majority, the motion failed. view article arw

The Spring ISD Board of Trustees declined to approve Bible-infused math curriculum at its board meeting on April 9. A motion was called more than three hours into the meeting to vote whether to approve the curriculum from Bluebonnet Learning. The board voted 3-3, and since there was no majority, the motion failed. view article arw

As they cut Austin ISD’s budget over the last two years, district leaders stressed again and again that they wanted to avoid cuts that would affect classrooms – those that would eliminate teachers and increase class sizes. But the budget crisis has proven too deep and wide. A year ago, the budget deficit was $60 million. After repeated cuts and an infusion of new tax dollars, it now sits at $110 million. So last week, district leaders announced they are examining cuts that would not only affect, but eliminate, classrooms. They are considering closing and consolidating schools. view article arw

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 arw

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 arw

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 arw

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 arw

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 arw

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 arw

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 arw

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 arw

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 arw

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 arw

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

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 arw

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 arw

TEA assigns monitor to Marfa ISD

October 2608:30 AM
 

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 arw

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 arw

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 arw

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 arw

Frisco Independent School District School Board President Anne McCausland has earned the Master Trustee designation by completing Leadership TASB, a Texas Association of School Boards program. view article arw

Longview ISD officials are evaluating bids to demolish the vacant T.G. Field Auditorium in downtown. Trustees voted 4-3 in January not to sell the auditorium for $200,000, despite district Assistant Superintendent Lynn Marshall saying he didn't see the district having a use for the property. view article arw

The Amarillo City Council on Tuesday bid adieu to Councilman Jim Simms and named former two-term city commissioner and Amarillo businessman Ron Boyd to fill Simms’ unexpired term. view article arw

Highland Park ISD has suspended seven titles from the curriculum after a wave of criticism surrounding some content. view article arw