The announced funding was still only a fraction of Gov. Greg Abbott’s initial estimate of $489.7 million in costs in his first request for federal help. view article

DOJ Puts Welfare Funding on the Line Over Immigration Reporting   DOJ’s expanded immigration reporting requirement puts welfare funding at stake, with potential consequences for state budgets and families receiving assistance.  The Justice Department has announced that states must direct all their agencies to report known illegal immigrants to federal authorities or risk losing welfare funding. The decision expands a reporting requirement previously limited to offices handling certain public assistance programs.  Under the new legal opinion, states that accept Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or Supplemental Security Income funding must share information with the Department of Homeland Security throughout their governments. It replaces a 1998 interpretation that applied the requirement only to agencies administering those benefits. DOJ officials said the earlier guidance misread the 1996 welfare reform law. Assistant Attorney General T. Elliot Gaiser argued that accepting TANF money carries a responsibility to report people known to be unlawfully present. The department described the opinion as restoring an existing obligation rather than creating a new one. view article

El Paso County and Harris County have joined a federal lawsuit challenging new election-related conditions on Homeland Security Grant Program funding.  The Texas counties along with the city of Columbus, Ohio, and the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee, argue that the requirements exceed FEMA’s statutory authority and violate the Constitution’s Spending Clause, separation of powers principles, and the Administrative Procedure Act.  The Homeland Security Grant Program was established in 2003 to help state and local governments prepare for and respond to terrorism and other security threats, and at least three percent of each grant has been designated for election security since 2023.  In June, FEMA announced it would withhold 20 percent of grant funds from jurisdictions that do not comply with five new election-related requirements. The plaintiffs say complying would cost millions of dollars and put roughly $200 million in federal security funding at risk nationwide. view article

SAN PERLITA, Texas (ValleyCentral) — San Perlita Independent School District is preparing to reopen its campuses Thursday after a two-day closure prompted by a reported surge in COVID-19 and other illnesses.  The district temporarily closed schools Monday and Tuesday as a precaution, giving maintenance and custodial crews time to thoroughly clean and disinfect classrooms, restrooms, common areas and other parts of the campuses.   Some parents said they supported the decision, especially after seeing their children become sick. view article

The Refugio ISD Education Foundation awarded more than $58,000 in innovative teacher grants for the 2026-27 school year during the district’s Cat Walk presentation on Aug. 10. The foundation approved 27 grants totaling $58,066.05 to fund projects ranging from academic field trips and literacy programs to career and technical education equipment, medical assistant training and band activities. view article

For students, learning and opportunity do not have to end when the final bell rings. A new five-year investment in La Joya ISD students and families will extend both beyond the traditional school day, bringing additional academic support, enrichment, summer learning, and family engagement opportunities to 10 elementary campuses across the district. view article

City Council members traded insults before the 5-4 vote blocked an effort to apply for up to $120 million in federal grants to help build the treatment plant.  Fewer than a dozen projects are expected to qualify for the federal agency’s WaterSMART Program this year. Applications are ranked on a point system, which prioritizes “how much of the annual demand for the service area is offset by the desalinated water,” according to the agency..  “If the city does not apply for this grant, it seems like we’re looking [away from] what is essentially free money,” she said. “Many of you have argued against this project based on cost, and this grant and subsequent grant funds that might be available will make this drought-proof project much more affordable for our region.”  Mary Carlson, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Reclamation, said desalination is a critical tool for diversifying water supplies.  “As we continue to manage through the impacts of severe drought, desalination offers potential new and reliable water supplies for communities” she said in a statement. view article

Our fellowship program offers college students and recent graduates hands-on professional experience in one the country’s most innovative news organizations. view article

Port Aransas schools are getting reimbursed for measures they took to get things up and running after Hurricane Harvey. The district on Monday announced it had received a grant for more than $1.2 million Federal Emergency Management Agency to help pay for things such as generators, air dryers, portables and security. Those items and more were needed in the aftermath of the Category 4 storm hit the area Aug. 25, 2017. view article

The Round Rock school district awarded $1.9 million in grants to 34 campuses to help foster innovation in schools through programs, models or initiatives that enrich learning. The grants range from $7,500 to $100,000 and support the district’s strategic goal of implementing, enhancing and reinforcing innovative teachings and learning models, according to a district news release. view article

Texas Instruments (TI) (NASDAQ: TXN)announced today that its 2015 corporate and foundation giving to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education totals almost $6 million. Focused on collaborative strategies to improve student success and teaching effectiveness in STEM education, TI and the Texas Instruments Foundation designate "Power of STEM Education" grants to a variety of nonprofit partners and educators in targeted communities where the company has a major design or manufacturing presence. Special emphasis is given to programs that reach female and minority students who are underrepresented in science and engineering careers today. view article

A local school that has been underperforming for years, is shaking things up for the new school year with the help of a $4.8 million grant. Indian Spring Middle School is under a state mandate to turn things around and their principal is hoping this multi-million dollar grant will help them do just that. view article