More than 100 teachers in the Brazosport ISD will be the recipients of extra compensation this summer. In February, the district was notified that 133 teachers would receive funding from the Texas Education Agency’s new Teacher Incentive Allotment. “It’s a really big deal,” Superintendent Danny Massey said. “It’s something unique that we’ve put a lot of work into.” There were several steps the district had to take to be part of the Teacher Incentive Allotment Designation System, Human Resources Director Jennifer Nabors said. The district had to apply to the Texas Education Agency and implement a system to measure student growth. The agency had to approve that system, and then the district had to capture data on student growth for one year before it could submit teachers to the allotment designation system. view article

On Saturday, the Lago Vista ISD school board unanimously voted to hire a third–party firm to investigate why a “private coach” was not properly vetted before working with its high school runners. In the email to parents, the district said a community member, presenting himself as a “private coach”, approached a group of high school male athletes practicing on their own over the summer. view article

First reported by Texas Scorecard, Funez-Flores had a history of antisemitic social media posts in which he publicly cursed Israel and the United States.  Jairo Funez-Flores is an assistant professor at Texas Tech’s College of Education. He specializes in decolonial studies, ethnography, and activist research. Texas Tech recognized him in the 2022-2023 academic year with the “Hemphill-Wells New Professor Excellence in Teaching Award.”  As first reported by Texas Scorecard, Funez-Flores had a history of antisemitic social media posts in which he publicly cursed Israel and the United States, along with heavy use of profanity.   view article

Ryan Anthony Avalos’ relationship with the student allegedly began in November 2023. view article

H-E-B has designated two educators from Austin ISD as finalists in its Excellence in Education Awards program — spotlighting them as some of the best educators in Texas. Gloria Cortez, AVID teacher at Martin Middle School was named finalist for the Lifetime Achievement Award for secondary educators. Domonique James-Kilgore, counselor at Lively Middle School was named finalist for the Secondary Counselor Award. view article

Houston ISD has hired at least 830 uncertified teachers to fill vacant roles since being taken over by the state, according to district data. HISD announced in August that it was planning to seek waivers from the Texas Education Agency for the first time in at least a decade to hire uncertified teachers amid a nationwide teacher shortage. The district reported hiring 839 teachers, or about 4% of its teaching workforce, with certification waivers this year, according to data from the annual snapshot. view article

A Wharton ISD support staff member was terminated after the district was made aware of an inappropriate relationship with a student, officials say. According to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael O’Guin Sr., the district was made aware of an inappropriate relationship last week, and the support staff member was immediately suspended. That person has since been terminated. view article

Two decades ago, Gloria Galvan went on a search for find the best bilingual studies program in Texas. She landed in San Antonio at UTSA before nabbing her first job as an educator at South San Antonio ISD. She’s been at Price Elementary School ever since and she remains just as committed today, as she was 20 years ago. view article

The Keller ISD teacher said she was quitting in a dramatic moment that elicited gasps at Thursday night's board meeting said a trustee inviting an evangelical foreign film crew to her campus was the final straw leading her to quit. Elizabeth Mitias told WFAA Friday she intends to keep teaching engineering at Central High School through the end of the school year and then leave the district after five years of teaching. view article

The Boerne Independent School District has named Melanie Lee as its new director of transportation. Lee’s appointment was approved by the BISD board of trustees at their Feb. 26 meeting. view article

Some Spring Branch ISD parents and staff say they are baffled by the latest round of proposed budget cuts that would slash all librarian positions from schools. Spring Branch parent Courtney Prochaska told the board that she was frustrated by a lack of transparency and called the district explanation “far from clear.” view article

Since 2019, Frisco ISD has worked on gaining additional funding for teachers in hopes of increasing salaries and keeping effective educators on campuses through the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), a program established with the goal of providing teachers an accessible pathway to a six figure salary. FISD’s application for phase one of TIA has been approved by the state, which means certain FISD teachers will receive a base stipend within the range of $2,700 to $14,000. In order to be eligible, teachers must be identified as top-performing teachers as per the standards provided by the TEA. The amount provided by the stipend depends on the designation level of the teacher, which can be Recognized, Exemplary or Master on their SBEC certificate, and several additional indicators. view article

A former Sidney ISD coach accused of engaging in inappropriate conduct with a student has been arrested. Ryan Matthew Grant was taken into custody Sunday for Aggravated Sexual Assault in connection to these allegations. Sidney ISD Superintendent James Rucker says the district received allegations that Grant had been inappropriate with a student February 10, and they immediately contacted the Texas Rangers, suspended Grant’s employment, and had him criminally trespassed from Sidney ISD property and all school events. view article

Two security guards have been let go from their contracted positions with Fort Bend ISD after separate incidents where they left firearms unattended at elementary schools, district officials say. One guard left their handgun in a staff bathroom at Sullivan Elementary School in January, and another left their gun holstered in a “duty belt” in an empty classroom at Sugar Mill Elementary School earlier this month, according to a district statement. view article

Fort Bend ISD trustees voted 5-1 against implementing a chaplain program as proposed in Senate Bill 763 during the Feb. 26 board meeting. SB 763, which passed in the 2023 Texas legislative session, mandates public school districts in Texas vote by March 1 on whether to adopt a policy to allow chaplains, or clergy, to volunteer or be employed as counselors by districts under Chapter 23 of the Education Code. view article

A wide majority of Texas public school teachers are burned out and considering quitting, according to the annual survey from the Texas branch of the American Federation for Teachers. Low pay was the biggest cause of dissatisfaction, the survey found. Average teacher salaries in Texas lag the national average by about $7,000. The Republican-led Legislature declined to raise teacher wages last year after GOP leaders tethered the funding to a divisive push to allow private school vouchers. view article

Spring Branch ISD is doing away with librarians to address a $35 million budget shortfall. Next school year, Spring Branch ISD libraries will operate as media centers. The media centers will be supported by a team of district-level media specialists, and a new ‘media center assistant’ position will be at each campus to support day-to-day operations, the district said. view article

Chaplains will have the ability to volunteer with or be employed by Comal ISD following approval from the board of trustees during a Feb. 22 meeting.  With the passage of Senate Bill 763 in the 88th legislative session, chaplains may be employed by or volunteer for a district to provide support, services and programs for students. The bill requires each board in the state to vote on the measure by March 1.  The approved resolution does not prohibit chaplains or other faith-based individuals from employment or volunteer opportunities in the district. CISD is not going to expand its existing policy and practices for employment or volunteering in the district, according to board documents. view article

A former Judson ISD band director was found guilty Tuesday on 20 counts of possession of child pornography and promotion of child pornography. Mark Mallow could face a maximum punishment of life in prison. The punishment phase of his trial began Tuesday afternoon. view article

An employee with Point Isabel Independent School District was arrested for allegedly sending harmful material to minor, police say. Omar Vera was arrested on five counts of distribution of harmful material to a minor, Port Isabel police confirmed. Vera was employed as a paraprofessional at Point Isabel High School. He has since been terminated. view article

A one-time coach in Katy Independent School District is going to jail after admitting to sexual contact with a 15-year-old student. At least five female students reportedly accused Lonnie Teagle, 39, of making inappropriate sexual comments and touching them while they were at school, including grabbing and “spanking” the girls. Teagle was the head football coach at Paetow High School in Katy ISD for about six months. He resigned from the job in October 2022 after two girls reported his alleged behavior. view article

An Austin ISD staff member is accused of drunk driving with three children in the car. 37-year-old Ralph Hutchens, a physical education teacher's assistant at Summitt Elementary School, is on administrative leave after being charged with driving while intoxicated with child passengers in Comal County. view article

The Lago Vista Independent School District said it is investigating after learning a “private coach” working with high school runners was not properly vetted. It adds the Lago Vista Police Department “continues to be involved.” In an email sent Friday to parents, the district said a community member presented himself as a “private coach” and approached a group of high school male athletes, practicing independently over the summer. view article

During a Feb. 20 board meeting, the Conroe ISD board of trustees appointed a new chief financial officer, approved its District of Innovation plan and selected the school colors for Janet K. Bartlett Elementary School. Two-minute impact CISD board members approved the appointment of Karen Garza as the new chief financial officer for the district. Garza has served as director of finance at CISD for 18 years. "Garza has spent 18 years in our finance department," Superintendent Curtis Null said. "She knows it from the entry level, all the way to the top. I don't believe there is anyone in the state that understands the school funding formula better than Garza. She is rooted in this community, she believes in what we do and she is invested." view article

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- If your child attends Spring Branch ISD, you could be seeing some big changes in the upcoming year. The district is cutting 306 positions before the upcoming school year, which means the loss of valuable student programs. The superintendent blames Texas lawmakers, saying they aren't putting enough money into public schools. "These difficult budget decisions are the result of the inaction of our state leaders who have prioritized education savings accounts (vouchers) over funding for public education," Superintendent Jennifer Blaine said in a letter to parents. The district is cutting $35 million from its upcoming budget, which means 71 jobs will be eliminated from school campuses and 144 from district headquarters. view article

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) -The CSISD Board of Trustees approved Penné Liefer, Christy Beaudry, Bridget Cooper, and Melanie Young to serve in administrative roles during its regularly scheduled meeting on Feb. 20. Penné Liefer was named CSISD’s assistant superintendent of teaching and learning. Liefer comes to CSISD from Bastrop ISD with 26 years of experience in education, 21 of which have been in administrative positions. Her career began as a math teacher before transitioning to campus administration, where she spent three years as an assistant principal, then four years as a principal in Humble ISD. view article

Charges against a former Dallas ISD employee who was accused of assaulting a student have been dismissed, court filings show. Former coach Marcel Brooks was shown in a viral Instagram video from April hitting a person identified view article

Spring Branch Independent School District has started Phase III in reductions to help close the district’s $35 million general fund budget gap for the 2024-2025 school year. Over the past several months, the district has taken action on the first two phases to save a projected $12.5 million in savings. These budgets include, but are not limited to, closure of two schools, discontinuation of the SKY partnership with YES Prep Public Schools and KIPP Texas, Inc., change in secondary staffing ratios and alignment of schedules, increase in pre-K tuition for non-employees, and restructure of the SPIRAL gifted and talented program. view article

A former Katy ISD football coach was sentenced to 120 days in jail following accusations that he touched students inappropriately, according to records. Lonnie Teagle, a former Paetow High School coach, pleaded guilty to an improper relationship with a student. On top of the 120 days in jail, Teagle also received eight years of deferred adjudication. view article

A former Katy ISD football coach pleaded guilty to having an improper relationship with a student. Lonnie Teagle, who coached at Paetow High School, had only been employed with the school for six months before resigning in October 2022. About a month later, Teagle was arrested and charged with improper relationship with a student and indecency with a child. view article

Despite having a historic budget surplus, and 246 days in session — the longest legislative session in history — lawmakers only passed 10% of education bills, thanks to Gov. Greg Abbott’s obsession with vouchers. Keller ISD Superintendent Tracy Johnson told Community Impact that with the unprecedented surplus the state could still fix the school financing problem today with a fifth special legislative session. “Our state doesn’t care about our kids,” Johnson said. “The cavalry isn’t coming. Keller ISD has to fix our problem. If we don’t get this fixed right now this year, we run the risk of not having a Keller ISD.” Keller ISD is grappling with a daunting $28 million budget deficit, underscoring a broader trend as numerous school districts contend with financial challenges. The fiscal strain experienced by KISD reflects a larger issue affecting education funding across various districts. The Wise County Messenger said it best, for the past months, a common headline has been: [Insert school district name here] adopts a deficit budget. Other ISD’s that are facing a deficit include: view article

Spring Branch Independent School District will not employ librarians at any of its campuses beginning in the 2024-25 school year, a district spokesperson confirmed Tuesday after several days of uncertainty about their fate. Instead, lesser-trained “media center assistants” will keep libraries running for the district’s nearly 34,000 students. The changes come as the district completes its $35 million districtwide budget slash. Job postings on Spring Branch’s website show that the assistants, who only need a high school diploma, won’t need to possess the same experience as the district’s trained librarians, all of whom had college degrees. The assistants will, however, perform many similar duties, such as handling book check-outs and helping students find materials. Libraries will now function as “campus media centers,” district spokesperson Linda Buchman said. She did not detail what changes this entails beyond replacing librarians. view article

In a Tuesday morning press conference, state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles vowed to address systemic inefficiencies across Houston ISD. For the first time since the summer, he also addressed overstated cuts to the Central Office. view article

The CSISD Board of Trustees approved Penné Liefer, Christy Beaudry, Bridget Cooper, and Melanie Young to serve in administrative roles during its regularly scheduled meeting on Feb. 20. Penné Liefer was named CSISD’s assistant superintendent of teaching and learning. Liefer comes to CSISD from Bastrop ISD with 26 years of experience in education, 21 of which have been in administrative positions. Her career began as a math teacher before transitioning to campus administration, where she spent three years as an assistant principal, then four years as a principal in Humble ISD. view article

Gainesville school administrators are combing through the budget to find more money for teachers after state lawmakers failed to approve the $4,000 raise earmarked for additional teacher pay in last year’s legislative session. Gainesville teachers, who start out with an annual salary of $48,000, haven’t had a raise in two years, but the district is providing teachers with instructional coaching. District officials also believe the move this year to a four-day week has helped teachers, said LaCreasha Stille, GISD assistant superintendent for human resources. view article