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

It's been two years since Houston ISD staff and families were jolted by the news that the state was taking over Houston ISD, a span that has been filled with upheaval. A large employee exodus ensued and yearslong enrollment declines were exasperated. The state's largest school district also celebrated academic gains on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness and the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Here are some of the headlines since the March 15, 2023 takeover announcement: view article

A far north Fort Worth homeowners association has asked a judge to remove the five Keller school board members who planned to split the district. In a petition filed March 27, the Heritage Legal Task Force, representing the Heritage Homeowners Association, requested the removal of board President Charles Randklev and members Heather Washington, John Birt, Chris Coker, and Micah Young for “incompetency and official misconduct.” Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article302956804.html#storylink=cpy view article

Killeen ISD superintendent Dr. Jo Ann Fey and the school board met Tuesday to talk about school safety as kids finished their first day back at Roy J. Smith Middle School two weeks after a deadly on campus stabbing. The meeting started with open comment, where dozens of parents and community members were given the opportunity to voice their concerns. Most of them spoke about bullying within all schools. view article

Fort Bend ISD trustees voted to take a closer look at the controversial, state-created Bluebonnet Learning curriculum during Monday night's board meeting. At this point, they didn't decide to adopt the curriculum, they just decided to review it, according to our news partners at the Houston Chronicle. That decision means FBISD will be sent a free pilot set of materials to review. view article

According to Josh Haney, senior vice president of finance for the Austin-based consultants MoakCasey, told board members during a public meeting that his firm only looked at how revenues would be impacted if the Keller school district were to split. However, in an email to the district on Dec. 19, Haney noted the expenditure impact on the new district regarding the number of bilingual and special education students in the new district. By Candi Bolden Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article302360354.html#storylink=cpy view article

Canutillo Independent School District’s Board of Trustees President Armando Rodriguez was served with a lawsuit last Friday, March 14, on his removal from the board, according to the citation. The citation says Rodriguez has 20 days from when the lawsuit was filed to respond with a written answer. As we previously reported, a group of local citizens filed a petition to have Rodriguez removed from the board in May 2024, due to his previous arrest records of driving while intoxicated since his election into the board in 2005. view article

A growing debate in Texas school districts centers around the adoption of what’s being referred to as the “Bluebonnet Learning Curriculum.” Developed by the Texas Education Agency, the curriculum is drawing criticism due to its inclusion of religious references, which some argue is inappropriate for public school classrooms. view article

The Seguin ISD Board of Trustees is slated to meet for a third time to discuss the contract of Superintendent Veronica Vijil. The board met twice over the last month to conduct Dr. Vijil’s annual evaluation and to consider any changes to her contract. Because it’s a personnel issue, all the discussions have been conducted in closed session. The board has offered no details on how it feels about Vijil’s overall performance. It also hasn’t been publicly discussed why the board is meeting again on this issue. The board’s agenda calls for the board to again meet behind closed doors for a “consultation with legal counsel regarding the superintendent’s contract.” view article

A petition against Conroe ISD's implementation of the controversial Bible-infused Bluebonnet Learning curriculum has gained traction, receiving more than 1,300 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon. In February, trustees for the school district north of Houston voted to adopt the state-developed curriculum for the upcoming 2025-26 school year. Supporters say its biblical references are meant to teach about literature and not religion, and that its reading and language arts lessons for elementary students could teach children about the country's history. view article

Psychology professor Amy Campbell will be the next member of the Grandville Public Schools Board of Education after a unanimous vote by the Kent ISD School Board Monday evening. “I’m excited that they selected me; I look forward to (serving), building relationships and just getting to know everyone,” said Campbell, a professor of school psychology at Grand Valley State University, mother of children at Cummings Elementary School and former president of the Michigan Association of School Psychologists. view article

A month after the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees adopted the controversial Bluebonnet curriculum, an online petition urging the district to reverse that decision has garnered more than 1,300 signatures. The board adopted the curriculum for the upcoming school year during a February board meeting. view article

A discussion about Texas' controversial Bible-infused curriculum got so heated Monday night that police removed a woman who flipped off a Fort Bend ISD trustee and called him a fascist. The uproar over whether the Fort Bend ISD should review a sample of the Texas Education Agency's Bluebonnet materials interrupted the meeting in Sugar Land, forcing officers to ask the public to leave so they could escort the woman off the premises. view article

Parents in Fort Bend County ISD voiced strong opposition Monday night during a school board workshop to the proposed Bluebonnet curriculum. The curriculum, which would incorporate Bible references in reading classes, has been approved by the State Board of Education but faces significant resistance from local parents. view article

A discussion about Texas' controversial Bible-infused curriculum got so heated Monday night that police removed a woman who flipped off a Fort Bend ISD trustee and called him a fascist. The uproar over whether the Fort Bend ISD should review a sample of the Texas Education Agency's Bluebonnet materials interrupted the meeting in Sugar Land, forcing officers to ask the public to leave so they could escort the woman off the premises. view article

It appears Keller ISD no longer plans to move forward with splitting the district, citing its existing bond debt as a major issue in a letter to the community. "The District currently carries over $700 million in debt from previous bonds," the district wrote. "Under a reshaping scenario, distributing this debt fairly would require tens of millions in additional funding – resources we simply do not have." view article

The Brownsville Independent School District Board of Trustees failed to agree Friday night on a path to hold a special election to fill former board president Erasmo Castro Jr.’s seat, choosing instead to make an appointment to fill the vacancy. The board met Friday because Tuesday is the last day to call a special election for the next available date on the state’s election calendar, May 3. The meeting would also have to be posted 72 hours in advance, Saturday, board attorney Eden Ramirez and Cameron County Elections Administrator Remi Garza confirmed at the meeting. 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

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