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

Alfred Jimenez, 73, had worked at Brandeis High School since 2014. Everyone knew him as Mr. Fred. Jimenez passed away on Feb. 17 - 10 days after falling tot he floor and suffering a head injury while dealing with student in a special needs classroom. view article

Copperas Cove ISD surprised 92 teachers with pay increases on Friday, Feb. 16, as part of the Teacher Incentive Allotment program. The T.I.A. program, through the Texas Education Agency, provides school districts with state funding with the hope of better recruiting and retaining high-performing educators. Courtney Liverpool, a 4th grade English-Language Arts teacher at Fairview/Miss Jewell Elementary, says it is important to recognize teachers for the hard work they do. “We work really hard,” Liverpool said. “The kids want to work hard for us, they want to show improvement and grow in reading, so, it is very important to acknowledge us.” view article

MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – The Board of Trustees for Midland ISD heard a presentation on Tuesday about the Principal Incentive Allotment, a program which provides monetary incentives ranging from $10,000 to $37,000, depending on multiple factors. This program is thanks to federal grants and a generous donation from the Permian Strategic Partnership. “At the Permian Strategic Partnership, we recognize the pivotal role that public education plays in cultivating and attracting a robust talent pipeline for our region,” said Tracee Bentley, PSP President & Chief Executive Officer. “Our Principal Incentive Allotment program, which rewards principals based on student performance, serves as a catalyst in fortifying strong leadership within our schools.”  PIA was inspired by the state’s Teacher Incentive Allotment program and Opportunity Culture Initiative, which both increase highly effective teachers through stipends. view article

It’s a pattern seen among nearly all Houston-area school districts burdened by major budget shortfalls, which leaders have attributed to state lawmakers who failed to pass public school funding packages that would’ve increased the state’s monetary dedication to Texas school districts. view article

The UT System Board of Regents is expected to approve the contract this week, making Sarkisian one of the highest-paid coaches in the country.  Steve Sarkisian, the head football coach at the University of Texas at Austin, is expected to earn a guaranteed salary of $10.3 million this year, a substantial pay raise that would put him among the highest-paid division 1 football coaches nationwide.  The University of Texas System Board of Regents is set to review and approve the pay increase during a meeting scheduled for Feb. 21, according to a meeting agenda released Saturday. The terms of employment have already been approved by the school’s leadership and general counsel.  Under the new contract, Sarkisian would receive a pay bump of $100,000 each year until the termination of the agreement at the end of 2030, when he would earn a guaranteed $10.9 million. That represents a 78% overall increase in Sarkisian’s guaranteed salary. He will earn at least $74.2 million over the duration of the contract. view article

The Marshall Police Department said that they’ve arrested a 23-year-old woman following allegations of an “improper relationship between a teacher and a 16-year-old student” at a Marshall ISD school. The case was reportedly brought to MPD’s attention on Feb. 14 by Marshall ISD Police Department. MISD PD was notified by Superintendent Dr. Richelle Langley after learning about the allegations from MISD School Board President Brad Burris. view article

Spring Branch Independent School District leaders will cut 215 more positions ahead of the 2024-25 school year, officially making good on its goal of slashing $35 million from its budget. The cuts, announced Friday afternoon, will span from the campus to administrative level, impacting librarians, counseling and academic support staff, among other positions. The cuts total over $22.5 million, the largest slash since district leaders began addressing its shortfall in October. view article

Fort Worth ISD has released more details on the district layoffs announced earlier this week. Superintendent Angelica Ramsey said she waited to reveal the details until the impacted workers could be notified directly first. On Friday, a district spokesperson said a total of 133 positions will be reduced or eliminated. Four positions were funded from local district funds while 129 positions were funded through federal dollars. view article

Copperas Cove ISD surprised 92 teachers with pay increases on Friday, Feb. 16, as part of the Teacher Incentive Allotment program. The T.I.A. program, through the Texas Education Agency, provides school districts with state funding with the hope of better recruiting and retaining high-performing educators. Courtney Liverpool, a 4th grade English-Language Arts teacher at Fairview/Miss Jewell Elementary, says it is important to recognize teachers for the hard work they do. view article

In the face of declining enrollment and projected budget shortfalls, the Fort Worth Independent School District plans to cut staff. Superintendent Angelica Ramsey posted the announcement online Monday. "This year, due to continued projections of declining enrollment, coupled with legislative inaction on public school financing, the sunsetting of ESSER funds, fewer federal dollars, and a projected budget deficit, it has become necessary for us to make additional reductions both in budgets and staff," Ramsey wrote. view article

The ad opens with a dramatic message: “Steve Allison failed our teachers and kids.” It says the San Antonio Republican stopped a bill in the Texas House last year that would have raised teacher pay, ended STAAR testing and poured more than $200 million into public schools in his district. “You deserve better,” the narrator concludes. RELATED: Who’s behind the campaign mailers flooding GOP districts? Most lead back view article

A Texas school is once again being exposed by the watchdog account Libs of TikTok for employing a teacher that dresses in drag at school. A video shared on X shows the male teacher, identified as Rachmad Tjachyadi of Hebron High School in Lewisville ISD, roaming the halls of the school wearing a pink dress and a pink cowboy hat. view article

An unknown number of employees in the Fort Worth school district will soon find out if they’re being laid off after Superintendent Angélica Ramsey announced the pending cuts on Monday and the school board finalized the decision on Tuesday. Officials said the cuts are necessary because of the loss of federal dollars such as ESSER funding, which provided temporary relief to districts to help students catch up and return to school safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to declining student enrollment, a projected budget deficit and a lack of state legislative action on public school funding. view article

The Fort Worth Independent School District focused its layoffs this week on its technology division, a move described as unfortunate but necessary amid budget constraints that was finalized by the Board of Education on Tuesday. District officials on Thursday released the resolution that declares Fort Worth ISD’s workforce reduction and additional details behind the staff cuts after notifying impacted employees. The document obtained by the Star-Telegram states that within its technology division, the eliminated jobs include: view article

The departments affected in Fort Worth ISD's layoffs will be the technology and the IT department, freshman success coaches and Leadership Academy Network instructional specialists. view article

Hidalgo ISD named Jason Wheeler as its next athletic director and head football coach during a school board meeting Thursday evening. Wheeler was Mission High’s defensive coordinator in 2023 and previously served as the head football coach at Sharyland Pioneer from 2014-2017. He has also been an assistant coach at programs including Los Fresnos, Port Isabel, San Benito and Hidalgo, where he now takes over. view article

Navasota ISD is expected to name a new athletic director and head football coach next Monday and News 3 Sports has learned it will be either Jordan Gill, the current offensive coordinator at Gunter, or Trey Allen who has been the head football coach at Kirbyville High School the last three years. view article

Midland Independent School District announced Tuesday that they hired from within to fill their executive director of athletics position, and it's former Athletic Director Wesley Torres. Torres has been in the Tall City for over a decade, beginning with his time as the girls basketball coach and girls athletic coordinator at Midland High School. Torres detailed some of the best parts of the athletic department at MISD and his personal leadership style. view article

The Aldine ISD Police Department proudly announces that Commander Marc Harris recently received a Certificate of Graduation from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) upon completing the Homeland Security Leadership Academy (HSLA) conducted at FLETC, Brunswick, GA. view article

LINDALE, Texas (KETK) – A Lindale High School educator has been recognized as a national board certified teacher. Lufkin ISD administrator elected to serve on statewide board According to a release, Renee Ramsey, an English and American history teacher at Lindale High School, has completed the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards program. view article

In a significant stride towards fostering inclusivity and providing specialized support for students with dyslexia, Garland Independent School District’s Dyslexia Therapist Training Center has achieved accreditation, marking a milestone for the GISD Dyslexia Department. “The GISD Dyslexia Therapist Training Center is one of two national training centers, and we are proud to have earned accreditation for our center,” said Dr. Marcy Eisinger, Assistant Director of the Dyslexia Department. “What sets us apart from other local and national centers is that we offer three programming options and can train teachers up to qualified-instructor level. The accreditation allows the department to have a voice in dyslexia instruction in public education on behalf of Garland ISD.” The path to accreditation from the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC) has been a work in progress since 2019 when the department received a grant to develop the center. Eisinger says the district knew there was a need for quality dyslexia training to meet the needs of all students identified with dyslexia, and plans to create the center began. view article

The Corpus Christi ISD Board of Trustees Monday voted against employing chaplains in schools. The board was required to vote on the issue in response to a bill approved by the Texas Legislature last spring allowing public schools to hire unlicensed religious chaplains in mental health roles. The board previously discussed school chaplains and expressed opposition to the idea in January, delaying a vote until this week in order to fine-tune the language for a resolution as required by the state law. view article

In a message to employees on Monday, Superintendent Dr. Angelica Ramsey blamed a decline in enrollment numbers combined with fewer federal dollars along with public school financing from the state. Ramsey didn't say how many employees could be impacted but that they would be informed by the end of the week. Tuesday night, the school board will take up a reduction in force resolution. view article

Fort Worth ISD will reduce budgets and cut staff as the district deals with several challenges. District Superintendent Dr. Angelica M. Ramsey cited an expected decline in enrollment, the failure of the Texas Legislature to increase public school funding, fewer federal dollars, and a projected budget deficit among the reasons behind the cuts. view article

To prepare for the openings of Barbara Bennett Elementary School and Iowa Colony Junior High School, additional staffing positions have been requested to allow time for “extensive planning and hiring” as the schools’ openings are approaching for the 2024-25 school year, according to district documents. Iowa Colony High School will also be considered for additional staffing, as 12th grade will be added to the high school beginning in the 2024-25 school year, according to district agenda documents. view article

Two more students have come forward, accusing a fired Klein ISD elementary school teacher of sexual misconduct, according to prosecutors. Matthew Stegeman, 52, is already facing one count of indecency with a child by sexual contact after being accused of inappropriately touching a 7-year-old student at Klein ISD's Epps Island Elementary School in September 2023. Prosecutors said in the last few weeks more victims have come forward. view article

A Bonham ISD teacher was arrested Thursday morning after being accused of having inappropriate communication with a high school student on social media. In a statement, Bonham ISD Superintendent Kelly Trompler said that a student reported the behavior Wednesday, and the intermediate school teacher was removed from campus and placed on administrative leave. view article

A teacher has been arrested after he was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a student. Blake Attaway, 25, was placed on leave as of Wednesday, the school district said, after concerns about his behavior were brought forward by students and staff. On Friday, deputies executed a search warrant on CR 2610 in Alto, where they arrested Attaway on a charge of improper relationship with a student at Alto ISD, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. view article