Ector County ISD welcomed hundreds of new teachers Monday afternoon to kick off the upcoming school year. The special event aimed to make new staff feel supported and at home, including around 70 international hires from countries such as the Philippines, Spain and Colombia. The celebration featured marching bands, cheerleaders and giveaways, all designed to show teachers they’re not alone as they begin their careers. view article

KERRVILLE, Texas (KXAN) – Records obtained by KXAN investigators show the mayor of Kerrville received an invite two days before the deadly July 4 flood in and around his community to attend a call with state officials briefing area leaders on the weather dangers ahead. The discovery comes amid continued criticism local decision-makers failed to prepare for the disaster, alert residents and evacuate people sooner.  In an email sent by the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s State Operations Center on July 2, Mayor Joe Herring was invited to attend a “Situational Awareness Call for Severe Weather” at 10 a.m. the following day. Associated slides – which indicated a flash flooding risk for the region – were also sent by TDEM a half hour before that call to both the mayor and Jerremy Hughes, then employed by the city as its emergency management coordinator. view article

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As school districts across Central Texas make budget decisions for the 2025-26 school year, KXAN is keeping track of starting teacher salaries area-wide.  There are 58 districts in the KXAN viewing area, from Mason ISD in the west to Fayetteville ISD in the east. So far, 37 of those districts have announced salaries for the upcoming school year.  The map below shows starting salaries in each district for new teachers with no experience. view article

A jury has found a former LaPoynor ISD coach guilty of tampering with evidence after an incident involving a recording in a girls’ locker room. LaPoynor ISD serves Larue and Poynor, communities southeast of Athens. Former girls’ basketball coach Jammie Allen Maze, 45, of Brownsboro, was arrested in 2023 after a phone was found with the camera on left in a shoe under a bench in the girl’s locker room. view article

GLADEWATER – Union Grove ISD trustees accepted the resignation of Superintendent Kelly Moore during Tuesday night’s meeting.  Moore resigned amid controversy regarding an incident in the spring in which a student recorded another student in a school bathroom stall. The student who was the subject of the video later held a gun to his head and threatened to commit suicide. view article

Baird ISD employee Waldo Rodriquez is now facing deportation even though his employer says he was meeting the conditions set out for him by U.S. Immigration. view article

On July 15 and 16, the Cooke County Sheriff’s Department hosted and coordinated a joint law enforcement "sting" operation with Texas DPS, Collin County Sheriff’s Department, and the Colony Police Department. view article

Derrick Brookins, a choir director at Denton ISD’s Braswell High School in Little Elm, was arrested on an indecency with a child charge the day before the seniors in his program graduated. Frisco police arrested Brookins, 54, on May 22 for allegedly performing a sexual act in front of a child, according to an arrest report. Collin County Jail records show his bail was set at $10,000, and he posted bail and was released May 23. view article

Belton High School teacher Pietro Giustino is charged with possessing child sexual abuse material including depictions of minors engaged in sexual intercourse. view article

The starting teacher salary now sits at $60,000. As the new school year approaches, Sherman ISD staff got some good news Tuesday evening. “We were able to implement a $3,100 raise for teachers with 0 to 4 years of experience, a 5 thousand dollar raise for teachers with 5+ years experience,” Thomas O’Neal, Sherman ISD Superintendent, said. view article

The Copperas Cove ISD Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, July 15 approved an increase to the teacher pay scale. The trustees also agreed on a 3% raise from the midpoint for all of CCISD's administrative, clerical and auxiliary employees. With this approval, CCISD's starting teacher salary rose to $56,000, an increase of $3,000. With this increase in wages, alongside the recently approved House Bill 2, teachers with more than two years experience will receive a $2,500 increase in pay and teachers with more than five years experience will receive a $5,000 increase. view article

A Texas City High School teacher is in custody and charged with online solicitation of a minor, according to the Harris County Precinct One Constable's Office. John Derrick Taylor, 55, is a math teacher and power-lifting coach for boys and girls at the Texas City ISD school. Taylor was arrested at his home in Manvel on Tuesday by detectives with Precinct One’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. view article

Willis ISD trustees approved its 2025-26 compensation plan, the district announced July 10. The plan includes salary increases for teachers, instructional professionals, nonexempt hourly personnel and administrators, according to the district. view article

Candra Rogers, 56, a Corsicana ISD educator who was blinded in her left eye in August 2024 by a student is returning to help students and families access resources beyond the classroom. Rogers was recently named the district’s Family and Community Engagement Coordinator for Wraparound Services. The program provides non-academic support to students in need, according to the district. The services include school uniforms, supplies, and hygiene products, all aimed at removing barriers to learning. view article

A Houston Independent School District Physical Education teacher has been charged after being accused of posting explicit videos of his ex-girlfriend, according to court records. What we know: Christopher J. Hampton is charged with unlawful disclosure of intimate visual material. Hampton is a PE teacher at Pleasantville Elementary. view article

Aldine ISD has promoted Diaka R. Melendez to Chief of School Improvement. In her expanded role, Melendez continues to oversee key student support services — including athletics, school administration, guidance and counseling, health services, and mental health and support services — while now directly supporting two school assistant superintendents and a cohort of opportunity schools. The campuses include Elementary Team 1, under the leadership of Scott Dubberke, which comprises Caraway, Dunn, Francis, Harris, Ogden, Spence, and Stehlik elementary schools; Secondary Team 2, led by Dr. Kwabena Mensah, which includes Aldine, Grantham, Hoffman, Lewis, Mead, and Stovall middle schools. view article

Hallsville ISD is looking to provide raises to teachers in addition to those approved earlier this year by the Texas Legislature. Trustees met recently to discuss the district's 2025-26 budget. A report on salary increases was presented to the board by Mary Brown, assistant superintendent of finance. view article

Denton ISD announced pay raises for all staff going into the 2025-26 school year. Pay raises for teachers were provided during the most recent state legislative session. Texas lawmakers passed House Bill 2, which included a pay raise based on experience. view article

Jean Laswell has been appointed as the inaugural principal of the brand-new Plano ISD Career and Technical Education Center. Jean holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Texas A&M University-Commerce and a Master of Arts in Career and Technical Education from Ball State University. Jean began her teaching career in computer science, accounting, business, marketing and engineering before transitioning into administration. For the past 14 years, she has served as both an assistant principal and principal at CTE centers in two different school districts. Her experience includes designing facilities, building programs from the ground up and fostering strong community and business partnerships. Her proven track record in CTE education makes her the ideal leader for this new and exciting venture in Plano ISD 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

Across the nation, school districts are having a hard time keeping and hiring bus drivers. One local school district, Comal ISD, is becoming greatly effected. As one of the fastest growing and largest districts in the San Antonio area, the district covers over 500 square miles in five different counties with over 27,000 students attending. view article

Brenham ISD Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Eliot Allen has accepted a position with a new school district. Brenham ISD announced this (Thursday) afternoon that Allen has been selected as Director of Athletics for Bastrop ISD. He will begin his new position next week. view article

A longtime Lake Highlands High School resource officer has died due to complications from COVID-19, the Lake Highlands Advocate reported. After experiencing breathing difficulties from the illness, Chris Gibson went to a hospital Sunday morning and died shortly after, the report said. Gibson, known as “Gibby,” made a lasting impression on his colleagues and people he knew and worked with in Richardson ISD schools and the Dallas Police Department, according to the report. view article

They say participation is strictly voluntary, but the Fort Worth Independent School District is offering a one-time $500 incentive to employees who get fully vaccinated against COVID. Administrators say the money is an ‘effort to provide safe and healthy environments for students, staff and visitors’. view article

The Victoria I.S.D. Board of Trustees has approved the hiring of Anita Taylor as the new Executive Director of Strategic Planning and School Improvement for the district. The Curriculum, Instruction, and Accountability (CIA) department underwent a restructuring that consolidated positions resulting in creating the Executive Director of Strategic Planning and School Improvement. The total number of positions within the CIA department has decreased, allowing for efficient departmental workflow. view article

When Midland ISD leaders approved the salary schedule earlier this month, they increased a starting teacher’s salary that was the highest in the region. The starting teacher at Midland ISD during the 2020-21 school year made $56,500. That was the highest of all districts in a report that the district offered the Reporter-Telegram. Other districts included Ector County ($54,250), Andrews ($53,500), the entire El Paso region, Amarillo ($50,258) and Lubbock ($45,000). view article

Katy ISD’s Mayde Creek High School Principal, Ronnie Edwards was appointed as the District’s new Assistant Superintendent for School Leadership and Support. view article

East Texas Now host Jeremy G. Butler was joined by Longview ISD human relations director, Shalona McCray, and multimedia director, Elizabeth Ross, speaking about their upcoming job fair. McCray called the CareerFest a “job fair with a little more flair”. view article

Students at Eanes ISD’s Cedar Creek Elementary School will begin the 2021-22 school year with a new principal. The EISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved Laura Coaxum as the CCE principal during an April 27 board meeting. view article

A Garland ISD employee is on administrative leave after allegedly taking photos of a female elementary school student while she was in the restroom. The incident reportedly took place during the week of March 29 at Abbett Elementary, according to an email sent to parents on Thursday, April 1. view article

Grapevine-Colleyville ISD has lost the beloved leader of its fine arts program. David Zahrndt, 46, who was director of fine arts for the district, died March 6, according to the district. “This past weekend, GCISD Director of Fine Arts David Zahrndt passed away unexpectedly,” the GCISD tweeted last Thursday. view article

Longview ISD assistant principal earns state honor

March 1108:25 AM

 

Longview ISD's Mrs. Christi Coleman has been named 2021 Region VII Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year by the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA). Mrs. Coleman is in her 26th year in education and truly has a heart for her students and colleagues. As a teacher, she taught on the elementary and junior high levels, as well as special education. "This award is truly a testament to the hard work and dedication of the professionals that surround me, along with the great things that are taking place to help students at Hudson PEP," she said. "I am incredibly grateful to work with students and staff who inspire me and I am proud to be part of the Hudson PEP family." view article

Bryan ISD's Board of Trustees have approved a one-time $500 supplement for their salaried employees. Teachers, counselors, librarians, nurses, administrators and professional staff receive their pay bonus on their Dec 15 paycheck. view article

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A Hill Country Middle School teacher in the Eanes Independent School District got a special sendoff Thursday afternoon. Pam Fletcher-Friday has taught theatre at the middle school for more than 30 years. She’s preparing to retire soon, so the district wanted to honor her with a parade. view article