Houston ISD is two months away from its deadline to finalize next school year's budget, and state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles said tough decisions are ahead — including cuts to the district's central office. In the district's budget meeting last week, Miles shared his spending proposals with the district's board of managers. They include cuts to nearly every department of the central office, except for the Chief of Staff's office, which may see an increase. view article

A man from Orange pleaded guilty to and was sentenced for stealing from Trinidad Independent School District. Brandon Looney, 39, of Orange, pleaded guilty to theft from a program receiving federal funds and was sentenced to two years in federal prison on Thursday by Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle. view article

Midland ISD will “collapse” a second round of positions at the end of the 2024-25 school year, which includes 28 positions that are central office based. MISD is operating this year under a $41.1 million budget deficit because of the expiration of the state FTG program, which had given MISD tens of millions of dollars annually since 2019. The FTG was set to expire this year, and it was not renewed in the previous legislative session. view article

As school districts across Central Texas begin drafting budgets for the upcoming year, parents in Leander ISD worry about the possibility of school closures. The idea surfaced during recent school board meetings, as trustees seek ways to address Leander ISD's financial challenges. In February, Leander ISD announced a $34 million budget deficit. Since then, district leaders have taken steps to reduce costs, including cutting approximately 200 jobs and ending the International Baccalaureate program. Still, parents worry about what further budget cuts could mean for the district's schools. view article

Texas Senators passed legislation ending “shared governance” with university faculty senates in Texas’ public higher education institutions on Wednesday. In state universities, “shared governance” is a term where the boards of regents of universities share power with the faculty, who are represented by a faculty senate—or, in the case of the University of Texas-Austin, the faculty council. Regents are accountable to Texans through the governor’s office and the state senate. Members of the faculty senate enjoy no such accountability. State Sen. Brandon Creighton’s (R-Conroe) proposed measure defines the role of faculty senates as advisory only.  view article

Trustees for the San Antonio Independent School District voted Monday evening to give a 4% raise to full-time hourly staff and a 3% raise to teachers and other salaried employees. The raise will boost starting pay for full-time hourly staff to $17 an hour and the starting pay for teachers to $60,000. It also boosts the pay grades for head custodians and some instructional assistants, including assistants who work with special education students that need behavior support. view article

Leander ISD’s projected budget shortfall for fiscal year 2024-25 increased to about $27.3 million in March. “Last month, we were looking at probably ending the fiscal year at about $26.2 million [in] expenditures exceeding revenues. We have updated this information to show it’s about $27.3 [million],” LISD Chief Financial Officer Peter Pape said at the district’s March 27 board of trustees meeting.  What’s going on? A range of variables can affect expenditures and revenues in the budget each month. Pape emphasized that this increase was being conveyed as an update, and it is liable to change moving forward. He said the projections get more and more accurate as the budget cycle progresses view article

While Washington, D.C., is awash with chaos and mass confusion over Trump administration policies gutting the federal government, our state Legislature in Austin is full speed ahead in passing perhaps the biggest boondoggle in Texas history.  I’m referring to school voucher plans that will pump billions of dollars into private education but won’t have a fraction of the promised benefits that Republicans are arguing to pass these bills.  Gov. Greg Abbott is calling the House bills on vouchers the “Texas Two-Step,” which Texas Democrats call a clever marketing label. Here’s what the party is saying about these measures: view article

Judson ISD officials discussed proposed budget cuts with community members in a town hall Thursday evening. This is the second meeting held to find solutions to chip away at a nearly $50 million deficit. After hours of back-and-forth conversation at Thursday night's meeting, there wont be an easy fix. District trustees wrote out a list, showing what meeting attendees want to see stay, or go. One item on that list has been on the minds of districts across Texas: school closures. view article

The lives of some Socorro and Canutillo independent school district employees were upended late last week as they received a piece of paper informing them that their contracts would not be renewed after the end of the school year. Some of those employees who have been laid off include middle and elementary school music teachers from Socorro ISD and registered nurses from Canutillo ISD. Several SISD employees who received the notices Friday declined to comment at this time, saying they were going to first consult with their teacher unions. view article

Voices of concern echoed outside the Northside Independent School District's activity center on Tuesday as students and alumni gathered to protest potential cuts to school programs, including choir. The demonstration aimed to raise awareness about how these cuts could impact educational offerings. Michaela Alvarado, a music education student at Northwest Vista Community College highlighted the schools affected, saying, "Holmes High School, Connally Middle School, Rayburn Middle School, Pat Neff Middle School and Sul Ross Middle School. Those were some of them were full time positions or half time positions." view article

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

The Socorro Independent School District (SISD) is implementing a resignation incentive program as part of its strategy to address a $38 million budget deficit. The initiative, approved unanimously by the SISD board, targets 100 employees nearing retirement, offering them $2,500 to resign. However, only about 50 employees have opted in ahead of the April 7 deadline. view article

The Socorro Independent School District will cut staff to deal with its budget deficit, its interim superintendent said in a letter sent out to staff on Friday, Feb. 14. How deep those cuts may go have not been determined yet. KTSM verified through several different sources that the letter is valid and was sent out Friday afternoon as staff were leaving school. view article

“Uncertain” was one of the words used by Bryan ISD leadership to describe the 2025-2026 school year budget development process at its board meeting on Monday. With pending legislation at the state level and the future of the Department of Education in question, district leaders said this has made it challenging to build a financial plan. view article

As school districts look at their budgets for future decisions, Round Rock ISD is bracing for the worst. Superintendent Dr. Hafedh Azaiez says Round Rock ISD's worst-case scenario is a potential $16 million deficit for the 2025-26 school year. While there are still a lot of unknowns, Azaiez said the district does not want staff to lose their jobs. Still, budget measures will need to be taken. view article

The board of trustees for the San Antonio Independent School District voted on Monday to eliminate at least 32 positions at the end of the school year. The roles being eliminated are concentrated in the district’s central office. Most of the affected employees are tasked with writing curriculum. Deputy Superintendent Shawn Bird told trustees the district no longer needs employees to write curriculum because the district plans to use instructional materials approved by the state. view article

In the district’s special meeting Monday morning, Superintendent Dr. James Hockenberry submitted his recommended list of employment areas to be affected by a reduction in force of employment contracts or positions based upon the determination of a program change. The reduction could include some members of staff in the following positions as approved by the board: view article

A former Valentine ISD employee was sentenced in a federal court in Pecos to 27 months in prison for wire fraud and theft concerning programs receiving federal funds. Below is a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office Western District of Texas: view article

Goliad ISD is among school districts nationwide expressing concern over recent federal budget cuts targeting education and nutrition programs. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has implemented significant reductions affecting both the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), prompting districts to reassess their budgets and program offerings.​ view article

The Lufkin ISD board is considering the non-renewal of employee contracts in the wake of campus closures. Almost a month after the Lufkin ISD School Board voted to close Coston Elementary and Kurth Primary School, board members are back in session, with another tough decision to make. “It’s scary for people because you don’t know am I going to be affected, is somebody that I care about going to be affected,” said LISD Board President, Kristi Gay. view article

On Tuesday, the U.S. Education Department announced plans to cut nearly half of its entire workforce after President Donald Trump proposed eliminating the agency. A group of state attorneys general filed a lawsuit to stop the job cuts. The lawsuit said the terminations are dismantling the education department. With the potential elimination of the department of education, Brownsville ISD officials said they are concerned about what this could mean for the over 36,000 students they serve. view article

McKinney ISD recently informed parents that some positions and programs could be cut. view article

Manor Independent School District heard from the community Tuesday as it starts working on its budget for the next school year. It's already facing a $14 million budget deficit and needs to make major cuts and changes in order to reach a balanced budget. A couple of ideas are on the table, including having one principal oversee three high schools and increasing class sizes. view article

A multitude of factors are pushing Fort Worth ISD to close schools. None are related to the Texas Legislature’s proposal for a voucher program. The biggest factor? Declining enrollment. Another contributor? Fort Worth ISD’s dollars and staff are spread too thin to adequately meet the educational needs of students, according to district officials. view article

This is your weekly news roundup, which takes a quick look at some developments in government, politics, education, environment and other topics across El Paso. Some Socorro Independent School District employees may be able to take a $2,500 payout to resign as the second-largest district in El Paso prepares to lay off 300 workers. view article

As Houston ISD’s state-appointed board of managers considers closing an undisclosed number of campuses for the 2026-27 school year, elected trustees are asking for community members to be involved in the process. view article

Dallas ISD could lose out on thousands of dollars in funding after student absences spiked in January. More than 15% of the district’s roughly 138,900 students were absent on Jan. 21, according to records requested by KERA, and the percentage stayed in the double digits through the end of the month. view article

The Canutillo Independent School District is considering laying off employees, increasing class sizes and cutting student programs as it faces potential financial exigency — the equivalent of bankruptcy for education institutions. The Canutillo ISD school board met Tuesday to discuss the budget for the 2025-26 school year and go over cost-saving options, including eliminating elementary school music classes, canceling district-funded travel and setting a hiring freeze on non-essential employees. view article

Despite beginning the 2024-25 school year with a $30.8 million deficit, Frisco ISD officials are working toward entering the 2025-26 school year with a balanced budget. Kimberly Smith, the district's chief finance and strategy officer, told the board during its Feb. 24 work session that its deficit now sits at $3.01 million. Mike Albanese is the Managing Editor of Star Local Media and is covers Celina and Frisco. He can be found on X at @NewsyMike_SLM. view article

Two state senators have sent a letter to university boards of regents announcing the move to freeze state funding increases if they do not demonstrate compliance with state law. view article

Voters in the Socorro Independent School District in El Paso approved a $448.5 million bond issue in November 2017 that included $59.9 million for a second stadium in the district’s Student Activities Complex. Socorro voters agreed to tax themselves to pay for the bonds. Property taxes collected for those bonds go into the interest and sinking fund, and must be used to repay the bond issues. view article

San Antonio Independent School District has spent nearly a half million dollars on just one expense since 2022: a consultant, records obtained by KSAT Investigates show. After several tips from former employees and viewers, KSAT Investigates reviewed Brad Jupp’s role with SAISD and his impact on its students. view article

Days before the start of the legislative session, Texas A&M University administrators were already bracing for a hit to their budget. view article

Aldine ISD has voted to close six schools due to declining enrollment, a big change for many families in the district, but it's a decision the board members felt had to happen. The list includes Stovall and De Santiago -- both early education centers -- Eckert Elementary School, Oleson Elementary, Raymond Elementary, and Smith Elementary. view article