AUSTIN (KXAN) — As thousands of Texas children head into summer break, state officials are urging parents to carefully vet childcare arrangements and warn against placing children in unregulated operations that may not meet basic health and safety standards.  The press release from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission comes as the demand for childcare during the summer increases and follows growing concerns about the number of children being cared for in unregulated   establishments. State officials are encouraging families to choose licensed or registered childcare providers that undergo inspections, background checks and safety reviews.  The agency said regulated childcare providers are required to meet state health and safety standards designed to protect children. Parents can search for regulated providers and review inspection histories through the state’s childcare database. view article

District officials announced cuts affecting 558 positions.  Austin Independent School District has released its recommended budget for the 2026-2027 school year, including cuts to reduce the $181 million deficit. The cuts will affect over 558 positions.  Superintendent Matias Segura has guaranteed that teachers with state certifications will retain their jobs. However, non-certified teachers will move to different qualifying roles that the district is still working to find. Additionally, 112 qualified teachers will move to different districts, and Austin ISD will eliminate 228 department vacancies.  Austin ISD will also close 11 schools, saving approximately $21 million.   The district is also planning to increase the teacher-student ratio and reduce the amount of teacher planning periods. Educators have already started petitions claiming that the reduced amount of time will not allow them to serve their students effectively, especially when increasing the teacher-student ratio.  view article

Sequoia Solar, in Callahan County, Texas, has officially brought its first 400 megawatts of capacity online. That first phase is now operating, while a second 415-megawatt phase is due online before the end of the year.  Together, the two phases will bring the project to 815 megawatts, placing it among the continent's largest solar developments, according to Electrek. Power from the project is being sold under long-term purchase agreements to AT&T, Toyota, PepsiCo, and Donaldson Company. view article

Budget discussions continue for Austin ISD, as leaders ask for additional time before releasing a full 2026–27 proposal while working to close a projected $181 million deficit. Officials said they are still exploring ways to preserve the student experience as much as possible, despite the expected cuts. view article

Sam Altman’s high-profile courtroom win comes at a cost for the OpenAI CEO view article

Critics are pointing to two other serious felony cases that the attorney general’s prosecutors took to trial that ended in mistrials and, eventually, plea deals. view article

Campaigns are racing to turn out small slice of voters expected to decide contests for the U.S. Senate, House and statewide offices. view article

Sally (Womack) Smith, age 79, of Lufkin, Texas, went home to be with her Lord and Savior Monday, May 4, 2026. She was born November 1, 1946, in Lufkin, Texas, where she spent her life loving, serving, and caring for others.  Sally is survived by her husband of fifty-four years, Joe Smith; her son, Joshua Smith; her daughter-in-law, Jennifer Smith; and her grandson, Jason Smith, who was a constant source of pride and joy. view article

For those of you that have known TexasISD.com for a long time. We lost our beloved wife, mother. editor and proofreader this past Monday.

100,000 strong showed out in Aggieland on Saturday night. view article

The flood of data centers signaling interest in Texas keeps growing to ever more impossible heights, prompting questions and anxiety about how the state’s power grid can keep up.   To manage this growth, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas is debating a proposal to incentivize data centers to bring their own power generation, or reduce their power usage any time the grid operator tells them to. In exchange, ERCOT would promise a faster grid connection. view article

   Talia Natterson is a sophomore at Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences, a private school in Los Angeles, California. She writes for her school publication, Crossfire.