His campaign announcement included praise from Trump, who described Reitz as “a true MAGA attorney” and “a warrior for our Constitution.” view article

Frisco ISD is changing its policies on who can transfer into the district. The district hopes the changes will help prevent further budget cuts. The district hopes these options will help increase enrollment and retain students in the district. view article

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. — When Bethany Jolliffe started teaching kindergarten 15 years ago, she picked up on what seemed like a long-standing pattern: Teachers mostly stayed in their lane, with general education teachers focusing on “their” students, and special education teachers homed in on students deemed to be their responsibility. Instead of keeping children with disabilities in classrooms and bringing help to them, teachers often pulled them out of the classroom, away from their peers.  Nationwide, that’s a common approach in schools, where many students with disabilities, starting in kindergarten, are segregated from their classmates for large portions of the day. At Westmoor Elementary in west Scottsbluff, where Jolliffe is now assistant principal, that’s no longer the case. In classrooms across the school, children of all abilities learn side by side. Special education teachers and paraprofessionals spend hours in the same classrooms to provide support to students who may need it. All teachers spend time planning together to figure out how to support every student who walks through their door. view article

A group of gardeners is providing food for East Texans. They’re not with an organization, though. In fact, they just finished fourth grade. “I think everybody in our community is our family,” said Kenley Collier, a fourth grade student at Frances Corprew Elementary. This group of students in Mount Pleasant put time and effort into gardening for the future. They started planting in September. Now, there’s bell peppers, crookneck squash, zucchini, strawberries and more. view article

This week we turn our focus on two Canyon ISD schools that caught the public’s attention. West Plains Junior High Arden Road Elementary Over the past two weeks, the community reached out sharing images and videos showing water pooling on sidewalks and irrigation systems spraying onto streets rather than school lawns. We reached out to Canyon ISD and Lisa Johnson, the director of district communications, said they’re working to correct it now. view article

New data from the Ysleta Independent School District reveals significant disparities in school enrollment versus capacity, highlighting a pressing issue as the district grapples with a $35.2 million budget deficit. Ysleta ISD Superintendent Dr. Xavier De La Torre echoed these concerns, noting a consistent decline in enrollment for over two decades. view article

A non-profit will host a school choice forum Monday evening to help parents learn more about the state’s new voucher program. view article

Dallas ISD launched its first girls’ flag football league this spring, partnering with the Dallas Cowboys. All 22 district high schools fielded teams in the inaugural season. The program marks a significant expansion of opportunities for female athletes in Texas. Two players have already secured college scholarships, signaling the sport’s growing legitimacy. view article

Julie Hinaman had questions. Lots of them. She dropped a three-ring binder on the dais, her blond bob and dark-rimmed glasses peeking over the edge of the tome that felt to her like contraband: thirteen chapters of science and career-tech curriculum her fellow board members had stripped from textbooks the year before, citing concerns over pro-vaccine propaganda and climate science’s implication that “humans are bad.” view article

The Socorro Independent School District has finalized a plan to reduce its workforce as part of efforts to address a multi-million-dollar budget deficit. The district's board approved the non-renewal of contracts for several fine arts employees, a decision that affects teachers with term contracts who did not file an appeal. view article

Austin ISD is expected to decide on some changes for the upcoming school year during a virtual meeting Thursday. The district said it planned on consolidating schools beginning in the 2026–27 school year, which could include school closures, boundary changes and more. view article

Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday signed into law a bill providing roughly $8.5 billion in new funding for Texas public schools, offering relief to districts for teacher and support staff pay, operational expenses, special education, educator preparation, early childhood learning and campus safety. The new dollars in House Bill 2, which lawmakers have dubbed “historic” because it marks the largest one-time public education investment in recent memory, will arrive after years of stagnant funding. That includes 2023, when the state gave schools targeted money in areas like school security but left billions more on the table due to the political fallout over private school vouchers. view article

Ogg publicly accused one of the men charged in Nungaray’s murder of previously assaulting someone in Costa Rica. view article

Hutto ISD has launched a new First Offender Program (FOP) aimed at addressing vaping incidents on campus. The initiative, in partnership with Williamson County Juvenile Services, provides students with an opportunity to avoid criminal charges through education, mentorship and structured intervention. Under the program, students caught vaping or possessing nicotine or THC products can participate in a structured intervention rather than facing immediate legal consequences. The program includes an online educational component, a written reflection and weekly mentorship meetings with an officer. view article

Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill last month allowing a referee, judge, or other official of an extracurricular athletic activity to remove spectators without warning. The bill, SB 2929, was approved by the House and Senate and sent to the governor's desk during the last session. The bill allows officials at scholastic athletic events to remove spectators, without warning, from events sponsored or sanctioned by the school district or the University Interscholastic League starting in the 2025-2026 school year. view article

As a parent of three students at Faubion Elementary School, Lindsey King cherishes her close connection to the campus. "I live two blocks from Faubion, and so my kids walk to school and I know people in this neighborhood do as well," King said. view article

[In this week's edition: A federal agency funding museums and libraries faces a legal battle seeking to shutter it. The Education Department misses a key deadline to deliver its annual statistical report. Pathways to climate careers have diminished for the class of 2025. Students at Hamlin Elementary are silhouetted against the screen of a traveling planetarium. Federal support has allowed the South Dakota Discovery Center to update the exhibit to give the impression of flying through space. Credit: Anya Kamenetz for The Hechinger Report view article

Texas lawmakers agreed to give the new city of Starbase the authority to periodically close down a South Texas beach, giving more power to municipal officials with close ties to SpaceX over the objections of local activists trying to preserve access to the beach.  After previous versions of the measure died earlier during the legislative session, a last-minute addition to a bill related to the Texas Space Commission successfully granted Starbase officials the authority to temporarily close down Boca Chica Beach for SpaceX launches.  House Bill 5246 revises the power and duties of the Texas Space Commission and the Texas Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium. view article

For nearly a year, neighbors in northeast Denton have been working to preserve the Hartlee Field area, with its historic World War II hangars, from development by turning it into a state park. They’re not anti-development, but for this area they say it makes sense to preserve it, especially given Denton’s dwindling green spaces. view article

Months ago, when Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee Chair Lois Kolkhorst first held a hearing on Senate Bill 25 — requiring among other things, warning labels on foods containing certain additives — the first person to speak was Calley Means, a top adviser to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy. view article

More public school districts in Texas are turning to shorter school weeks, including several in North Texas. For the 2025-2026 school year, Kennedale ISD in Tarrant County and Ponder ISD in Denton County will transition to a four-day school week. At least 18 public school districts in the North Texas area have already made the change. view article

Arlington ISD’s enrollment could drop below 50,000 in the next seven years, a report recently presented to the school board revealed. The presentation showed two factors are contributing to the possible drop off in enrollment: competition with charter schools and the waning enrollment of kindergarteners. view article

Boerne Independent School District announced last week that it is in the process of purchasing 70 acres of land near the intersection of Interstate 10 and Old Fredericksburg Road in south Kendall County. The decision to enter the land deal was made May 20, and leaders say the move is to prepare for increasing enrollment projections. Last year, the school district announced it was raising the pay for school bus drivers in the wake of a nearly 1,000 increase in bus riders from the previous school year. view article

Round Rock ISD is projected to reach a district wide enrollment of between 45,893 and 48,690 students in the next decade, a new demographics report shows. In a departure from reports historically provided by Zonda Education, the range of possible results represents outcomes the district could face due to a few challenges in the local housing market, consultant Hudson Huff told trustees in a May update. view article

Ten Round Rock ISD seniors were among the 21 high school students selected to participate in the prestigious Dell IGNITE spring internship program. This paid, 10-week STEM-focused experience was designed to give students real-world exposure to software, electrical, and mechanical engineering. The program, held on the Dell campus in Austin from February to April, welcomed a competitive cohort drawn from Round Rock ISD, Pflugerville ISD, Leander ISD, and local private and charter schools. Of the 74 applicants, 21 were selected, with Round Rock ISD students representing nearly half of the final group. view article

Texas colleges could soon pay student athletes directly for the first time.  The Senate unanimously passed a bill on Tuesday that would allow colleges to enter directly into what are called “name, image and likeness” agreements with athletes. Currently, only outside entities, like national advertisers or athletic boosters, can do so.  “The Senate saved college sports in Texas,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said, jokingly afterward.  The Senate was supposed to   consider House Bill 126 on Sunday, but delayed after senators complained they hadn’t been fully briefed on the issue. Some then hopped on a call with college coaches across the state, who emphasized they needed the legislation to disperse millions of dollars as part of a court settlement that is expected to be finalized in the fall and to be able to effectively recruit top talent. view article

Many trans Texans have changed the sex listed on their birth certificate, driver’s licenses and other documents. They say their identities will be invalidated under bill headed to governor's desk.  Texas will require state documents to reflect sex assigned at birth view article

A former Tyler ISD teacher is accused of injuring a student by throwing an eraser at their forehead. According to an arrest document obtained by KLTV, former Caldwell Arts Academy teacher Abigail Brooke Killian, 25, admitted to picking up the 1-inch by 2-inch eraser and tossing it at the student in an attempt to get their attention. In an interview with a Tyler ISD police officer, she said it then bounced off a wall or chair before hitting the student in the head, the affidavit said. Killian told the officer she never meant to harm the student and immediately apologized to them after the incident. view article

La Porte ISD has been awarded a $250,000 grant as one of eight winning districts selected from a competitive field of 16 finalists for the Texas Reads, Texas Leads initiative, a $3 million program funded by The Moody Foundation and the Charles Butt Foundation. TXRL is a bold initiative aimed at transforming early literacy instruction in Texas by promoting evidence-based practices rooted in the science of teaching reading (STR) and blended learning pedagogy. Through this investment, La Porte ISD will implement its comprehensive K-3 Literacy Plan, which outlines strategic actions, key decision points, and targeted district investments to improve reading proficiency for students in kindergarten through third grade. La Porte ISD’s selection as a TXRL grant recipient reflects the strength of its proposal and its commitment to ensuring all students master foundational reading skills by the end of third grade. The district will receive not only the $250,000 grant but also ongoing technical support and access to statewide learning communities through June 2027. Originally selected as one of 16 finalist districts representing the geographic and demographic diversity of Texas, La Porte ISD stood out for its vision, leadership, and strategic approach to integrating STR-aligned practices throughout its schools. The finalist cohort included districts ranging in size from 2,000 to 56,000 students and spanned suburban, rural, and urban communities. La Porte ISD will participate in continued professional learning, convenings, and implementation workshops throughout the 2024–2025 school year. This ongoing collaboration will further strengthen its efforts to improve K-3 literacy outcomes and serve as a model for districts across the state. -30- view article

While Cy-Fair ISD's superintendent was one of the highest paid in Texas, the district has been able to keep its administrative cost ratio low compared to neighboring districts, leaders said at Thursday's budget workshop. The district expects a $50 million deficit for the next school year, but leaders have pledged not to make cuts and began discussions Thursday of how far to go into fund balance to be able to provide raises, stipends and reinstate some transportation routes, among other things. view article

Looking for more news about Georgetown ISD? Read Community Impact's recent coverage of the district, as featured in the May edition. Georgetown ISD is making progress on several bond projects, including High School No. 4, Elementary School No. 12, Middle School No. 5 and the new Frost Elementary. view article

231 students from eight campuses around our district have earned the prestigious Global Seal of Biliteracy. This internationally recognized certificate, offered in over 100 languages, honors students who have achieved proficiency in two or more languages. Students received either the Functional Fluency Global Seal of Biliteracy by earning a score of 3 or 4 on their AP language exams or the Working Fluency Global Seal of Biliteracy by earning a score of 5 between August of 2024 and March of 2025. view article

The companies aren't held in high regard, according to the Axios Harris Poll 100. view article

As Southeast Texas heats up ahead of summer, so have some campuses in Houston ISD. After multiple HISD schools experienced air-conditioning issues on Monday – when Heights High School dismissed students early because of elevated classroom temperatures – at least two more schools dealt with problematic HVAC units on Tuesday, according to the district. Some students at Harvard Elementary in the Heights were temporarily relocated Tuesday "to ensure their comfort," according to an email to parents from Principal Wendy Hampton that was provided by the district to Houston Public Media. Wheatley High School in the Fifth Ward also had HVAC issues on Tuesday, but students there and at Harvard remained on campus throughout the day. view article

The father of a student whose teacher allegedly told her to "go back to Africa" when she didn't participate in the Pledge of Allegiance is suing the Northside Independent School District, seeking damages of more than $1 million. According to the lawsuit, filed in state district court by Lawrence Gaskin, his daughter, identified only as S.G., has suffered "ongoing emotional distress, anxiety and psychological trauma" since the incident at Hobby Middle School on May 16, 2023. The girl was 12 at the time. view article