Did you know that many of Texas' most decisive elections happen in March — not November? These party primaries typically draw far fewer voters than the general election, even though many March winners face limited opposition in November. Our latest newsletter takes a closer look at who these voters are and why it matters for the future of our state. view article

The first small modular nuclear reactor could be powering an industrial plant in Texas early in the next decade. And the state is pushing to become the leading site for testing and building the technology. Less than three years after Gov. Greg Abbott announced the creation of the Texas Advanced Nuclear Reactor Working Group, Texas has become one of the main testing grounds in the United States for small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), a technology long discussed but with few real-world examples to show for it. view article

The 2026-28 alignments have been posted for volleyball, basketball and football. You can access this information HERE.  view article

Your one-stop shop for information on Houston public, charter and private schools. view article

Liberty Hill ISD is planning to return to a five-day week next school year. LHISD's board of trustees approved the new academic calendar for the 2026-27 school year during its March meeting Tuesday night. The district says several factors affected the decision, including TEA requirements and staff development opportunities that are more likely to be approved for districts with five-day weeks. view article

Fort Bend ISD trustees voted Tuesday night to close seven elementary schools across the district after hours of debate, procedural votes, and emotional testimony from families worried about the future of their neighborhood campuses. The decision came as part of the district’s Long-Range Boundary Planning process, which leaders say is meant to address declining enrollment, underused campuses, and long-term financial planning. view article

Farrington Field could have some new neighbors. The Fort Worth school district is looking for a developer to buy and build up the land surrounding the 87-year-old stadium, according to a request for proposals released in January. view article

Gov. Greg Abbott celebrated the announcement on Tuesday, crediting Texas’ legal environment. Exxon has based its operations in the Houston area since 1989.   ExxonMobil is poised to move its legal headquarters from New Jersey to Texas in search of a more friendly business environment, the company announced Tuesday morning.   The board of directors for the largest U.S.-based oil producing company, which already runs its operations from the Houston suburb of Spring, unanimously recommended to its shareholders that they vote to redomicile the company in Texas.   Shareholders will vote on the change at the company’s annual meeting on May 27. If successful, it will move Exxon’s legal home for the first time since it registered in New Jersey in 1882 as Standard Oil Company — the company later changed its name to Exxon, then merged with Mobil Oil Corp. view article

Isaac Carrillo and Emmett Matthews each carefully guided a hoop along a metal path as they raced against their opponent.  The Azle High School seniors’ competition, though, wasn’t worried. In fact, it didn’t have feelings. It was a sleek, glossy white robotic arm conducting the same race albeit on one of its slowest settings.  The race was on at the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center’s table inside the TTI warehouse in north Fort Worth where more than 1,000 Tarrant County students attended the Junior Achievement of the Chisholm Trail’s third annual Career Expo on Wednesday.  Neither student, though, was interested in a manufacturing career. Instead, they want to pursue accounting. view article

Celina football is the epitome of Friday Night Lights: a powerhouse program built on championships and community pride. But that legacy has recently been overshadowed by a sex scandal involving a former middle school coach that sparked a police investigation and a district review. view article

Mansfield ISD sent a districtwide letter on Friday saying it has seen an increase in threatening language and inappropriate comments among students and is asking parents for help addressing the issue. A spokesperson did not respond to questions about what kinds of threats the district has seen but urged parents to talk with their children. view article

The TASBO Award of Excellence in Financial Management recognizes Texas school districts that demonstrate professional standards, innovative practices, and strong performance in financial management and reporting. Tomball ISD earns this honor for the second straight year, and is one of only 34 districts to earn this distinction. view article

Some of the Wichita Falls ISD’s oldest memories could soon be just a click away. The WFISD foundation is launching a new effort to digitize decades of school yearbooks. From pep rallies and school portraits, to clubs and graduation days, yearbooks capture moments that define generations of students. At Wichita Falls ISD, some of those memories go back more than 100 years. view article

Lawmakers are asking why a McAllen family that came to the U.S. legally was taken into custody during a meeting with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers last month. Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar, 18, and Caleb Gámez-Cuéllar, 14, are members of McAllen High School’s eight-time state championship Mariachi Oro band, and performed on Capitol Hill last June at the invitation of Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg. view article

Due to the district’s 2-hour delay caused by icy conditions in January, Leander ISD will make a minor adjustment to elementary and middle school bell schedules beginning March 24, 2026, when students return from Spring Break. A 5-minute change will recover instructional minutes lost during the late start and ensure the district remains in compliance with Texas Education Agency (TEA) requirements while creating the least disruption possible for students, families and staff. The adjustment will remain in effect for the rest of the school year. view article

The Austin Independent School District plans to find new non-education uses for five of the 10 campuses slated for closure this summer, but district administrators say they haven’t yet determined what they’ll do with the properties. view article

Spring Branch ISD directed campus leaders to remove a Ramadan display at Bunker Hill Elementary School, saying the decoration violated district policy.  A Ramadan display set up in the lobby of Bunker Hill Elementary School in Houston was removed earlier this week after Spring Branch ISD determined it violated the district’s policy on religious and political neutrality.  “Because the display was religious in nature, campus leaders were directed to remove it,” the district said in a statement to the Houston Chronicle. A district spokesperson said the removal was prompted by a parent complaint.  he display was put up by the Parent Teacher Association’s cultural awareness committee. Casey Kaf Alghazal, the committee’s chair, said the school has had Ramadan-related decorations in past years, but this year’s display was larger than previous ones. It featured “Ramadan Mubarak” signage and crescent moon imagery in the school’s lobby. view article

Republican primary voters across Texas overwhelmingly supported a ballot proposition calling for the prohibition of Sharia law, according to unofficial results from the March 2026 Primary Election.  The measure—Proposition 10—asked voters whether Texas should prohibit the use of Sharia law. The proposition was one of 10 non-binding questions placed on the Republican primary ballot by the Republican Party of Texas to gauge grassroots priorities ahead of the party’s 2026 convention and the 2027 legislative session.  The propositions are advisory only but are often used by party activists and lawmakers to shape the party platform and future legislative priorities. view article

This Tuesday, Tribune reporters are watching two blockbuster senate primaries, an open attorney general seat, and more high-stakes, competitive races up and down the Texas ballot. view article

As companies look to build projects that consume more power than cities, ERCOT is trying to plan transmission. view article

Republicans on Capitol Hill are about to give President Donald Trump a major boost — a green light to conduct a war against Iran without worrying about Congress, at least for now.  The House and Senate are on track this week to vote down a pair of bipartisan war power resolutions aimed at limiting Trump’s ability to conduct the Iran campaign. Rank-and-file Republicans are prepared to back Trump, giving them co-ownership of a conflict that’s already unpopular with Americans.  The Senate is likely to vote Wednesday, with the House set to vote on Thursday. The House and Senate will receive separate briefings on Iran this afternoon from top administration officials.  Who to watch. In the Senate, previous GOP skeptics of Trump’s unilateral war-making authority say they’re comfortable with the president’s efforts on Iran. view article

Polls close today in the Texas primaries. Here are 5 things to watch.  This Tuesday, Tribune reporters are watching two blockbuster senate primaries, an open attorney general seat, and more high-stakes, competitive races up and down the Texas ballot. view article

Every day at lunch, a handful of teenagers in Frisco, Texas, would pop into room C112, face a whiteboard and kneel for one of their five daily prayers. Last week, top state officials learned about the room — and suddenly Liberty High had a big issue indeed. view article

A Nacogdoches non-profit organization is celebrating its 20th anniversary while also honoring Black History Month. The event highlights two decades of community service and cultural contributions in the area.  Local residents and supporters are invited to join the celebration, which includes tributes, guest speakers, and performances recognizing local Black leaders and history. The event takes place in Nacogdoches, Texas. view article

If you are wondering where to find a good example of how important the simple wheat grain once was to Fort Worth, go to a museum.  In this case, architect Louis Kahn’s iconic Kimbell Art Museum — which has a design that features cycloid barrel vaults reflecting the grain silos and Egyptian granaries.  While the art aficionados swooned with flowery words about the design at its opening in October 1972, few realized Kahn’s architecture plan for the museum was no simple design choice meant to “wow” the snooty criticsfrom both coasts.  The namesake family of museum had built their fortune on wheat, explains TCU history professor Rebecca Sharpless. Her upcoming book “People of the Wheat” explores the history of the grain and its importance to North Central Texas. view article

One more year of a failing state accountability rating for South Waco Elementary, largely determined by State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness tests conducted in April, would trigger potential state takeover of Waco ISD operations. The district's timeframe for improving ratings was shortened by the arrival of three years worth of state ratings last year, after court challenges delayed the release of two prior years.  Turning over South Waco, which has four consecutive F's, and Dean Highland, which has three, would effectively mean a two-year reprieve from potential state intervention under a state law that passed in 2017 as Senate Bill 1882. Waco ISD was the first district in the state to take advantage of a so-called 1882 partnership when it turned over operation of five schools in 2018 to Transformation Waco, a nonprofit created locally for the purpose. The in-district Transformation Waco charter, which turned the schools back over to Waco ISD operation in the summer of 2024, included Alta Vista Elementary, Brook Avenue Elementary, J.H. Hines Elementary, G.W. Carver Middle and Indian Spring Middle.  Waco ISD Superintendent Tiffany Spicer will ask district trustees at their Thursday night meeting for the authority to negotiate a contract with Third Future Schools, a Colorado-based company that operates a half-dozen Texas public schools as charters. view article

Sherman Middle School teacher Brad Strickland resigned from Tioga ISD in 2023 in lieu of being fired amid misconduct allegations.  Mary and Wiley Alexander—parents of the girl targeted by then-Tioga ISD teacher Brad Strickland—spoke on the record at the beginning of Monday night’s Sherman ISD school board meeting.   “Do Sherman parents know his history?” asked Mary Alexander.   The Alexanders previously filed grievances accusing Strickland of grooming their daughter while she was a student in Tioga ISD, from 2020 until she graduated in 2023.   Immediately after graduation, their daughter moved in with the Stricklands. view article

The Temple Independent School District Communications Department took home a host of awards this February. The district announced that the Communications Department was presented with 14 Star Awards by the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) at the association's annual conference in late February. view article

History often seems far off a distant memory of days long past. Sometimes though, history is not just written in books but lives among us. Two siblings named in a 1955 case to desegregate Dallas ISD are still in North Texas today. During this Black History Month, they’re reflecting on the contributions they made as children. NBC 5’s Candace Sweat has this story. view article

Edgewood Fine Arts Academy cosmetology students spent Tuesday afternoon providing children at Loma Park Elementary with affordable haircuts. According to a press release, students offered $5 haircuts to provide families with affordable and accessible haircut services. Many of the student barbers said the visit was personal because they once attended Loma Park themselves. view article

About 60 applicants attended a two-day training session over the weekend led by the Texas Education Agency. view article

In a sharp reversal, Houston ISD's state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles has proposed plans to close 12 schools by the 2026-27 school year. The district plans to close eight campuses and relocate four others, citing lower-than-expected enrollment and aging facilities. Over the past decade, the HISD schools slated for closure and co-locations have seen enrollment drop by nearly half, leaving most operating far below their ideal capacity. view article

Keep up-to-date on important public and private school deadlines with our frequently-updated calendar of events.  School choice options are expanding, including charters, magnets programs and other alternatives within traditional public school systems.  Many districts allow families to apply outside their assigned school zones, with application windows typically opening in early January and closing in March or April. view article

In South Texas public schools, I learned about Robert E. Lee and George Washington and the histories of the United States and Texas. Yet not a single lesson addressed Mexican American history — our Indigenous and African roots or the men and women who shaped this country. It was as if only Anglos made history. view article

Students who took English and math college prep courses were less likely to complete college than their peers who were not considered college ready at all.  As Texas pushes more high schoolers to get ready for college and the workforce, new research suggests that some of the ways schools count students as ready don’t equally set them up for success after graduation.  The state rewards Texas school districts for preparing students for life after graduation, tying college and career readiness to more school funding and a higher school performance rating.  The Texas Education Agency has been increasingly strict on districts about college readiness. In the 2022-23 school year, state education officials raised the benchmark for schools to qualify for an A grade in the category of college and career readiness: Schools needed to get 88% of graduates ready for life after high school, up from 60% in prior years. view article