NUECES COUNTY — Texas’ eighth-largest city has seen the water crisis coming for years, and now it’s here: Its two main reservoirs are at historic lows amid a persistent drought and city leaders have told residents they’re less than a year away from major water cuts that could force them to reduce their water use by 25% or face extra fees.  Industry associations representing companies like Valero and LyondellBasell have warned city officials they might have to reduce their local operations or shut down completely if the city fails to secure more water supply. view article

Dozens of parents gathered in a Heights High School performance hall Tuesday night to ask questions and voice their concerns over Houston ISD's proposal to sunset several magnet programs across 10 different high schools in the district. "This plan has not had any community input and this meeting was only added when we made an uproar," said Latrice Ferguson, president of the Heights High School PTO. view article

Parents in Fort Bend County are planning to protest outside Arizona Fleming Elementary on Friday morning as concerns grow over Fort Bend ISD’s proposed attendance boundary changes. While Fort Bend ISD says the plans are still in draft form, families say the uncertainty surrounding the proposal is already taking an emotional toll. view article

A Texas A&M professor has been told not to teach certain writings from Plato, a staple in introductory philosophy courses, because they may violate the university system's new rules against "advocating" race or gender ideology, or topics concerning sexual orientation, in core classes. view article

Several parents in Fort Bend ISD are speaking out after learning their children’s elementary school could soon close. What we know: The district is considering a rezoning proposal that could lead to boundary changes and possible school closures. Now, parents at Sugar Mill Elementary say they’re fighting back. view article

Austin Independent School District leaders will decide this month which campus the students at Blackshear and Oak Springs elementary schools will ultimately attend, after the school Board of Trustees decided in November to merge the campuses as part of a broader plan to close 10 schools. view article

Students at Waco ISD have a new creative outlet. Waco ISD has officially dedicated its new makerspace at South Waco Elementary, the district has announced. District leaders and community members gathered at the school on Jan. 5 to celebrate the dedication. According to Waco ISD, the space is designed to "inspire and enhance student creativity and learning through the use of technology." view article

Gov. Greg Abbott is placing blame on Dallas city leadership following AT&T’s decision to move its global headquarters from downtown Dallas to Plano. Speaking at a law enforcement event in Fort Worth, Abbott criticized Dallas officials for what he described as failures in public safety and homelessness response.  Dallas is bearing the brunt or burden of their failure to have fully staffed law enforcement, their failure to contain a homeless problem,” Abbott said.  Abbott’s comments came one day after AT&T announced plans to relocate its headquarters to 54 acres of land in Plano, a move the company said would allow it to “cost-effectively consolidate” three North Texas locations.  "After nearly a year of consideration, deliberation and planning, we have made the decision to invest in our employee experience and construct a new global headquarters at 5400 Legacy Drive in Plano, Texas," AT&T CEO John Stankey wrote in a message to employees Monday morning. view article

The Seguin ISD is working to improve the academic achievement of all students at all of its campuses. The district recently released its plans to improve performance within the state’s accountability measures. Superintendent Jack Lee says the district is taking a strategic approach to improving academic performance across its campuses. Dr. Lee says there must be a critical focus on leadership at both the campus and district level, along with a clear and sustained commitment to teacher support. He says those elements are essential to driving meaningful change across the district. He went on to layout the full strategy during a recent meeting of the Seguin ISD Board of Trustees. view article

Applications for Texas Education Freedom Accounts can be submitted starting Feb. 4. The initiative reshapes how families can use public education dollars and sparks debate over equity, oversight and cost. view article

Following the Eanes ISD board of trustees’ Nov. 18 discussion on four potential budget optimization packages, a ThoughtExchange survey opened from Nov. 20-Dec. 5 to gauge the community's thoughts on potential next steps to reduce future projected multimillion dollar budget shortfalls. view article

Students planning for the 2026–27 school year in Frisco Independent School District will have more academic choices than ever, thanks to new course offerings and expanded flexible learning options through the Frisco Flex program. According to the district, the updates are designed to give students greater control over how they learn while still meeting graduation requirements and preparing for college, careers or industry certifications. view article

Staff with Sherman ISD are asking parents for feedback on 2 proposed calendars for the 2026-27 school year. Both options are posted on the district's website and differ in the number of instructional days, daily class time, and built-in planning time for staff. Through the survey, staff at the district will determine if the duration of the school day will remain the same — or be shortened by 10 minutes. view article

South Texas builders said a growing number of ICE arrests at construction sites have made it difficult for work to continue.  U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz promised to explore new ways for migrants to work legally in the construction industry.  The Edinburg Republican announced on Monday her plans to meet with the U.S. Department of Labor, after South Texas builders voiced frustration with how immigration arrests at construction sites were negatively impacting their industry. De La Cruz suggested the U.S. should create a special visa program for construction workers, similar to the H-2A visa program that allows foreign nationals to work in the agriculture sector.  “We’d like to see where the construction industry would fit,” De La Cruz said.  President Donald Trump won reelection after promising to step up deportations. During the last year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have arrested more than 9,100 people in South Texas alone. view article

On top of dozens of laws taking effect on Jan. 1 and the incoming midterm elections, the new year also comes with developments on numerous policy issues affecting the state. They range from criminal justice to education to international trade, setting up a year that could bring about sweeping changes for Texans.  Here are some important issues to watch in 2026. view article

Here are some important dates to know in Georgetown ISD as students head back for the spring semester.  What you need to know: Students will return to classrooms in GISD Jan. 6, following the holiday break. view article

Telecommunications giant AT&T announced Monday that the company will be constructing a new 1.8 million square foot global headquarters in Plano, leaving its longtime downtown Dallas location.  WFAA reports that AT&T CEO John Stankey informed employees that the new headquarters in Plano will be large enough to consolidate the company’s three campuses in the Dallas area into one.  view article

Recent confusion sparked in Manor over signs posted outside some local restaurants. However, the signs are not recent at all. The signs read: "Important Notice. No Manor ISD students are allowed on the premises between the hours of: Monday-Friday 8am-4pm unless accompanied by an adult. For any inquiries, contact the Manor ISD Police Department…" view article

Longview community figure and longtime LISD admin Doris McQueen died on Jan. 1. According to Longview ISD, a memorial service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at Longview EPC, 3800 Judson Road. McQueen’s obituary states she was born in Marshall on May 27, 1930. She graduated from Longview High School in 1947, already working as a bookkeeper in the district’s business office. view article

A historical marker was unveiled Saturday morning for Dunbar High School, commemorating its history and importance in the community.  "A lot of familiar faces here, but I'm glad you are all in this room to celebrate this momentous occasion," Daniel Spikes said in his opening remarks.  Kendrick Morris continued the ceremony, noting that Dunbar had undergone many changes over the years.   "When I attended Dunbar, it was the intermediate school. I was here before it was changed to the education center," he said. "Today we are gathered at a site that represents much more than just bricks and mortar. view article

Who says you can't mix two passions together? For Dallas Independent School District softball Coach Mark Stout, he's done it weekly this season. Stout warms up his team at W.T. White High School every home game and then, for a brief moment, plays the national anthem on the trumpet to get to that exciting umpire line: play ball! He started doing it before games last season. view article

In some voting locations where a party’s appointed polling judge didn’t show up, election officials allowed the other party’s judge to operate both parties’ voting machines in an effort to keep the polling place running. view article

The Lewisville ISD board of trustees approved the district's 2022-23 academic calendar, which includes 177 instructional days. The 2022-23 calendar, which was approved during a Jan. 10 board meeting, will have an Aug. 10 start date with exams for the first semester to be completed before winter break, which runs Dec. 19-Jan. 4, 2023, according to the calendar. view article

Fort Worth ISD is moving forward with plans to establish four early learning centers across the district in areas where affordable, high quality child care is hard to come by after voters narrowly approved a November bond to fund the project along with other improvements. Three other bond measures were defeated in the same election after opposition groups lobbied against them, pointing to the district’s lackluster academic performance and what they called limited information about the bonds in the weeks leading up to the election. view article

An online petition created by the 'Students of KATYISD' group is demanding change to allow access to LGBTQ+ resources and websites, including a suicide prevention hotline. Katy ISD student, 17-year-old Cameron Samuels, spoke out at a school board meeting last week and told ABC13 that students cannot access LGBTQ+ youth resources and websites while on the district's internet server. view article

The Northwest ISD Education Foundation last week held a grand opening event for its new free store and library for teachers to get resources and educational materials for their classrooms. Teachers can “shop” for school and classroom supplies, snack packs, clothing items and books. All items are free to district educators, who will use them in their classrooms to support students, according to a news release from Northwest ISD. view article

When you were in school, did you ever wonder to yourself, "what if I were principal for a day?" On Wednesday, WFAA's Cynthia Izaguirre and our station general manager, Brad Ramsey, got that chance thanks to the Principal for a Day Program (PFAD) with the Dallas Independent School District. The program is meant to help people who don't work in education understand the strengths and challenges Dallas ISD schools face. view article

It’s 4 p.m. at S.S. Conner Elementary School’s district-run afterschool program, and cheerleaders are pumping up a group of 70 students as they enjoy a healthy snack. Now with full bellies and high spirits, the students go into classrooms and center themselves with deep breathing exercises and social and emotional learning practices. Then it’s on to fun, hands-on learning and, at last, an epic game of kickball in the gym. view article

The McAllen Independent School District (McAllen ISD) is considering closing Bonham Elementary School due to low student enrollment. Since 2010, McAllen ISD has closed down three schools: David Crockett Elementary in 2011, Jose Antonio Navarro Elementary, after the 2017-18 school year, and Abraham Lincoln Middle School the same year. view article

Calallen ISD's superintendent apologized for a video that surfaced on social media of a high school pep rally during which students portrayed former President Donald Trump and Jesus Christ while making racist remarks. The video, captioned "i'm so scared #saveme," has garnered close to 34,000 views and has been shared over 550 times since being posted. It is a screen recording from someone's Snapchat account. That person recorded the pep rally, which took place at Calallen High School's gymnasium. view article

The national outcry over efforts to foster diversity and inclusion initiatives in schools has added fuel to a heated Grapevine-Colleyville ISD runoff election. The incumbent, Mindy McClure, said she is fighting a campaign of “misinformation” from her opponent, community volunteer Shannon Braun. view article

For Granger ISD officials, they have been working since the spring of last year, planning on getting kids back to campus for the start of school. School for the Lions has been fully on campus since the start of the school year. The district says this is due to the COVID-19 safety protocols that are in place, as well as teachers who have gone above and beyond. view article

Austin ISD hosted its Operation Reconnect block walk door-to-door event to ‘reconnect’ with existing district families and help recruit new ones to its schools. The event specifically aimed at attracting families to schools in its northeast corridor, including (among others) Andrews and Harris elementary schools, Garcia’s Young Men’s and Sadler Means Young Women’s middle school leadership academies, and Northeast High School. view article

ABILENE – The Abilene ISD is opening baseball and softball contests at both high schools to 50 percent capacity at all four fields for the 2021 season. Fans will be allowed to enter this weekend’s baseball tournament games at Blackburn Field (Abilene High) and Cougar Field (Cooper) at no charge, but beginning with next week’s home games, all games for baseball and softball will be $4 for adults and $2 for students. Full-time AISD employees will be allowed to enter for free, but only with a district-issued ID, and that ID only gains entry for the employee. view article

This week, Westex Federal Credit Union stopped by Lubbock ISD’s Wolffarth Elementary School to surprise one of its teachers. Melissa Catano nominated her daughter, Vanessa for this Week’s Pay It Forward. “She is so devoted to her students and she sincerely cares about each one of her students and goes above and beyond to fill that need,” said Melissa. “Vanessa believes in her students and she has high expectations for each and every student to succeed in her classroom and outside of her classroom. She does everything power to help her students.” view article