Texas ISD

60 Texas ISD en-us 2026 Texas ISD, https://www.texasisd.com/ Wed, 09 Sep 2026 22:18:56 -0500 Preventive Law: Lowering Costs in Construction Manager-at-Risk Agreements: Protecting Audit Rights and Other Cost-Saving Strategies https://www.texasisd.com/pages/legal/preventive-law-lowering-costs-in-construction-manager-at-risk-agreements-prhttps://www.texasisd.com/pages/preventive-law/preventive-law-lowering-costs-in-construction-manager-at-risk-agreements-pr   (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), Subchapter F of Chapter 2269 of the Texas Government Code allows school districts to utilize the Construction Manager-at-Risk (CMAR) method of delivery for their construction projects. CMAR projects are usually built on a “cost plus fee” basis, subject to a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP). In a cost-plus-fee agreement under the CMAR method, a school district generally agrees to pay the actual documented costs as agreed in the contract (e.g. labor, materials, equipment, insurance, bonds) associated with construction of the project, plus the Construction Manager’s fee, up to the GMP. The Construction Manager is “at risk” for the amount that exceeds the GMP. Mon, 10 Aug 2026 08:35:00 -0500 https://www.texasisd.com/pages/legal/preventive-law-lowering-costs-in-construction-manager-at-risk-agreements-prhttps://www.texasisd.com/pages/preventive-law/preventive-law-lowering-costs-in-construction-manager-at-risk-agreements-pr Preventive Law: All in the Family: Nepotism in ISD Hiring https://www.texasisd.com/pages/legal/preventive-law-all-in-the-family-nepotism-in-isd-hiring   (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), Summer in Texas means triple-digit heat, a suspicious amount of construction on every major highway, and superintendents scrambling to make sure every classroom has a teacher before school begins. Hiring season is chaotic, and given the pressure to be fully staffed, it can be tempting to hire that perfectly qualified relative of a board member who just happens to be looking for a teaching job. Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:35:00 -0500 https://www.texasisd.com/pages/legal/preventive-law-all-in-the-family-nepotism-in-isd-hiring What are Prekindergarten (Pre-K) Partnerships?

https://tea.texas.gov/educators/early-childhood-education/prekindergarten-partnerships

Prekindergarten partnerships are collaborations between local education agencies (LEAs) such as school districts or open-enrollment charter schools, and private child care or Head Start programs. LEAs, and private child care or Head Start programs, may establish formal or informal partnerships based on enrollment and development activities. The partnerships are developed to reﬂect the needs of children and families, local resources available, and community trends.  Public-private prekindergarten partnerships are encouraged because of the collaborative opportunities and benefits they foster, and are required by Texas Education Code 29.1533 in some situations. Providers must also meet solicitation, eligibility, and enrollment requirements required by TEC §29.171.  Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:39:00 -0500

https://tea.texas.gov/educators/early-childhood-education/prekindergarten-partnerships

Texas state leaders aim to crack down on alleged birth tourism, as Trump’s executive order hits legal barrier

https://www.keranews.org/news/2026-09-08/texas-birth-tourism-trump-executive-order-immigration

Texas Republican leaders are pushing ahead with efforts to crack down on alleged "birth tourism," even as a federal district court has blocked an effort by President Donald Trump to do the same nationwide. A federal judge temporarily blocked Trump's August executive order banning the practice last week.  The ruling last Wednesday marked the latest defeat for Trump's efforts to curtail or restrict the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which grants U.S. citizenship to virtually anyone born in the United States, regardless of the legal status of the parents. Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:35:00 -0500

https://www.keranews.org/news/2026-09-08/texas-birth-tourism-trump-executive-order-immigration

Texas COVID cases climb as flu season approaches

https://www.facebook.com/texaspublicradio/posts/covid-cases-are-climbing-in-nearly-every-state-in-texas-there-were-2200-emergenc/1717593030376148/

COVID cases are climbing in nearly every state. In Texas, there were 2,200 emergency room visits for COVID in the week ending August 22, right as schools were heading back into session. A third of those visits came from the public health region covering South Texas. During the last week of August, the San Perlita Independent School District in the Rio Grande Valley shut down for two days to slow rapid spread among students. Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:20:00 -0500

https://www.facebook.com/texaspublicradio/posts/covid-cases-are-climbing-in-nearly-every-state-in-texas-there-were-2200-emergenc/1717593030376148/

OpenAI is Being Sued for Failing to Warn Officials about School Shooter

https://dianeravitch.net/2026/09/09/openai-is-being-sued-for-failing-to-warn-about-school-shooter/

An 18-year-old young woman asked ChatGPT about violence. The bot gave her information instead of questioning and discouraging her violent urges. Months later, she killed her mother and stepbrother, then went to the local school and killed students and a teacher. The families of the victims are suing OpenAI for helping the shooter and failing to warn officials to stop her.  OpenAI is facing 30 new lawsuits from victims of the devastating school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, who accuse the company of providing “substantial assistance and encouragement” to the shooter and failing to alert police about her alarming ChatGPT interactions during the run-up to the mass killing. Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:16:00 -0500

https://dianeravitch.net/2026/09/09/openai-is-being-sued-for-failing-to-warn-about-school-shooter/

UNT draws $20 million gift to open college of artificial intelligence and advanced analytics

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/article/unt-ai-college-gift-22422960.php?utm_content=cta&sid=62680c3d4f757f64bad9f4b5&ss=A&st_rid=93b8f32f-8da3-42e0-a239-48079d310703&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=roundup&utm_campaign=dlsn%20%7C%20morning%20roundup

The University of North Texas will establish a college of artificial intelligence and advanced analytics after receiving a $20 million gift, it announced Tuesday.  The philanthropic investment comes from Vikas Sinha, a UNT alumnus and vice president of the mainframe software division at Broadcom, a semiconductor and infrastructure manufacturer, and his wife, Anuradha. As UNT looks to strengthen its artificial intelligence education, the new college will help advance research and better prepare students for a changing workforce, university officials said in a release. “Artificial intelligence will be one of the defining technologies of our generation, and universities have an essential role to play in preparing the people who will shape its future,” Vikas Sinha said. “What excites us about UNT’s vision is that this college will go beyond teaching students how to use AI. It will prepare them to build it, understand it, question it, govern it and apply it responsibly — developing both the builders and the stewards of intelligent systems.” Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0500

DOJ Now Requires All Texas Agencies To Report Illegal Aliens for Certain Funding

https://texasscorecard.com/federal/doj-now-requires-all-texas-agencies-to-report-illegal-aliens-for-certain-funding/

A new legal opinion dictates that all state agencies, in order to receive most forms of federal welfare funding, must report their knowledge of illegal aliens on those programs.  The opinion targets the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Supplemental Security Income programs, which are received by all states, the District of Columbia, and some U.S. territories.  The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program “is designed to help families with children experiencing low-income achieve economic security and stability,” while the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) “provides monthly payments to people with disabilities and older adults who have little or no income or resources.”   “When a state chooses to participate in TANF, it accepts the obligation to report illegal aliens in the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General T. Elliot Gaiser. “Tax dollars intended to help vulnerable Americans should not perversely encourage illegal entry into the United States, but rather should reinforce our laws and our borders.” Wed, 09 Sep 2026 05:03:00 -0500

https://texasscorecard.com/federal/doj-now-requires-all-texas-agencies-to-report-illegal-aliens-for-certain-funding/

Abbott Launches First Attack on Hinojosa Over Child Gender Mutilation

https://texasscorecard.com/decisiontexas/abbott-launches-first-attack-on-hinojosa-over-child-gender-mutilation/

  Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaign is launching its first direct attack against Democrat gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa, branding her “Gender Bender Gina” over her voting record on gender mutilation policies involving children.   In a Tuesday email, the Abbott campaign pointed to Hinojosa’s 2023 vote against Senate Bill 14, which prohibited physicians from performing gender mutilation surgeries on minors or prescribing puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones for the purpose of transitioning a child’s biological sex.The legislation also prohibited the use of public money to provide the procedures. Hinojosa voted against the measure before it was ultimately approved by lawmakers and signed into law by Abbott.  Abbott’s campaign also targeted Hinojosa over her opposition to House Bill 1106 during the most recent legislative session. That legislation amended the state’s definitions of child abuse and neglect to provide that a parent’s refusal to affirm a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity does not, by itself, constitute abuse or neglect. The measure was approved by lawmakers and signed by Abbott in June 2025. Wed, 09 Sep 2026 05:00:00 -0500

https://texasscorecard.com/decisiontexas/abbott-launches-first-attack-on-hinojosa-over-child-gender-mutilation/

After rescoring STAAR exams, 11 Texas districts seeing A-F grades improve

https://www.texastribune.org/2026/09/04/school-districts-improved-ratings-staar-rescore-2026/

The score changes are part of an annual process to review the accuracy of STAAR results, state officials said.  About a dozen districts will see a bump in school accountability ratings on Tuesday after a manual rescoring of thousands of STAAR tests improved some results. Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:35:00 -0500

https://www.texastribune.org/2026/09/04/school-districts-improved-ratings-staar-rescore-2026/

South San ISD still must hold board elections under takeover. Only 3 people signed up, including ‘suspended’ trustees.

https://sanantonioreport.org/south-san-state-intervention-update-2026-elections/?mc_cid=5f5c2f73f9&mc_eid=febb9b90d4

Two familiar faces from South San Antonio Independent School District, currently under state takeover, are planning their comebacks to the school board. Although they’ll have no power on the dais.Even with a state-appointed board of managers and superintendent, the district is still required to hold regular trustee elections. South San’s elections take place in November of even years, and school board terms are four years long. This year, Single Member Districts 1, 3 and 6 were supposed to go on the ballot, but only one person signed up to run for each seat. When the Texas Education Agency took over South San Antonio ISD in February of 2025, elected trustees were put on “suspended” duties, locked out of district emails and stripped of their governance power. Two of those trustees were Manuel R. Lopez, board president at the time and then-vice president Cynthia A. Ramirez, two longtime South San trustees who were last elected in 2022.   opez and Ramirez both signed up to run again for seats in District 1 and 6.   Lopez, 71, is a retired police officer who was first elected in South San board in 1998.  Ramirez, 62, was first elected in 2000 and recently retired from Harlandale ISD after 26 years of working on the administrative side. She also runs Cinderella’s Closet, a program that helps Harlandale students find formal wear for special events. Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:30:00 -0500

https://sanantonioreport.org/south-san-state-intervention-update-2026-elections/?mc_cid=5f5c2f73f9&mc_eid=febb9b90d4

Texas education board approves controversial school curriculum changes

https://www.fox4news.com/news/texas-education-board-approves-controversial-school-curriculum-changes

The State Board of Education gave final approval to changes to Texas' high school social studies curriculum. The changes involve how students will learn about Islam and Christianity. The revised social studies curriculum covers U.S. history, government and world geography. Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:28:00 -0500

https://www.fox4news.com/news/texas-education-board-approves-controversial-school-curriculum-changes

El Paso ISD audit flags financial and oversight failures in Andress High School band

https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/el-paso-isd-audit-flags-financial-and-oversight-failures-in-andress-high-school-band

An El Paso ISD audit found serious financial and oversight problems in the Andress High School band program, including allegations that district purchasing rules were bypassed and that the school’s principal did not provide sufficient oversight. According to the audit, former band director Manuel Talamantes went against district policy by using personal credit cards to front between $20,000 and $25,000 for band expenses and equipment. Talamantes told investigators he did so because the band did not have enough money at the time he needed to order equipment. Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:28:00 -0500

https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/el-paso-isd-audit-flags-financial-and-oversight-failures-in-andress-high-school-band

An Austin ISD takeover could reverberate across the city

https://austincurrent.org/2026/09/08/austin-austinisd-takeover-superintendent-mayor/

Whatever the state decides about the Austin school district in coming months may not stop at schoolhouse doors. A takeover could shift control of one of Austin’s largest public institutions away from locally elected leaders, with consequences that could reach into the city’s housing, economy, health care and broader quality of life. Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:28:00 -0500

https://austincurrent.org/2026/09/08/austin-austinisd-takeover-superintendent-mayor/

Northside ISD to offer ChatGPT for Teachers with new OpenAI partnership

https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2026/09/07/northside-isd-to-offer-chatgpt-for-teachers-with-new-openai-partnership/

Northside Independent School District is partnering with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT for Teachers to educators across the district, joining a growing number of school systems using artificial intelligence as a classroom and productivity tool. NISD expects to begin rolling out the program in October. The district said teachers will not be required to use ChatGPT, but instead will have access to it as another tool they can use to support their work. Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:28:00 -0500

https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2026/09/07/northside-isd-to-offer-chatgpt-for-teachers-with-new-openai-partnership/