HISD’s board of managers last week approved a budget amendment of nearly $125.5 million at the request of Miles, who said about $57 million of that total is local property tax revenue being sent to the state. Texas has a revenue-sharing system for public schools and determines their funding based on average daily attendance. view article

As student enrollment in Houston ISD declines to its lowest level since the pandemic, Superintendent Mike Miles is striking it rich. The state-appointed boss of the largest school district in Texas received a $126,000 bonus from the Board of Managers, on top of his $380,000 annual salary, according to a new report in the Houston Chronicle. view article

The Austin Independent School District provided an update on its progress in meeting the requirement for special education services. This update came after the district had an evaluation backlog of more than 800 children in 2021. Austin ISD and the Texas Education Agency reached an agreement in 2023. The district has until September 1, 2025, to meet all 99 requirements outlined by the TEA. So far, AISD has checked off 74 of those items, which puts it ahead of schedule. view article

The Austin Independent School District announced on Thursday that it has completed 75% of the priorities outlined in a Texas Education Agency (TEA) Special Education Agreed Order. The requirements from the TEA must be met by AISD to avoid more corrective actions. Superintendent Matias Segura says completing 74 of the 99 action items is a significant milestone in their efforts to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. view article

Austin Independent School District leaders said on Thursday they plan to get a new data system to track more than 13,000 students who receive special education services. The change comes as the district’s special education department enters its second year under state intervention. view article

There’s been talk about an optional Bible-infused curriculum in Texas public elementary schools since final approval last month by the Texas State Board of Education. view article

The North East Independent School District is looking to consolidate three campuses in an effort to combat declining enrollment. “I take our responsibility to our children and community seriously,” NEISD Superintendent Dr. Sean Maika wrote in an announcement sent out on Tuesday. “And while this is a difficult process, we must be good stewards of our taxpayer money. We, like other school districts across the state, have been losing enrollment, and have seen no increase in revenue since 2019. Consequently, some of our campuses are not being fully utilized and are inefficient.” view article

Based on preliminary ratings, Houston ISD is moving closer to having fewer failing schools, a momentum that moves the state's largest school district to losing state-appointed leadership.  Superintendent Mike Miles reported Wednesday that 41 of the district's 273 campuses were graded D or F in 2024, and 170 were graded A or B according to unofficial results by the Texas Education Agency's A-F accountability rating system. Because of legal challenges, TEA was blocked from releasing the new ratings for the 2023-24 academic school year, but they are expected to be released on Aug.15. view article

The Texas Education Agency is considering whether to replace the South San ISD’s board of trustees with appointed board managers. “What happens to the old board? Do they have anything, any repercussions?” asked a woman attending the TEA and South San ISD meeting. view article

Lewisville ISD board members voted Monday night to close five of its elementary schools, a cost-saving measure officials say the district needs as student enrollment continues to decline and state funding for schools is uncertain. It was a highly emotional meeting, with more than a dozen people taking to the lectern during the public comment section to beg elected leaders to delay a school consolidation plan. Some speakers joined board members in directing rage at the state Legislature, accusing politicians by name of starving public schools and hurting neighborhoods. Gov. Greg Abbott, state Sen. Tan Parker and state Reps. Ben Bumgarner and Mitch Little were all named as bad actors. view article

Cy-Fair ISD is using new tools to track the progress of students in first through fifth grades who did not meet the reading standards during the 2023-24 school year. CFISD Chief Academic Officer Linda Macias said during the Dec. 5 board meeting the district is tracking student performance using formative assessments and Amira, a reading support program, is a part of CFISD’s new strategic plan. view article

The Texas Legislature has prioritized getting high school dropouts the skills they need to enter the workforce.   view article

AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — Amarillo ISD Superintendent Doug Loomis will reveal which schools are on his "watchlist" for closure and consolidation. view article

After missing 40 days of school last year, Tommy Betom, 10, is on track this year for much better attendance. The importance of showing up has been stressed repeatedly at school - and at home. view article

The SHAC was created to assist the district in ensuring that local community values and health issues are reflected in the district’s health and physical education instruction, according to information on the district website. “We as a board are not bound by these suggestions or advice and we aren’t compelled or bound to accept anything they present as marching orders or directives to us,” board President Misty Odenweller said at the meeting. view article

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has launched an investigation into Katy Independent School District (Katy ISD) following a formal complaint filed by local advocate Karen Mayer Cunningham on behalf of an elementary student. The complaint alleges violations related to special education services provided to the student between October 30, 2023 and the filing of the grievance in November of this year. view article

Two new principals at Harvard were named in the span of a week, with the first backing out because of “bullying on social media,” according to the district. The previous campus leaders, Shelby Calabrese at Harvard and Alvin Goldman at Pershing, were placed on leave last month for reasons the district has declined to specify. view article

The Fort Worth ISD school board meeting in September was packed. Community members were eager to voice their concerns about books, principals and pay. view article

Education officials say the materials were designed to be age appropriate but critics argue they repeatedly omit key context and oversimplify history.  

Leadership at Cy-Fair ISD has decided not to move forward on most of the academic changes proposed in August for secondary students, including eliminating honors-level classes, according to a report at last week's board work session. view article

La Porte Independent School District has received its 22nd consecutive “A” rating for “Superior Achievement” under Texas’ School FIRST financial accountability rating system. The rating is the state’s highest, demonstrating the quality of La Porte ISD’s financial management and reporting system. The district scored a total of 98 out of 100. This is the 22nd year of School FIRST (Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas), a financial accountability system for Texas school districts developed by the Texas Education Agency in response to Senate Bill 875 of the 76th Texas Legislature in 1999 and amendments under House Bill 5, 83rd Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2013. The primary goal of School FIRST is to achieve quality performance in the management of school districts’ financial resources, a goal made more significant due to the complexity of accounting associated with Texas’ school finance system. -30- view article

As officials in the Fort Worth Independent School District look for ways to improve academic progress, they’re pinning hopes on a new staffing model designed to ensure that more kids get a high-quality teacher. The model, called Opportunity Culture, is based on the idea of having a few highly effective teachers spend part of the day acting as coaches and mentors for other educators in their building. The district is piloting the model at three campuses this year, with plans to expand if it’s successful. Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article294884724.html#storylink=cpy view article

It wasn’t just any coach though, this was Vincent Grayson, who was nominated for High School Coach of the Year at the Houston Sports Awards and was said to have an impact on the basketball court at Booker T. Washington High School by leading their team to the first ever UIL state tournament in 2023. view article

Katy ISD’s 2024 State of the District event, held October 25 at the Leonard Merrell Center at 6301 S. Stadium Drive in Katy, was a celebration of excellence, collaboration, and appreciation for the many stakeholders that continue investing in the future of students, the district said in a press release. For the fourth consecutive year, Katy ISD has been named the #1 public school district in the Houston area by Niche, and this is the result of the many volunteers, elected officials, organizations, and businesses that keep the district strong, the press release said. view article

Texas high school students can now see which of the state’s public universities would accept them before they submit college applications, state leaders announced Oct. 11. Students who submit academic information—like their grade point average, class rank and standardized test scores—to the state’s new Direct Admissions portal will receive a list of where they qualify for automatic acceptance, according to a news release. Thirty-one of Texas’ 37 public universities participate in the program. Students can begin using Direct Admissions at the end of their junior year of high school. Once a student receives their admissions list, they must still submit an application to verify their information and help schools determine if they qualify for scholarships. If students do not qualify for direct admission at a specific university, they can still go through the traditional application process, according to the release. Students can submit a single application to Texas institutions through ApplyTexas. view article

Houston area school districts have received high marks in Niche’s annual rankings, with Katy ISD leading the pack, securing the #7 spot as one of Texas’ top-rated school districts. Tomball ISD follows closely at #18, while Friendswood ISD, Pearland ISD, and Clear Creek ISD have also earned places within the top 30. view article

The Fort Worth school district is at risk of another year of lackluster academic progress if its teachers and leaders don’t do something differently, the district’s interim superintendent told the school board Tuesday. Karen Molinar, who was appointed to lead the district earlier this month after former Superintendent Angélica Ramsey’s departure, emphasized that the district is both morally obligated and legally required to accelerate students who have fallen behind. If the district doesn’t intervene, she projected that nearly three quarters of all students will perform below grade level on next spring’s STAAR exam. “We can’t do everything at once, but we need to do something immediately,” she said. During the meeting, Molinar presented MAP assessment scores from the beginning of the year, broken out by student subgroups. Across all student groups, the district’s scores this year were almost identical to those from the beginning of the last school year. African American students and special education students lagged well behind the rest of the district — gaps Molinar said the district needs to do more to close. The district’s needs are too great for leaders to be able to focus on every student who needs extra help, she said, but student achievement data can help them figure out which students are furthest behind and target their efforts there. view article

Texas high school students can now see which of the state’s public universities would accept them before they submit college applications, state leaders announced Oct. 11.  Students who submit academic information—like their grade point average, class rank and standardized test scores—to the state’s new Direct Admissions portal will receive a list of where they qualify for automatic acceptance, according to a news release. Thirty-one of Texas’ 37 public universities participate in the program. Students can begin using Direct Admissions at the end of their junior year of high school. Once a student receives their admissions list, they must still submit an application to verify their information and help schools determine if they qualify for scholarships. If students do not qualify for direct admission at a specific university, they can still go through the traditional application process, according to the release. Students can submit a single application to Texas institutions through ApplyTexas. view article

The TEA began a investigation after Spectrum News Texas reported that Third Future Schools Texas had inappropriately diverted state funds from Texas public school students through partnerships with three school districts.   view article

Elizabeth Hornbeck watched her daughter struggle for years before she finally filed a special education complaint against Houston ISD.  As a first-grader, her daughter Alex, who is diagnosed with ADHD, dysgraphia and dyslexia, often came home from school crying. In second grade, Alex had three teachers, including a two-month substitute and new teacher with little special education experience. In third grade, her daughter was placed in a self-contained classroom of children with special-needs students for part of the day, which Hornbeck worried was understaffed and too restrictive for her daughter's abilities. view article

Elizabeth Hornbeck watched her daughter struggle for years before she finally filed a special education complaint against Houston ISD.  As a first-grader, her daughter Alex, who is diagnosed with ADHD, dysgraphia and dyslexia, often came home from school crying. In second grade, Alex had three teachers, including a two-month substitute and new teacher with little special education experience. In third grade, her daughter was placed in a self-contained classroom of children with special-needs students for part of the day, which Hornbeck worried was understaffed and too restrictive for her daughter's abilities. view article

Emotions high during HISD's frequent 'spot checks' required under Mike Miles' New Education System. State-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles paused briefly to dab his eyes with a handkerchief after touring Houston ISD's Thompson Elementary last week, apparently overwhelmed with the campus' recent success.1   view article

During Tuesday evening’s workshop meeting, the College Station ISD Board of Trustees heard more about a new plan to incentivize campuses to boost its average daily attendance rate. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, schools across the nation have seen a rise in what‘s called ’chronic absenteeism,' which was defined by the district as when a student misses more than 10% of school days. view article

The College Station ISD Board of Trustees met Tuesday evening to discuss several major topics that could have big impacts on the district. During the workshop meeting board members discussed the issues they’re focused on for the upcoming state legislative session. School vouchers are again on the list of legislative priorities for 2025, according to information on Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s website. This comes after voucher legislation failed to pass over four special legislative sessions in 2023. view article

Elizabeth Hornbeck watched her daughter struggle for years before she finally filed a special education complaint against Houston ISD.   As a first-grader, her daughter Alex, who is diagnosed with ADHD, dysgraphia and dyslexia, often came home from school crying. In second grade, Alex had three teachers, including a two-month substitute and new teacher with little special education experience. In third grade, her daughter was placed in a self-contained classroom of children with special-needs students for part of the day, which Hornbeck worried was understaffed and too restrictive for her daughter's abilities. view article