Voters will soon decide on HISD’s controversial $4.4 billion bond proposal. The proposal known as “Renew HISD” is one of the largest bond packages in Texas history. The district says the funds are crucial for upgrades like heating, A/C, security and expanding education programs. view article

Donna ISD held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday to celebrate its first outdoor learning center. Located at A.M. Ochoa Elementary, the district said this outdoor learning center starts a series of innovative projects made possible through the successful passage of the $120 million school bond proposal in May 2023. view article

A new North Texas high school football stadium will be named after former Baylor Head Coach Art Briles. Stephenville ISD announced Friday night that its newest stadium will be named Art Briles Stadium honoring the embattled former Baylor coach. Briles was fired by Baylor University in 2016 following his handling of several sexual assault allegations involving football players. view article

Seguin ISD passed a budget this year with a $4 million deficit, and school board leaders are looking to voters for help in increasing the amount of money they receive from the state. On Tuesday, Nov. 5, voters will be asked to approve a tax rate change, known as a VATRE, an election required by the state to modify the tax rate. view article

On this week’s episode of Big Country Politics, Glen Hill, Superintendent of Paint Creek ISD in Haskell County, spoke about a $3.8 million bond on the November ballot and what it would do for the district. view article

The Seguin ISD is hoping that voters will consider lowering the tax rate, which will ultimately help the district emerge from a financial bind. During Tuesday’s election, the district will be hosting a Voter Approval Tax Ratification Election (VATRE). It appears on the ballot as approval of Proposition A. Seguin ISD Chief Financial Officer Liz Oaks says approval of Proposition A will lower the tax rate, but more importantly, it will let the district receive more money from the state. view article

When Tara Watson saw Houston ISD’s $4.4 billion school bond at the end of her ballot, she hesitated.  Watson, a parent of two HISD students, said their campus “obviously” needs new infrastructure, including a anent fix to the school’s persistent heating, ventilation and air conditioning problems. If the bond passed, the district estimates it would invest more than $4.3 million into facility improvements for her children’s highly rated elementary school in the Heights.   Still, after standing there and staring at her voting machine for “a while,” she ultimately opted to vote against the district’s first school bond proposal in 12 years. view article

Houston ISD has placed a $4.4 billion school bond — the largest bond measure in state history — on voters’ ballots this November. We've compiled this page of frequently asked questions about the bond to help inform voters about Propositions A and B as they head to their polling location to vote on the measure. view article

The city of Frisco has finalized a letter of intent with Broadway Across America, securing a promise to collaborate on a proposed multimillion-dollar performing arts center project.    The letter of intent, which is a non-binding document, brings Broadway Across America into a public-private partnership between the city of Frisco and Prosper ISD to build the arts center, according to an Oct. 28 news release.  Broadway Across America also runs Broadway Dallas and would create a similar “Broadway Frisco” series to the center, according to the release  The vision for the Frisco Center of the Arts includes: view article

Voters in the Manor school district will have lower property taxes this year than last, but district officials are asking residents to accept a higher tax rate to help pay off the district’s $20.8 million deficit and give staff members a 2% raise. If voters approve Proposition A, they’d accept a school district property tax rate of $1.0814 per $100 of property valuation in the 2024-25 school year, 3 cents higher than $1.0514 per $100, the rate without the increase, and the district would collect an additional $4.8 million in revenue. view article

Bipartisan opposition is growing against the largest public school bond proposal in state history put before voters in Texas’ largest city this election. The Houston Independent School District has proposed Proposition A and Proposition B on the Nov. 5 ballot, arguing that increasing debt and taxes by nearly $11 billion over 33 years is necessary to build and renovate school buildings, implement security upgrades and make other improvements. view article

While most local officials have refused to take a public position on Houston Independent School District’s $4.4 billion bond, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced her support for it this week. view article

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo threw guarded support behind the facility improvements that are part of Houston ISD's $4.4 billion bond proposal Thursday afternoon, while urging the district's state-appointed leadership to do a better job listening to the community. view article

Some of the classrooms they entered felt warmer than others, because there are ongoing air-conditioning issues at 56-year-old Fleming Middle School. Wendell Robbins and Daria Wenas also visited an auditorium that isn't being used, because the stage lights don't work and the stage itself is damaged and awaiting repairs. view article

The potential partnership would combine the district’s performing arts center project, which was approved by voters in the 2023 bond program, with the city of Frisco’s plans for a performing arts center. The potential partnership was presented during a Prosper ISD board meeting on Oct. 21 and no official plans have been approved. Frisco officials have discussed the project for years. Frisco voters approved a bond item for a performing arts facility in 2015 and a feasibility study from 2018 ended with Frisco City Council members stating they would wait for a private partner before they began developing the center. “It’s an exciting possibility,” Deputy Superintendent Greg Bradley said during the board meeting. “This is a potential awesome opportunity for our kids ... there’s no way that we could construct something like this on our own."   view article

The November 5, 2024 election has no shortage of major races to follow. The whole country knows about Vice President Kamala Harris going up against former President Donald Trump, as well as Senator Ted Cruz fighting to keep his seat against Congressman Colin Allred. But what about everywhere else? view article

Fort Bend ISD is shelving plans for a new elementary school that was supposed to be funded by a $1.2 billion bond voters approved last year. Instead of building the school, the board voted Monday night to use the $47.6 million it would have cost to help close an $80 million budget deficit. view article

The Longview ISD Board of Trustees approved construction timelines for bond projects during their regular meeting on Monday, Oct. 21.  view article

The Longview ISD Board of Trustees approved construction timelines for bond projects during their regular meeting on Monday, Oct. 21.  view article

Liberty Hill ISD is weeks away from opening a new space for special education students ages 18-22. The new facility will help accommodate growing enrollment in the Accessing Community through Career Environments for Student Success, or ACCESS, program, which has more than doubled in recent school years, district officials said at an Oct. 21 board of trustees meeting. The big picture: In November, students in the ACCESS 18-plus program will begin transitioning into a 13,359-square-foot building behind the district’s administration building. LHISD renovated the preexisting space using $5 million in 2023 bond funds. view article

Local residents are urging their neighbors to “Vote No” on ballot propositions being pushed by Rockwall Independent School District that would result in big property tax increases. view article

Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura revealed what percent of the district's staff will get a pay raise if voters approve Proposition A. Under the ballot measure, property taxes would rise $34 a month for the typical Austin ISD homeowner who has an estimated home value of $553,493. The tax increase would not affect homeowners with an over-65 exemption. view article

Fort Bend ISD is shelving plans for a new elementary school that was supposed to be funded by a bond taxpayers voted for. After much discussion, the board ultimately decided that even though building the new school was part of last year's bond, they just don't have the money for it. The new elementary school was supposed to be built in the Harvest Green area of Richmond. view article

A $110,000 check to the Taylor Independent School District from Samsung Austin Semiconductor is the latest incentive from the global company to enhance local high-tech training for future careers. The money will be invested in the school district’s career and technical education program and aid the district in “developing the semiconductor talent pipeline,” according to officials. In other business, trustees also began considering how to boost wireless signal strength across the district. view article

Several Houston religious leaders and community members urged voters Thursday to cast their ballots against Houston ISD’s controversial $4.4 billion school bond proposal in the upcoming November election.   During a news conference at Trinity United Methodist Church, leaders of The Metropolitan Organization, an association of Houston churches, said they were opposing an HISD bond for the first time in the group’s 44-year history due largely to the lack of trust and “meaningful input from community members” in developing the measure.  view article

With little data available regarding why employees were quitting their jobs in Houston ISD, a parent decided to do her own digging.  HISD parent Becky Seabrook said she observed a mismatch between what parents were experiencing, and the district reporting that the vast majority of teachers marked that they planned to return next academic year on its Intent to Return Survey. She also felt a disconnect between community conversations and the administration claiming that the educators leaving were not quality teachers. view article

As early voting begins for the November general election, a group of Houston Democratic politicians said Monday that they're urging potential voters to reject Houston ISD’s $4.4 billion school bond. In a brief press conference outside the West Gray Recreation Center, four Houston Democrats said HISD voters should say no to the district’s first school bond in 12 years largely due to a lack of trust in state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles and the HISD Board of Managers, as well as concerns over future transparency, accountability and oversight of the measure. view article

Frisco school officials want voters to approve more than $1 billion in bonds for a new middle school building, renovations and technology upgrades as well as a tax increase to pay for teacher raises and cover other budget gaps. The bond propositions — B, C and D — total would pay for improvements at 20 aging schools, bolster Frisco ISD’s technology infrastructure and build a $11.2 million tennis center. The bonds, if approved, would not result in a tax increase, according to the district. view article

Houston voters will decide on a $4.4 billion bond proposal from the Houston Independent School District in the November election. Voters on Nov. 5 will need to decide whether to approve or reject the bond proposal which is broken down into two separate propositions. Proposition A asks voters to approve the issuance of $3.96 billion in bonds, aimed at addressing critical needs in the district’s infrastructure. view article

Corpus Christi ISD has a plan to build and renovate two new consolidated elementary schools and tackle projects at King, Moody and Veterans Memorial high schools. It’s up to the voters to decide if the district can take on $135.4 million of debt to complete the projects. If approved, the bond measure will not change the tax rate. view article

Conroe ISD has put its $1.9 billion bond to quick work after voters gave the green light in November 2023. On Tuesday, the Conroe ISD School Board approved the guaranteed maximum contract price for renovation projects at five different existing campuses. In total, the board approved approximately $107 million across three contracts. Safety and security were also addressed in all of the improvement proposals. The renovations are expected to be completed before 2026. view article

This November, Houston voters will decide on a $4.4 billion bond proposal from Houston Independent School District to address school infrastructure needs. The bond, if approved, would be the largest in Texas history, funding upgrades to heating, air conditioning, and security systems, and expanded education programs. While some support the initiative, others are skeptical, citing concerns over the current state-appointed leadership. view article

Conroe ISD board trustees approved the guaranteed maximum prices for several projects during its Oct. 15 meeting. view article

Round Rock ISD will continue to host a series of bond information events with two more sessions to be held Oct. 21 and 28. view article

As hammers thwacked iron and sparks showered from the scaffolding of Arlington ISD’s newest junior high, Sharpies scribbled against a steel beam. Holding the Sharpies were the Rodriguez family. One wrote to her husband. Two wrote to their son. Three wrote to their father. view article