Eight El Paso Independent School District elementary schools will be shut down starting next school year after the Board of Trustees on Tuesday voted in favor of the closures. Carlos Rivera, Lamar, Newman, Putnam, Rusk, and Zavala elementaries will close their doors next school year, with Stanton and Travis elementaries closing in the 2026-27 school year under the approved plan. view article

Michael Wilson reports that trustees in the Houston Independent School District are considering selling 19 properties to bridge fiscal gaps.   This comes after 58 percent of voters rejected a massive debt proposal on the November ballot that would have cost taxpayers $9 billion, including interest and principal.    view article

Last Thursday evening, Erikah Daley sat in a school cafeteria poring over a map of a large swathe of eastern Fort Worth, trying to figure out which schools to keep and which ones to shut down. view article

The Houston Independent School District board is considering selling nearly 20 district properties. The discussions come after voters rejected a massive $4.4 billion school bond proposal on Election Day. It was a long Thursday night for board members as they talked about selling the real estate as well as listening to legal advice in the wake of the failed bond proposal. view article

“I will ensure college affordability remains a top priority for the state as we head into the next legislative session,” wrote Abbott.   view article

Facing budget shortfalls, Victoria ISD didn't have the funds to send band, cheer and dance teams to Friday's football playoff game—until the community stepped in.  There was good news and bad news last Saturday. The good news was that the Victoria West football team was going to the playoffs. The bad news was that it would be without its band, cheer or dance teams.    view article

Gov. Greg Abbott expressed confidence that Texas lawmakers would approve private school vouchers and increase funding for public schools during the 2025 legislative session, which begins Jan. 14. The details: A voucher program would give families public money to send their children to private schools, which opponents argue would strip public schools of critical funds. Abbott said Nov. 6 that he has the votes to pass such a program after several pro-voucher Republicans ousted incumbents in the March primary election and Republicans flipped two historically Democratic House seats on Election Day. view article

Lubbock ISD Superintendent Kathy Rollo said the district and its Future Focus Committee are listening to community feedback amid ongoing discussions about possible campus closures and consolidations. The superintendent sat down with members of local media last week. She told reporters district officials are engaging parents and teachers as the school board and the advisory committee work to find a solution to declining enrollment and stagnant funding. 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

In several Republican-led states, popular sentiment on the voucher issue has been overridden by the efforts of special interest groups and powerful governors who have enacted sweeping voucher programs that often benefit affluent families.   view article

Lubbock ISD is explaining why some schools have been removed from consideration, when it comes to consolidations for the next academic year. Last week, the district announced it was removing four elementary schools from the list of possibilities, as it works to consider the district’s future. Facing declining enrollment and a lack of funding, Superintendent Kathy Rollo says the conversation surrounding that future must happen now. She says the district has to do something to maintain its rich student experience, while in a deficit budget. It has slowed this process down some, but Rollo says there are important deadlines the district has to consider. view article

The lottery, mired in controversy, is up for sunset review in 2025   view article

Enrollment growth in Leander ISD is projected to continue slowing over the next decade, according to a recent demographic update by Population and Survey Analysts, or PASA. The decelerated growth comes as older grade levels are being replaced by smaller incoming kindergarten classes, and more students are attending charter schools and other educational options, PASA President Stacey Tepera said at an Oct. 24 board of trustees meeting. view article

The Socorro Independent School District said they need a $25.1 million loan in order to pay their employees for the next two months. Michael Hinojosa, one of two conservators with the Texas Education Agency who overlooks SISD's budget and board decisions, explained that the loan is due to the district choosing to pay their employees on a bi-weekly basis rather than a monthly check. view article

In response to concerns from parents and educators, Lubbock ISD has now named four schools that will not be considered for consolidation or closure. As we reported earlier this month, Lubbock ISD is considering its future, while juggling declining enrollment, aging facilities and a limited budget. view article

Amber Long has children within Judson ISD. She says hearing about the district's financial uncertainty leaves her feeling concerned. “I feel like this district does need help but twenty-odd million is quite a bit,” said Long. view article

After a report was released showing asset managers for the University of Texas and Texas A&M University’s investment management company were voting in favor of resolutions to advance leftist policy, the entity’s leadership now says it is putting guidelines in place to stop political proxy votes. view article

The Leander Independent School District’s Board of Trustees will meet Thursday night to consider giving its staff a one-time, $1,000 bonus, according to the board’s meeting agenda.The recommendation comes from Leander ISD superintendent Dr. Bruce Gearing, and is backed by the ISD’s chief financial officer and its interim chief human resources officer. view article

Budget cuts are forcing another North Texas school district to consider closing campuses. Lewisville ISD will hold "listening sessions" to get feedback from parents before making a decision. The district projects a $4.5 million deficit and nearly 10,000 fewer students in the next decade. view article

Austin Independent School District Superintendent Matias Segura on Tuesday responded to criticism of the district’s proposed tax increase, which would inject millions into the district for pay raises and savings. The district, facing a $119 million deficit, is asking voters starting this week to approve Prop A, a tax rate increase the district says will increase property taxes by more than $400 for the average homeowner. view article

On Tuesday, Oct. 15, the Lubbock ISD Future Focus Committee met for the first time to discuss the district’s future amid a 14.8-million-dollar budget deficit, no new state funding and declining enrollment rates. The committee, which is composed of 100 community members, educators and students, discussed the idea of combining school campuses to help the district better serve their students in the coming years. While it was only a conversation, it shocked a few parents at first. view article

One in every five El Paso Independent School District elementary schools would close if the school board approves a plan unveiled by administrators Thursday night. The plan outlined by Superintendent Diana Sayavedra during a special Board of Trustees meeting would close 10 elementary campuses while adding resources to remaining schools. view article

Leander ISD has decided to close eight of its campuses due to ongoing repair work on a gas line along FM 620. view article

School safety remains a top concern for districts and while the state has made money for campus security improvements available, Conroe ISD officials say more funding is needed.  Conroe ISD trustees finalized its priorities Tuesday for the upcoming legislative session, including seeking an increase in the state allotment to provide funding for safety measures and mandated safety upgrades. House Bill 3, which went into effect in September 2023, made more than $1 billion available to public schools but only $10 per student for funding safety measures and $15,000 per campus.   view article

The Texas Education Agency has cleared acting Houston school district Superintendent Mike Miles of wrongdoing after he was accused of improperly diverting millions of dollars in state funds to his Colorado charter school system. After reporting from Spectrum News and The Texas Observer prompted calls for an investigation earlier this year, the education agency concluded on Tuesday that neither Miles — who the agency picked to lead the state’s largest school district last year — nor his charter school network, Third Future Schools, “violated any applicable Texas laws,” according to the 29-page investigation report. view article

Lewisville ISD is considering closing or consolidating as many as 20 campuses amid a budget shortfall and declining enrollment. The district faces a $4.5 million deficit and nearly 10,000 fewer students in the next decade, said Superintendent Lori Rapp and a Lewisville ISD committee looking into efforts to become more efficient. Closing or consolidating 20 campuses will be one possible result, said Rapp, to “right size” the district. view article

Leander ISD faces a nearly $30 million budget deficit next school year. The Texas legislature has not increased funding for public schools since 2019, and many school districts, like Leander ISD, say that's just not enough. view article

Lewisville ISD is considering closing or consolidating as many as 20 campuses amid a budget shortfall and declining enrollment. The district faces a $4.5 million deficit and nearly 10,000 fewer students in the next decade, said Superintendent Lori Rapp and a Lewisville ISD committee looking into efforts to become more efficient. Closing or consolidating 20 campuses will be one possible result, said Rapp, to “right size” the district. view article

Keller ISD is hoping to offset lunch debt for students following the district's announcement that it would begin serving "alternative meals" to students who have unpaid meal charges. "We simply want you to know that Keller ISD has and will continue to fill the gap by providing free breakfast and lunch, as we always have," the district said in a letter to parents on Friday. view article

More than half of the state’s school districts are facing budget shortfalls this year while also navigating the conclusion of federal stimulus funds, forcing districts to make hard decisions related to staffing and programming. In addition, districts are experiencing an increase in educators considering leaving the profession due to a lack of funds, increased class sizes, and lower salaries. “Inflation has affected every aspect of our operations, from construction costs to daily expenses. As a school district, we face the same challenges as households: rising utility bills, increased fuel costs for our buses, and higher prices for essential supplies. These real-world economic pressures have a significant impact on our budget," Prosper ISD Superintendent Holly Ferguson said. “School districts have to turn the lights on, we have to pay the water bill, we have to fuel buses. All those real-life things are happening in our schools as well.”   view article

More than half of the state’s school districts are facing budget shortfalls this year while also navigating the conclusion of federal stimulus funds, forcing districts to make hard decisions related to staffing and programming. In addition, districts are experiencing an increase in educators considering leaving the profession due to a lack of funds, increased class sizes and lower salaries.  “We have the unfunded safety mandates from the state that added to what we have to spend money on, we had decreased funding from the federal government for our school health and related services,” Georgetown ISD Superintendent Devin Padavil said. “It was this perfect storm of decreased revenue and increased expenses that have hit school districts, and there's no easy solution in sight.” view article

The calls started coming in Monday to the Houston Federation of Teachers, the largest workers' union in Houston ISD. Members had questions and concerns about their recently received paychecks, which were smaller than they had been this fall – in some cases by more than $300. The employees found out a day later they had been inadvertently overpaid by the largest school district in Texas, which told them Tuesday the most recent amounts are accurate. HISD also told the 4,000 or so impacted employees that, because of the previous overpayments, they would see deductions on subsequent paychecks. view article

Budget issues within Lewisville ISD are causing the district to consider school closures and boundary changes. During a Monday, Oct. 7, board of trustees meeting, LISD officials discussed plans to address potential campus closures or boundary changes. The district cited falling enrollment trends, current campus capacities, facility and staffing efficiency and attendance boundaries as reasons for the potential cutbacks. view article

Another North Texas school district is considering school closures and boundary changes to address declining enrollment and state funding issues. Lewisville Independent School District is facing a $4.5 million budget deficit. "And so if we do not make some financial changes, then what we would see is that deficit would grow," said Dr. Lori Rapp, the superintendent of LISD. view article

Beginning Oct. 21, the Keller Independent School District said it will begin serving an alternative meal to some students who have unpaid meal charges. The district said this applies to students across all grade levels with unpaid lunch balances greater than $25. "Keller ISD schools want to first ensure that all students have access to nutritious meals during school hours regardless of financial circumstances, while also addressing costly negative balances that may be accrued," the district said in a letter to parents. view article