Merry Christmas from TexasISD.com. We will be on a holiday schedule until 18 December through 6 January. If we find interesting content we will post it but not on a schedule.

New information from the United States Census Bureau shows Texas is leading all 50 states in terms of overall domestic migration. view article

Victor Boschini is stepping down next year, but will remain chancellor emeritus. Under his leadership, the university reached a $1 billion fundraising goal.   view article

La Porte ISD is proud to announce a groundbreaking collaboration with the University of Houston-Clear Lake to offer high school students an innovative opportunity to engage in college-level STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) coursework. This innovative partnership allows La Porte ISD students to take STEM-based courses, instructed by college professors and graduate students, and gain hands-on experience in these cutting-edge fields. La Porte ISD has successfully been certified through the Region 4 School Safety and Security Recognition program, a pivotal initiative designed to enhance the safety and security measures within Texas schools. This long-term support system aims to empower staff while ensuring compliance with the Texas Education Code.   view article

The agreement would help ensure that Mexico will honor its part of a 1944 agreement to deliver water to the South Rio Grande Valley. 
The International Boundary and Water Commission has announced that an agreement has been signed to help ensure consistent water deliveries from Mexico to the U.S.  “The newly amended water agreement between the United States and Mexico is a step in the right direction, but Texans know that promises don’t water our fields, sustain our livestock, or supply our cities. While we welcome progress to secure the state’s water supply, we need action—plain and simple,” explained Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.  “Over the past few weeks, I’ve been in constant talks with U.S. and Mexican officials, turning up the heat on Mexico to finally make good on their commitments. On October 17, 2024, I issued an executive order allowing Texas farmers and ranchers to tap directly into the Rio Grande, and, sure enough, Mexico finally showed up at the table,” he added. view article

Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced a new program to create a city-sponsored homeless encampment in response to a citizen’s concern about the homeless population moving into neighborhoods they previously did not occupy. view article

Fort Worth Independent School District will pay former Superintendent Angélica Ramsey nearly $1 million total until she officially resigns as an employee on August 30, 2025. view article

Salaries for Houston's highest-paid public school principals during the 2023-2024 school year ranged from $153,000 to just over $200,000. Atop the list is Mark Smith, a former Houston Independent School District administrator who became an interim principal in Spring Branch ISD. Smith makes $201,086 in his current position, which he's occupied since July of 2022. He first came to Spring Branch ISD in the spring 2022 as the interim principal of Northbrook High School. Smith left HISD in 2018, earning $194,000 as one of that district’s longest-tenured administrators. view article

   Talia Natterson is a sophomore at Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences, a private school in Los Angeles, California. She writes for her school publication, Crossfire.