Hawkins ISD Superintendent retires following DWI arrest, interim appointed

HAWKINS, Texas (KETK) – The Hawkins ISD Board of Trustees accepted Superintendent Susan Morton’s retirement on Monday following her recent arrest for driving while intoxicated.  Hawkins ISD superintendent arrested for driving while intoxicated  Morton was arrested after a minor accident in La Marque, Texas on Aug. 23. by the La Marque Police Department. Morton was then booked into the Galveston County Jail for charges of driving while intoxicated and collision involving damage to a vehicle less than $200. view article

Preventive Law: You’ve Been Served… Or Have You?  Avoiding the Pitfalls Associated with Subpoenas

Buna ISD superintendent named lone finalist for top job in Waco ISD

Waco/Buna — The Waco ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously Thursday night to name Dr. Tiffany T. Spicer, currently the Buna ISD superintendent, the lone finalist for the top job in the Waco school district.  The Waco school board cited what it calls her successful track record in public education.  Dr. Spicer has led the Buna ISD since 2022. She served more than two decades in education with 17 of those years in administrative positions.  The Waco school board must wait 21 days to before voting to hire Dr. Spicer. Trustees have scheduled a vote October 4. view article

Houston ISD remains silent a month after student death, seeks to block release of records

Nearly a month after Houston ISD eighth-grader Landon Payton’s death, district leaders remain tight-lipped about how Marshall Middle School staff responded to the teen’s “medical emergency” on campus, though they have announced new safety protocols following the incident. HISD leaders have refused to comment on whether district staff took correct life-saving steps — including using an automated external defibrillator, which can treat cases of potential cardiac arrest — in the crucial minutes after Landon collapsed during gym class on Aug. 14. In recent days, HISD also has sought to withhold documents related to the incident requested by the Houston Landing. view article

Prosper’s FY 2024-25 budget brings property tax rate to its lowest since FY 2007

Prosper officials are investing in additional public safety programs and its staff in the town’s fiscal year 2024-25 budget. Prosper Town Council members approved a $102.62 million total budget and a $0.505 per $100 valuation property tax rate for fiscal year 2024-25 during a Sept. 10 meeting. view article

Texas leads push for faster certification of mental health professionals

Aspiring Texas psychologists hope to earn certification and start work faster under a new licensing examination that would be created by the state. The plan, which is catching the eye of other states, calls for Texas boards to conduct state certification tests, eliminating the need for more expensive and time-intensive national certification tests. view article

Half of lowest-rated teachers left the district this summer

An unusually high share of teachers left Houston ISD over the summer, but new data from the district show educators who received low evaluations drove a large share of the exodus. view article

Houston ISD announces increased security following a ‘statewide situation’

HISD sent out security announcement regarding "statewide situation" and reports of social media posts suggesting several Texas public schools are targets. view article

Leander ISD to teach new substance abuse prevention curriculum

Leander ISD will adopt new materials to educate students on substance abuse prevention this school year. District officials provided an update on LISD’s substance abuse prevention education and support services at a Sept. 5 board of trustees meeting. In a nutshell The district plans to implement Safety First—a free drug education and intervention curriculum by the Halpern-Felsher REACH Lab at Stanford University’s School of Medicine. The program encompasses 13 lessons on opioids and fentanyl, alcohol and psychedelics, as well as other drugs, according to its website. LISD is also looking to adopt tobacco prevention and cannabis awareness and prevention toolkits by the university’s lab. view article

Waco ISD reveals lone finalist for superintendent

The Waco Independent School District on Sept. 12 announced Dr. Tiffany Spicer, currently with Buna ISD, as the lone finalist for the position of superintendent. Spicer will replace outgoing Waco ISD Superintendent Dr. Susan Kincannon, who had served in the district since 2019, and announced her retirement on June 6. view article

Calls for transparency as Grand Prairie ISD board meets after placing superintendent on leave

One week after placing new Grand Prairie Superintendent Jorge Arredondo on leave, the school board responded to community concerns at a meeting Thursday. “As far as the investigation goes, this board will continue to stand on policy and provide due process. So trust me, we want to be as transparent as possible in every aspect,” said President Amber Moffitt. view article

Klein ISD student expelled, charged after sending threatening messages with hit list, photo of gun to other students

A Klein ISD student has been expelled and is facing charges after authorities say the student sent threatening messages with a list of 12 students names and a photo of a gun. The district said they were made aware around 9 p.m. Wednesday of group text messages going around between students of Ulrich Intermediate School. view article

Dickinson ISD to build new school to accommodate rapid growth

Dickinson Independent School District is about begin construction of its eighth elementary school, a campus needed to accommodate population growth from a boom of rooftops in Lago Mar and other Texas City developments. view article

Education SC high court rejects GOP vouchers, says taxpayer dollars can’t pay private tuition

Parents already enrolled can still use their scholarship for tutoring, just not private tuition   view article

Cy-Fair ISD’s 20 top earners: Retired superintendent is the highest-paid in Texas

Retired superintendent Mark Henry was Cypress Fairbanks ISD’s highest-paid employee — and the highest-paid superintendent in Texas — in the 2023-24 school year. Before his retirement in December 2023, Henry collected a base salary of $537,775 after 12 years leading the district. The former superintendent’s compensation package also included phone and travel allowances totaling $24,000, bringing his total pay up to almost $561,000. By comparison, the average base teacher salary in the district was about $67,000 in the 2023-24 school year.  view article

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issues new directives to increase D.E.I. scrutiny in higher ed

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issues new directives to increase D.E.I. scrutiny in higher ed. AUSTIN, Texas — Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has issued a second round of directives for the Texas Senate, asking lawmakers to consider legislation that could change how the state does runoff elections, prevent protestors from wearing face masks, and further eliminate any lingering D.E.I. policies that may still exist in higher education. Since the Texas Legislature only meets biennially, there's a lot of work to be done before the start of a legislative session. "We compress effectively two years of legislation into approximately five months," Rice University's Dr. Mark Jones said. "the legislature needs to get working on issues long before the session begins in January." view article

Bexar County will skip appraising successfully contested valuations

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issues new directives to increase D.E.I. scrutiny in higher ed. AUSTIN, Texas — Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has issued a second round of directives for the Texas Senate, asking lawmakers to consider legislation that could change how the state does runoff elections, prevent protestors from wearing face masks, and further eliminate any lingering D.E.I. policies that may still exist in higher education. Since the Texas Legislature only meets biennially, there's a lot of work to be done before the start of a legislative session. "We compress effectively two years of legislation into approximately five months," Rice University's Dr. Mark Jones said. "the legislature needs to get working on issues long before the session begins in January." view article

Thousands in the dark as Hurricane Francine strikes Louisiana, raising flood fears

MORGAN CITY, La. (AP) — Hurricane Francine slammed into the Louisiana coast Wednesday evening as a dangerous Category 2 storm that knocked out electricity to more than a quarter-million customers and threatened widespread flooding as it sent a potentially deadly storm surge rushing inland along the Gulf Coast. Francine crashed ashore in Terrebonne Parish, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southwest of Morgan City, the National Hurricane Center announced at 4 p.m. CDT. Packing top sustained winds near 100 mph (155 kph), the hurricane then battered a fragile coastal region that hasn’t fully recovered from a series of devastating hurricanes in 2020 and 2021. Morgan City Fire Chief Alvin Cockerham said the hurricane quickly flooded streets, snapped power lines and sent tree limbs crashing down. “It’s a little bit worse than what I expected to be honest with you,” Cockerham said of the onslaught. “I pulled all my trucks back to the station. It’s too dangerous to be out there in this.” view article

Waco ISD Board set to name lone finalist for superintendent

The Waco ISD Board of Trustees will name and vote on the lone finalist for superintendent Thursday at a special board meeting, following nearly three months of detailed search efforts. “It was a difficult decision, and I think that is the best problem to have, to have a difficult time in narrowing down,” Board of Trustees President Stephanie Korteweg. “Out of 51 applicants,...it was a long process, but it was definitely worth it.” view article

Cy-Fair ISD’s 20 top earners: Retired superintendent is the highest-paid in Texas

Retired superintendent Mark Henry was Cypress Fairbanks ISD’s highest-paid employee — and the highest-paid superintendent in Texas — in the 2023-24 school year. Before his retirement in December 2023, Henry collected a base salary of $537,775 after 12 years leading the district. The former superintendent’s compensation package also included phone and travel allowances totaling $24,000, bringing his total pay up to almost $561,000. By comparison, the average base teacher salary in the district was about $67,000 in the 2023-24 school year. view article

Llano ISD classes continue with increased security after school-shooting threat deemed not credible

Llano ISD is increasing campus security Thursday after the district received reports of a threat Wednesday. In a media release, the district said administrators "were made aware of a school shooting threat." According to a Facebook post from Llano ISD, the threats were made on Snapchat. District officials reported the information to the Llano ISD Police Department as soon as they learned of the threat. view article

Central Texas school districts deal with shooting threats on social media

There may be an increased presence at your child's school as school districts across the state and in Central Texas have seen social media threats referencing school shootings. Llano ISD is the latest district made aware of a threat. In a post, the district said it learned of the threat on September 11 and that upon learning about the alleged threats, it immediately notified the Llano Police Department. view article

Austin ISD police officer shot in 2023, receives Star of Texas award

On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott awarded an Austin Independent School District police officer a prestigious honor during the 2024 Star of Texas awards in north Austin. The Star of Texas awards recognize first responders, police officers and firefighters who suffer serious injuries or die in the line of duty, according to a news release from the governor’s office. view article

Temple ISD confirms its schools were not the target of threats circulating nationwide

The Temple Independent School District was notified Wednesday morning of a social media post that referenced a school shooting, but says its schools were not targeted by those making the threats. One of the schools mentioned in the threat was Temple Elementary. “There is no Temple Elementary in Temple ISD. We communicated to our families this morning,” officials said. view article

Kemp ISD closes schools Wednesday as ‘precaution’ to threats made against multiple districts

Kemp ISD administration has decided to cancel classes on September 11 as precaution due to threats made against multiple Texas school districts. According to a press release by superintendent James Young, the Kemp ISD administration was made aware of a potential and unconfirmed threat affecting school districts across the state. Officials believe the threat to be a hoax, however due to the late hour of the threat, the school district says it was unable to fully verify or investigate the threat. view article

Several North Texas school districts dealing with threats of violence to start the academic year

Multiple North Texas school districts and law enforcement agencies have had the unfortunate task of investigating threats of violence to schools over the first few weeks of class. Last week, 17-year-old David Washington, a senior at Dallas ISD, was shot and killed during a fight with a large crowd outside of a Love's Convenience store following a football game between Duncanville and South Oak Cliff. view article

Longview ISD applies for school safety grant made possible by Matthew McConaughey

A week after a 14-year-old student allegedly opened fire inside his High School in Winder, Georgia, killing four people, Longview ISD graduate and Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey took center stage on network news to showcase a program he thinks can combat the issue at hand. “We know the federal government wants this money to be used, we just had to figure out how,” McConaughey on ABC Morning News earlier this week. view article

Leander ISD Launches OpenSciEd Program

Leander Independent School District has implemented an innovative middle school science program starting in the 2024-2025 school year. OpenSciEd aims to engage students in exploring scientific concepts while providing them with foundational knowledge in the field. The program, delivered via the Activate Learning platform, has received a ‘green’ rating from EdReports, signifying high-quality instructional materials. After thorough reviews of multiple resources, LISD Instructional Materials Adoption Committee selected OpenSciEd. It aligns with the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) updated science standards, which emphasize a three-dimensional approach to science education. The dimensions include recurring themes and concepts, scientific and engineering practices, and core scientific content. view article

Arlington ISD employee accused of tying students up, taping their mouths placed on leave

An employee at Goodman Elementary School accused of tying up students with string and putting tape over their mouths last week is on administrative leave, according to an Arlington ISD statement. The district was alerted to the allegations Friday, immediately prompting an investigation, and the employee was placed on administrative leave. The parents of involved students were notified the same day, according to the district. view article

Llano ISD increases police presence on campuses after school shooting threat

Llano Independent School District officials are increasing police presence on campuses after being alerted to a potential school shooting threat on Wednesday. The district said in a statement that upon learning of the alleged threats on Sept. 11, they notified the Llano ISD Police Department. The department is now working in conjunction with Texas Rangers, the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division, Llano County Sheriff's Office and Llano Police Department. view article

Texas leads push for faster certification of mental health professionals

Aspiring Texas psychologists hope to earn certification and start work faster under a new licensing examination that would be created by the state. The plan, which is catching the eye of other states, calls for Texas boards to conduct state certification tests, eliminating the need for more expensive and time-intensive national certification tests. view article

Harris County Republicans Oppose Houston ISD Bond

The Harris County Republican Party unanimously adopted a resolution at its recent executive committee meeting opposing Houston Independent School District’s proposed $4.4 billion bond.  view article

As Hurricane Francine passes Texas, new tropical depression forms in Atlantic

As Hurricane Francine wheels through the Gulf of Mexico toward Louisiana, a new named system has formed in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean.National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasters announced Wednesday morning the formation of Tropical Depression Seven near the Cabo Verde Islands off the coast of Africa. The system is beginning to show signs of further organization, according to NHC meterologists, and is tacking to the west-northwest at 10 to 15 mph. There is a 90-percent chance of Seven strengthening into a tropical storm over the next 48 hours, according to the NHC. If this were to pass, Seven would become Tropical Storm Gordon, the seventh named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which has seen wild swings in activity since its beginning on June 1.There is a 90-percent chance of Seven strengthening into a tropical storm over the next 48 hours, according to the NHC. If this were to pass, Seven would become Tropical Storm Gordon, the seventh named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which has seen wild swings in activity since its beginning on June 1. view article

2024 Additional Interim Legislative Charges:

Monitoring: Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Education passed by the 88th Legislature, as well as relevant agencies and programs under the committee's jurisdiction. Specifically, make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, or complete implementation of parent-approved health education.  view article

Gov. Abbott Rips Biden-Harris Administration for Undercutting Texas Border Security Efforts

Gov. Greg Abbott has blasted the federal government’s efforts to undermine Texas’ border security efforts.  view article