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Feb. 25, 2026
Texas Education Agency Probes Northside, Austin, Hutto, Brownsville ISDs For Walkout Assistance
(Dallas Express) The TEA confirmed to The Dallas Express that Northside ISD, Austin ISD, Hutto ISD, and Brownsville ISD are currently under review by the agency’s Special Investigations Division. The investigations will look into “district-level practices and specific incidents related to the alleged assistance of students with walkout-protests and alleged failures to enforce district policies that limit school day interruptions,” according to the agency.
Education Department hands off more of its responsibilities to other US agencies
(AP) The Education Department is handing over more of its programs and grants to other federal agencies. It announced a pair of new agreements that move the Trump administration closer to its goal of shutting down the department. Under one interagency agreement, the Health and Human Services Department will take over grant programs that send millions of dollars to schools for safety and community engagement efforts. Another calls for the State Department to take over a portal that tracks foreign gifts to universities.
Greenwood ISD faces $5 million budget gap tied to expired state grant
(KOSA) Greenwood ISD is dealing with a $5 million budget shortfall after a state funding grant expired in August 2024, leaving the district in its second consecutive year of deficit spending.
‘I don’t think I can handle it’: Families leave Judson ISD board meeting in tears after school closures announced
(KSAT) The Judson Independent School District school board on Tuesday voted 5-2 to close three elementary schools during a special meeting. Families shared their heartbreak immediately after the decision was made. The vote comes eight days after the board voted to close Judson Middle School. The board is working to make up for a $37 million deficit.
Fort Bend ISD admin recommends March vote to close elementaries
(Fort Bend Star) The Fort Bend ISD board of trustees is set to vote March 9 on a controversial rezoning plan that would include the closure of seven elementary schools in an effort to address what Superintendent Marc Smith called a “structural” problem of operating a built-out district in an era of declining enrollment.
Fort Worth ISD wants to address disparity of African American students disciplined
(Fort Worth Star-Telegram) In Superintendent Karen Molinar’s report to the board on Tuesday, she showed that African American students make up 20% of the district’s overall enrollment but 35% of the district’s discipline referrals. “That as a district we have been very concerned about, and we continue to see how our numbers are showing inequality when we look at our African American students receiving more discipline referral rates than our white students as well as our Hispanic students,” Molinar said. Related:
- Families frustrated by TEA’s secrecy over Fort Worth ISD’s future leadership (Fort Worth Report)
Houston ISD Parents say district lacks transparency as HISD pushes to fund HISD Now and cut misinformation
(KTRK) As HISD seeks to improve the district, leaders propose spending $2 million on HISD Now in the 2025-26 district improvement plan. That’s the district’s in-house communication project that creates content produced by district employees. The district frames HISD Now as a way to cut back on misinformation, but parents and school advocates say it has not improved communication with stakeholders, and they feel left in the dark for major decisions. Related:
Katy ISD to shift to 4-day week for portion of summer holiday
(Community Impact) At a Feb. 23 meeting, Katy ISD board of trustees voted to approve a four-day summer work week schedule for school employees during a portion of the summer for all campuses and administrative offices, with the exception of those affected by summer school.
Uvalde CISD releases another batch of Robb Elementary School shooting records
(News4SA) The district is having to comply with a judge’s order from last year to release the documents requested by media outlets. We’re told this latest production includes roughly 11,500 documents, totaling an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 pages, largely covering the time frame immediately before and after the attack.
Laredo officials propose youth curfew legislation to address rising violence
(KGNS) Laredo city officials and state Rep. Richard Raymond announced a plan to propose legislation that would give Texas cities the option to temporarily implement youth curfews during periods of increased violence. Raymond said he plans to file a bill that would allow cities to enact curfews applying to children 14 years old and younger. The measure would not mandate a statewide curfew but would give local leaders the flexibility to act when needed.
Northside ISD Stevens HS football player who died after practice was ‘in and out of consciousness,’ police report says
(KSAT) ‘Seemed very lethargic’: Jaren Lawson’s cause and manner of death have not been determined by the medical examiner’s office yet.
Student who brought a pistol to Edinburg CISD North High School sentenced to 2 years in prison
(ValleyCentral) A student who brought a pistol to Edinburg North High School was sentenced to two years in prison Tuesday. Kinzey Jay Lira, 18, of Edinburg brought a pistol, a high-capacity magazine and 10 rounds of ammunition to class in May 2025. “This was the biggest mistake of my life,” Lira said Tuesday morning, when he appeared before a judge for sentencing.
Trial for 2 former Longview ISD educators accused in 2021 student abuse begins
(CBS19) Several parents of special education students testified that their children endured abuse in a J.L. Everhart Elementary life skills classroom during the trial of two former Longview ISD educators. Former J.L. Everhart Principal Cassandra Renee James and former Curriculum Coordinator/Assistant Principal Linda Kay Browne Lister are each facing 16 counts of injury to a child and one count of abandonment or endangerment of a child. Tuesday was the first day of trial for them.
Parents Voice Concerns Over Sherman ISD Teacher Reprimanded for Grooming
(Texas Scorecard) Parents are asking why Sherman Independent School District hired a teacher who was reprimanded by the state and resigned from a nearby district over alleged grooming of a female student.
Hawkins ISD mother alleges substitute teacher made racially inappropriate comments toward her sons
(CBS19) Hawkins ISD issued a statement saying it takes all allegations involving students and staff seriously and has reviewed the matter.
Red Oak ISD’s $46.8 Million Renovation Could Cost the Hawks Their Home Field
(Sports Illustrated) Red Oak dominated at Goodloe Stadium last season, but a $46.8 million renovation could force the Hawks to play the entire 2026 schedule away from home.
Texas A&M extends tuition freeze, expands free tuition program to families earning up to $100K
(KBTX) Texas A&M University is extending its freeze of undergraduate tuition and required fees through the 2026–27 academic year and expanding its free tuition program to cover more middle-income families, the university announced. Beginning in fall 2026, Texas A&M will also expand its Aggie Assurance program — the university’s free tuition initiative for low- and middle-income Texas families. That means incoming undergraduates who are Texas residents and whose family income and assets are below $100,000 can qualify for free tuition, provided they meet the state priority deadline.
Here’s a preview of North Texas’ newest college campus
(KCEN) North Texas’ newest college campus will soon be under construction in one of the fastest-growing areas of the Metroplex. The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved funding for the first building at UT Arlington West, marking a major milestone for the University of Texas at Arlington’s new campus, the school said in a press release. The 51-acre campus is located within the Walsh Ranch development near Aledo, the release states.
AI, data-backed solutions for farmers focus of UT Arlington’s new research center
(Fort Worth Report) AI models will be used to help farmers project soil and land conditions and minimize exposure to animal disease.
Texas Tech Regents Poised To Approve ‘Renewable Energy’ Master’s Degree
(Texas Scorecard) Regents of the Texas Tech University System are expected to authorize a new master’s degree program in “renewable energy” later this week. The board’s agenda book stated that this program will prepare graduates “to assume a broad range of technical leadership roles in nascent and established industries, government entities, and non-governmental organizations.”
Texas Takes Flight: Cities and Campuses Uniting for Bird‑Friendly Buildings
(Audubon) Texas A&M University student volunteers spent more than 120 hours over four migration seasons documenting bird strikes and identifying a major collision hotspot at the AgriLife Building. Their data and advocacy led to university leadership installing bird-friendly “Feather Friendly” dots on that building in fall 2025 to reduce collisions. This local success shows how community science and campus action can make buildings safer for migratory birds and serve as a model for bird-friendly design across Texas.
Health education gets a boost with new university building in Houston suburb
(KHOU) A new $70 million Health Professions Building expands Sam Houston State University’s academic footprint in Montgomery County as demand for health education grows.
‘Wonderful and incredibly difficult work’: UT San Antonio starts new dramatic arts program
(San Antonio Report) UTSA launched the new four-year degree program last fall with about 22 students, said Director Paul Ardoin. This spring, the number of students majoring in theater nearly doubled to 39 and he expects enrollment to continue to increase as the word gets out.
The continuum of Black history at UT Austin
(Daily Texan) Repairing the university’s history of segregation and racial injustice doesn’t mean burying the experiences of the first Black students, but confronting the brutal realities of educational pursuit as a Black person in the 1950s. “We can’t do the work of repair if we’re not even honest about what our story is,” said Virginia Cumberbatch, former director of UT’s Division of Community Engagement and Social Equity and co-author of the book, “As We Saw It: the Story of Integration at the University of Texas at Austin.”
The Black leaders behind the names of Texas schools, from Blackshear to Jordan
(Austin American-Statesman) A look at the educators, activists and trailblazers honored at schools across Austin and Texas.
Thousands of AI data center workers drive up Abilene rents amid scarce housing
(KTXS) Construction for the AI data center has brought thousands of workers to the area, raising the cost of living, and making it difficult for many low-income families to afford.
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