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Oct. 8, 2026
Texas School Funding Rises Per Student Amid Enrollment Declines

(Texas Scorecard) Texas education officials told lawmakers that public school funding has increased on a per student basis even as districts face budget pressures from declining enrollment.

Texas senators discuss tightening school library book law

(KERA) During Wednesday’s Texas Senate Education Committee meeting, lawmakers hinted at possibly strengthening a law designed to give parents more control over library materials.

Texas teachers fight state rule over charter school staffing authority

(Courthouse News Service) The Texas Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday over a state rule that lets charter operators decide which teachers work at struggling schools they take over from districts. Lower courts struck the rule down, and the Texas State Teachers Association argued it undercuts superintendents’ authority and teachers’ right to file grievances. The state said districts can simply refuse the charter deal, but several justices questioned whether that’s a real choice when the alternative is closure or a state takeover.

How Austin ISD ended a partnership to stave off state intervention at 3 middle schools

(Austin American-Statesman) Austin ISD and Texas Council for International Studies severed ties in July after the Texas Education Agency denied a key funding incentive.

Plano ISD trustees set legislative priorities ahead of 2027 session

(Community Impact) The four priorities focused on school funding, the state’s accountability system, student health and safety, and the educator workforce.

Mission CISD ends food truck endeavor

(Progress Times) The Mission Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to list its food truck fleet as surplus property, likely marking the end of the district’s foray into food truck nutrition. In 2019, Mission CISD’s school board voted unanimously and without discussion to spend about $413,000 on a fleet of seven food trucks meant to feed students at the district’s campuses. Those trucks weren’t officially opened until 2021, and when they were opened, they proved to be relatively unpopular.

Lubbock ISD employee data exposed in Frontline Education security incident

(KCBD) Lubbock ISD leadership was notified Tuesday by Frontline Education that the company experienced a data security incident on Aug. 14, 2026, that exposed district employee information. Frontline said it discovered and remediated the incident on Aug. 15, 2026. The exposed information included employee Social Security numbers, email addresses and physical addresses, according to Frontline. Frontline has advised that no Lubbock ISD student information was exposed in the incident.

McAllen school board OKs Quinta Mazatlán funds

(Progress Times) McAllen ISD will send about $3 million to the City of McAllen for improvements at Quinta Mazatlán (the city’s historic mansion and nature center), resolving a dispute over a 2021 agreement in which the district pledged $4 million to the project. The district had considered backing out when it faced financial problems, and the disagreement nearly led to litigation. With its finances now stabilized, the district supports the project and expects students to benefit from educational opportunities at the nature center.

Investigation launched into Wichita Falls ISD PD Chief

(KFDX/KJTL) An investigation is pending with the Wichita Falls ISD Chief of Police after being put on administrative leave involving a personnel matter. According to WFISD Communications Officer Ashley Thomas, WFISD Chief of Police Anthony Smith is on administrative leave due to an ongoing investigation. Because it is a personnel matter, the district cannot provide additional details at this time. Thomas also stated that WFISD can confirm the investigation does not involve students and that a student’s safety was never compromised.

‘Didn’t give them gloves’ — Northside ISD O’Connor High School mom questions cleanup process after reported impetigo cases

(KENS) A Helotes mom says O’Connor High families weren’t told about a reported impetigo outbreak among football players, and that her daughter and other athletes were made to pick up discarded bandages from a shared field without gloves. Northside ISD says the 10 to 14 cases were treated, there are no active cases, and enhanced cleaning is in place, but it didn’t address the gloves allegation.

Aldine ISD student dies after medical emergency inside school gym, district says

(KHOU) Aldine ISD is mourning the death of a Davis High School student who experienced a medical emergency on campus, according to the district. The district said the student experienced the medical emergency during a physical education class inside the school gymnasium. School staff responded and contacted emergency medical services, according to Aldine ISD. Emergency assistance was provided until first responders arrived and took over the student’s care. The student was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where the student was pronounced dead. Aldine ISD did not provide additional information about what caused the medical emergency or identify the student.

Sonora ISD campus evacuated after swatting threat

(Concho Valley Homepage) Sonora ISD has released a statement after its secondary campus was evacuated Wednesday morning for what the district called a “swatting threat.”

Teen charged with terror threat after airsoft BB gun incident at Comal ISD Pieper High School

(KENS) A 15-year-old faces a terror threat charge, accused of brandishing an airsoft gun, sparking a lockdown. A second teen is not charged at this time. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said the weapon turned out to be a realistic looking airsoft BB gun. The fear and reaction at the school, which has about 2,000 students, was enough to cause a lockdown that lasted several hours while officers worked to make sure the campus was secure.  

New charge for former College Station ISD employee charged with Possession of Child Porn

(Fox44) A 22-year-old former evening custodian at College Station ISD’s Greens Prairie Elementary, Gerardo Antonio Gonzalez, was arrested September 23 on a child pornography possession charge after the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office received a CyberTip about videos linked to him. The Sheriff’s Special Investigative Unit kept working the case and has since added a first-degree felony charge of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child (victim under 14). Investigators say they have no information tying the alleged offenses to his job with the district, which had employed him since February 2025, fired him once it learned of the charges, and has conducted a security sweep of the campus.

Alamo Colleges Student’s First Amendment Claim Fails After Electrical Lab Dispute

(LawNews) In Soliz v. Alamo Colleges District, decided September 16, Judge David Ezra of the Western District of Texas adopted Magistrate Judge Richard Farrer’s recommendation and dismissed pro se student Joseph Soliz’s First Amendment retaliation, Fourth Amendment, and due process claims against the Alamo Community Colleges District. The dispute began in January 2024 at St. Philip’s College, when Soliz clashed with instructor Roy Ruiz over a lab exercise, rejected staff mediation, and returned to class after being asked not to, prompting a campus police call that canceled the session.

Huston-Tillotson University rebrands, eyes campus expansion

(KXAN) Huston-Tillotson University, Austin’s only HBCU, unveiled a brand refresh in September that expands its traditional maroon and gold into a broader palette of reds, golds, tans, browns, and greens, marking a new chapter in its 151-year history. The rebrand follows a $150 million gift from the Moody Foundation announced during the school’s sesquicentennial in September 2025. The university’s master plan includes a new academic building next to a new student union, plus three residence halls. HTU aims to grow enrollment to 1,700 students over the next decade, pitching itself as a way for local students to study, graduate, and build their lives in Austin. Construction on the new buildings is expected to start in 2028.

‘We will have growth’: Our Lady of the Lake University enrollment falls again as university leaders renew turnaround efforts

(San Antonio Report) Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio opened fall 2026 with 1,550 students, its lowest enrollment yet, down nearly 12% from last year and 44% since fall 2020. The decline has cost the school over $14.7 million in tuition and fee revenue between fiscal years 2021 and 2025, and it cut 15 academic programs last year. University leaders point to a new enrollment vice president, Shobi Sivadasan, a three-year “Lake Express” degree option, rising applications, flat first-year numbers, and 20% transfer growth as signs of a turnaround, though first-year retention slipped from 74% to 68%. Sivadasan predicts fall 2026 will be the last year of overall decline, with growth expected in 2027.

University of Houston student arrested after alleged catfishing scheme, leaking intimate video

(Fox 26 Houston) 18-year-old University of Houston student Tyler Burrel faces a state jail felony charge for allegedly posing as a woman on Snapchat to catfish an 18-year-old male former acquaintance. After obtaining an explicit video from the victim under false pretenses, Burrel allegedly shared the footage with the victim’s friends.

Eden CISD switches to junior varsity football schedule for rest of season

(Fox West Texas) Eden CISD has switched its varsity football schedule to a junior varsity schedule for the remainder of the season, the district announced in a community update on September 24, 2026. The district did not give a reason for the change but said it wants students to continue experiencing the traditions and community support that come with football season.

Sabine ISD athletic director, head football coach, temporarily steps down from positions

(CBS19) Tim Russell, who was appointed in April, is stepping back due to an “immediate and unforeseen health concern.”

They Survived Uvalde, Parkland and Other School Shootings. These Photos Show Life After the Gunfire

(People) Photographer Kathy Shorr portrays students, parents and teachers carrying the visible and invisible effects of school shootings.

Aldine ISD breaks ground on new $120M arts center, slated to open in 2028. See the renderings

(Houston Chronicle) For years, Aldine ISD students have performed marching and dance showcases at the M.O. Campbell Educational Center, a venue built for sports, rather than the arts. Now, with funding from the 2023 bond, the district broke ground this week on a long-awaited Education and Performing Arts Center, a 100,000-square-foot facility with dedicated spaces for theater, dance, music and visual arts. The $120 million project is expected to open in 2028, creating a permanent hub where Aldine ISD’s growing arts community can rehearse, perform and showcase its work without leaving the area. 

Fort Worth needs skilled workers. College partnerships aim to meet that demand

(Fort Worth Report) At an Oct. 6 higher education panel hosted by The Business Press, Fort Worth-area college and business leaders described how partnerships with employers, nonprofits and public agencies help students stay in school and prepare for careers.

PossAble Dream aims to give Rio Grande Valley high school dropouts a chance to ‘change the story’

(Texas Standard) The charter pilot program is giving adults opportunities to earn their diplomas and receive workforce training.

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