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Reported Elsewhere

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June 16, 2025
Legislative Update:
Gov. Greg Abbott to sign property tax relief bill in North Texas Monday

(Dallas Morning News) Gov. Greg Abbott is scheduled to hold a bill signing ceremony Monday in Denton for legislation approved recently by state lawmakers that aims to provide tax relief for property owners. A package of property tax cuts for homeowners was sent to Abbott after two key bills were approved during the recently completed legislative session by state lawmakers that raised the state’s homestead exemption.

Also Reported:
Texas school district backtracks, will let student share Bible verses during non-instructional time

(The Christian Post) A Texas school district has reversed its decision to prohibit a fifth-grade student with special needs from sharing Bible verses with her classmates. The case began last month in the Killeen Independent School District, in Killeen, located about 50 miles north of Austin, when the girl started sharing Bible verses printed on small, fortune cookie-sized slips of paper during recess, lunch and after school. Attorneys with the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) say the girl’s principal and teacher confiscated the girl’s Bible verses after first allowing her to distribute them. On the final day of the deadline [set by ACLJ for the district to address the issue], the district relented, issuing a written response that affirmed the student’s constitutional right to share her Bible verses.

‘Really sorry’: Midland woman accused of stealing property tax payments

(KMID/KPEJ) Former Midland Central Appraisal District employee Crystal Ontiveros, 29, was arrested on a warrant Thursday after a lengthy investigation into stolen property tax payments that had been made in cash. Investigators said that tax office employees reviewed Ontiveros’ transactions as far back as September of 2024 but believed she had been skimming tax payments for much longer. In all, a forensic accountant determined that Ontiveros had stolen more than $50,000 worth of tax payments. On June 5, 2025, detectives finally made contact with Ontiveros who ultimately admitted to taking the money because her ex-husband stated, “he would kill her if she didn’t provide”. Ontiveros offered to make payments and said she was “really sorry”. She remained in the Midland County Detention Center as of Friday afternoon on a $50,000 bond.

Comal ISD could actually lose money under ‘historic’ $8.5B public school funding bill

(San Antonio Report) Comal Independent School District, serving around 28,000 students on the far northeast side of Bexar County, could potentially lose about $1 million from the recently passed state school funding bill.

Three Districts Took the Long View with Federal Relief Funds. Their Bets Are Paying Off

(The 74) Districts used federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds in myriad ways and with varying outcomes. EdSurge talked to three districts — in Donna, Texas, Fulton County, Georgia and Guilford Country, North Carolina — that are seeing gains despite the emergency funds’ expiration. They made educated, data-driven bets on how to best support their students and teachers by investing in educational infrastructure and support systems, from high-dosage tutoring to teacher coaching and professional development on new, streamlined literacy and math curricula.

Clear Creek ISD discusses strategy amid enrollment projections showing 6% decline in coming years

(Community Impact) While Clear Creek ISD is anticipating a projected enrollment decline of nearly 6%, or about 2,300 students, by 2029, district officials shared plans for out-of-district transfers and housing development projects that may help fill more seats in classrooms.

Plano ISD compensation plan includes teacher raises, starting salary increase

(Community Impact) Plano ISD has approved a new compensation that includes the largest pay increase for teachers in the district’s history, according to a news release from the district. The plan for the 2025-26 school year includes teacher salary increases ranging from 4%-8.5% depending on experience, as well as a minimum 3% range for all staff.

North East ISD considers non-teacher raises, increasing school meal prices ahead of budget adoption

(San Antonio Report) On the heels of a state legislative session that passed an $8.5 billion public school funding bill, North East Independent School District is considering raises for all staff and increasing school meal prices by 25 cents. At a regular board meeting June 9, the district’s executive director of finance and accounting Susan Lackorn presented trustees with a compensation package that includes teacher raises required under House Bill 2 and 1% raises for the rest of staff.

La Joya ISD turning $10 million deficit into balanced budget

(myRGV) In La Joya ISD’s first year under a Texas Education Agency takeover, the district faced multiple problems, with the biggest issue being a $20 million deficit. The deficit was cut by half through different ways such as laying off employees and implementing a new budget protocol. Fast-forward a year and the district is proposing a balanced budget for the 2025-26 school year, closing the $10.4 million deficit and also investing in district priorities such as a 4% across-the-board salary increase for eligible employees, academics and operational improvements.

Alvin ISD sees decrease in property insurance, increase in total insured values for FY 2025-26

(Community Impact) Alvin ISD’s board of trustees approved nearly $5.9 million for property insurance for fiscal year 2025-26 at its June 10 meeting. While the property insurance will mean a decrease of about $220,000 compared to FY 2024-25, the district’s total insured values, or TIV, will increase by about $278 million, bringing the total value of the district’s property to $2.2 billion, according to district agenda documents.

Austin’s Powerful Education Union Celebrates 25 Years of Fighting for Teachers’ Voices

(Austin Chronicle) Education Austin leader Ken Zarifis talks “hard-work magic” of public education.

Juneteenth celebrations adapt after corporate sponsors pull support

(AP) Juneteenth celebrations have been scaled back this year due to funding shortfalls as companies and municipalities across the country reconsider their support for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Canceled federal grants and businesses moving away from so-called brand activism have hit the bottom line of parades and other events heading into Thursday’s federal holiday, which celebrates the end of slavery in the United States.

How Dallas ISD’s Chess Program Is Transforming Early Education

(Dallas Express) The Dallas Independent School District’s chess program has exploded to 6,000 students across 200 campuses, with participation among kindergarten through second-grade students doubling since last year. The district hosted 10 competitive tournaments this year to meet surging demand. The rapid growth signals chess’s emerging role in early education, and young players are discovering unexpected benefits beyond the game itself.

Remember the 21: The Alton bus crash, 35 years later

(ValleyCentral) September 21, 1989, is a day that changed the Alton community after 21 students lost their lives in the deadliest school bus crash in Texas history. Ambitions and joys entering the new school year were cut short when a Dr Pepper truck ran a stop sign and crashed into a bus en route to drop off students to campus. The impact of the crash caused the school bus to fall into a caliche pit filled with nearly 10 feet of water, kicking in survival instincts for 81 middle school and high school students onboard.

UNT-Dallas Partners With City For New Police Training Academy

(Dallas Express) The Dallas City Council approved a lease agreement with the University of North Texas Dallas campus for a new law enforcement training center. The deal clears the path for a 20-acre police academy and criminal justice facility on the university campus.

Undocumented students rethink their college dreams after Texas cuts their access to cheaper tuition

(Texas Tribune) Thousands of undocumented students who grew up in Texas now face college tuition costs that are more than twice what other state residents pay.

Robinson ISD implements AI security system to enhance campus safety

(KCEN) Robinson ISD is enhancing campus security by implementing Volt AI, an AI-powered system to help detect threats and medical emergencies.

Eagle Pass ISD Appeal Raises Questions After Public Records Show No Board Approval

(Maverick Times) A recent legal battle involving the Eagle Pass Independent School District (EPISD) has drawn public attention — not only for its implications on local elections but also for questions surrounding how legal decisions are made within the district.

Houston ISD takes first steps in overhauling transportation system for 2025-26 school year

(Houston Chronicle) In an agreement approved in the consent agenda, the board authorized Superintendent Mike Miles or a designee to execute an agreement with Houston’ public transit authority. Under the proposed agreement, Metro will provide transportation services to eligible HISD students through its existing transit system at a negotiated rate per participating student.

Autopsy report reveals clues in Houston ISD middle school student’s ‘undetermined’ death

(Houston Chronicle) The former Houston ISD middle school student who died on campus in August may have been genetically predisposed to some conditions linked to sudden death, but no cause of death could be found with certainty, according to an autopsy report obtained by the Chronicle. Landon Payton’s death was officially ruled “undetermined” in May, more than nine months after the 14-year-old died after suffering from a medical emergency in the Marshall Middle School gym Aug. 14. His death has caused grief, potential lawsuits and Houston ISD reforms after some alleged that the gym’s automated external defibrillator, or AED, was not working at the time of his death.

UT Rio Grande Valley to fund nanotech cancer research with $3 million grant

(myRGV) There are now nearly three million reasons to be more hopeful of bettering cancer treatment. The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, or CPRIT, has awarded a $2.8 million grant to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to help launch the Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine Core.

Jury clears man accused of running over student at Amarillo ISD’s Palo Duro High School

(KVII) A man accused of running over a student at Palo Duro High School was acquitted of all charges. On Thursday, a Potter County jury found Robert Scifres not guilty of aggravated assault with a motor vehicle, and accident involving serious bodily injury. According to police, two parties met at the school to fight on April 1, 2024. Police said video shows Scifres run over Tallyn Kearns with his Chevy Tahoe during the fight and then speed away. According to police, Kearns suffered multiple broken ribs, and a lacerated liver, kidney, and spleen.

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