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New Braunfels ISD teachers and paraprofessionals could be getting a pay raise in the 2026-27 school year.

What you need to know: District staff is proposing a 2% mid-point increase for teachers with a bachelor’s and master’s degree pay scale, which will cost about $949,000, said NBISD Chief Human Resources Officer Maximilian Flores during his presentation of the district’s draft 2026-27 compensation plan May 11. This year, the district will have a separate pay scale for librarians and non-classroom staff, according to the presentation.

District staff is also proposing the same 2% mid-point pay increase for administration, paraprofessionals and auxiliary staff, which will cost about $643,000. Flores said the district also created a new paraprofessional scale for special education aides who are in high-need classrooms.

“We just have a hard time recruiting and retaining that set of employees so we’re hoping that this new scale—it's a little higher—will help us do that,” Flores said.

Wendy Serrano’s pole fitness journey began in 2018, which allowed her to get out of her comfort zone while building strength.

“I fell in love with how empowering it felt,” Serrano said.

That was when she grew inspired to create her own space for people to feel free to express themselves through movement. Serrano opened Serrano Fitness Studio at 111 S. Union Ave., Ste. 119, New Braunfels, in August 2025.

What’s special about it? Serrano Fitness Studio specializes in pole fitness classes, which focus on building full-body strength through dynamic movements using a pole. Serrano said their pole fitness classes require skin contact for proper grip, so they recommend wearing shorts as opposed to leggings.

“It’s a fun, unique way to build strength compared to a traditional gym,” she said.

A 2023 Texas law allowing state and local police to arrest people suspected of entering the country illegally is scheduled to take effect May 15.

The overview: Texas legislators passed Senate Bill 4, a state immigration enforcement law, in late 2023. The law was originally set to take effect in March 2024, but has been tied up in court for more than two years.

For the first time, the law would allow Texas police to arrest migrants they suspect crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization and allow judges to order migrants’ removal if they are found guilty of illegal entry.

The background: SB 4 had been largely blocked by a series of court rulings since early 2024. A federal appeals court dismissed a lawsuit against SB 4 April 24, and a separate lawsuit was filed May 4.

On May 13, U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra—who previously deemed SB 4 unconstitutional—heard arguments in the secondary lawsuit, although he did not issue a ruling before press time May 13.

On May 26, Republican voters will choose their nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission in a runoff election between former Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French and incumbent Jim Wright.

The overview: The Republican railroad commission race is one of several statewide contests that advanced to May runoffs after no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March 3 primary election.

Wright and French were the two highest-performing candidates in the five-way primary race, with Wright receiving 32.1% of the vote and French collecting 31.7%.

The winner of the May 26 overtime round will face state Rep. John Rosenthal, D-Houston, in the November midterm election. Third-party candidates may also appear on the November ballot.

Did you know? The railroad commission regulates Texas’ oil and gas industry, while the state's railroads are under the control of the Texas Department of Transportation and the federal government. The agency has three commissioners elected to staggered six-year terms.

At the polls: Texans can vote early from May 18-22, with runoff election day May 26.