Georgetown ISD has named two principals to lead Elementary School No. 12 and Middle School No. 5.

The new campuses are slated to open in August off Patriot Way and SH 130 south of East View High School.

Career history: Michael Coyle, associate principal of Northeast Early College High School in Austin ISD, will lead Middle School No. 5. 

Coyle was the former principal of Webb Middle School. AISD restarted the middle school following multiple failed accountability ratings by hiring new staff this school year. With 25 years of education experience, Coyle has improved accountability ratings, reduced chronic absenteeism and implemented systems to support high-needs campuses, according to GISD information.

McCoy Elementary Principal and GISD alumna Emily Fraser will transition in January to become the principal of Elementary School No. 12.

Throughout her 17 years working in education, Fraser has served as an elementary and special education teacher, ARD facilitator and assistant principal at Forbes Middle School and Carver Elementary.

The 2025-26 school year will be the last spent at an existing campus for some students in KIPP Texas Public Schools. 

What you need to know: Seven Central Texas-area KIPP Texas Public Schools are set to close at the end of the current school year, the charter school district announced
Dec. 11. The charter school system operates over 45 schools across the state.

The details: Seven KIPP schools will close at the end of the current school year, spread across the system's Commerce, Austin South and Austin Ridge campuses.

City of Austin officials face a 2025 deadline to define the scope of several cap and stitch projects that could reshape traffic and neighborhoods across the city.

Explained: In a Dec. 4 update to the Austin Mobility Committee, city staff said the Texas Department of Transportation revised the I-35 Capital Express Central project timeline, delaying construction of city-funded elements by three years while moving up the deadline for additional funding commitments.

The impact: The shift forces Austin to commit millions of dollars when designs are only 30% complete, increasing financial risk, city staff said. City Council approved an advance funding agreement last May for up to $104 million to support three downtown caps and two northern stitches, with future payments to be spread over several years and larger “balloon payments” due during final construction.

Looking ahead: Community engagement continues on northern stitches aimed at reconnecting East and West Austin. Final stitch locations are expected to be selected by City Council by the end of 2025.

Texas has grown rapidly in recent years, and data indicates that development is not slowing down. The Lone Star State gained about 168,000 jobs from September 2024-September 2025, leading the nation in job growth, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

The overview: Texas is attractive to businesses looking to relocate or expand their operations due to its tax incentives and grants, lack of a personal income tax and roughly 200 higher education institutions, business leaders said during a Dec. 10 summit held in College Station by industry network YTexas.

As businesses of all sizes continue to move to Texas, local governments and associations also need to “support the ones that are already here,” said Dean Browell, the chief behavioral officer for Feedback, a digital ethnographic research firm.

Zooming in: In an October study, Feedback found that long-term Texas residents want to live in growing communities with strong education systems and plentiful job opportunities. That growth, however, can lead to rising property taxes and living expenses before residents begin feeling the benefits, Browell said.