As Georgetown ISD officials explored budget scenarios and changes to compensation during a May 4 meeting, the district confirmed school meal prices are set to increase by 10 and 50 cents for breakfast and lunch, respectively.

The details: District officials said increasing the cost of meals would generate $250,000 in additional revenue to help cover food service costs, along with other expenses such as shared operating costs and utilities.

Currently, breakfast at GISD elementary schools costs $2.05 while lunch costs $2.30. The same meals are priced at $3.30 and $3.55 for secondary schools, respectively.

“The general fund is subsidizing food service this year about [$800,000],” GISD Chief Financial Officer Kenneth Adix said. “The intent is to, in the next couple of years, get us to where the food service pays its fair cost of the shared operating cost.”

Next steps: According to district documents, GISD will approve compensation May 18, while the 2026-27 budget will be adopted June 15.

Georgetown officials and KPA Engineers updated the schematic design in late April for proposed changes to the Austin Avenue corridor, including portions of University Avenue and Seventh and Eighth streets.

What happened: The main changes include removing the median from the Myrtle Street and University Avenue intersection as well as adding left- and right-turn lanes, KPA Engineers Vice President Trae Sutton said.

“[This] opens up more traffic and allows traffic to get off University not just at Elm [Street], but at the first stop at Myrtle [Street],” Sutton said. “It’s a lot safer.”

Council members approved the changes to the schematic designs at an April 28 City Council meeting.

In case you missed it: Sutton presented the initial schematic plans to Georgetown City Council on Feb. 24.

The plan included removing parking spaces from the downtown square to accommodate expanded sidewalk use, narrowing roadways to three lanes in some sections to slow vehicle speeds, and expanding roads in other areas to five lanes to allow for better traffic flow.

From a new Target in Austin to elementary school construction in Leander ISD, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Leander ISD Elementary School No. 32 ($65 million): The new elementary school will be 117,000 square feet. According to the district, the school is projected to open in 2028 and follow the same design used for recent elementary schools.

2. Paramount Theatre Restoration ($21.7 million): This project includes a partial renovation of the existing theater, and will be completed in the summer of 2027. 

3. Target ($19.3 million): A Target will anchor The Village at Dripping Springs shopping center. 

4. Lake Travis Fire Rescue ($8 million): This project involves the demolition of the existing fire station and construction of a new one.

5. Conner Tract Parking Addition ($2 million): This project involves an overflow parking addition for Liberty Hill ISD north of the existing Liberty Hill High School campus.

On May 26, Democratic voters will choose their nominee for Texas lieutenant governor in a runoff election between state Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, and union leader Marcos Vélez.

The big picture: The Democratic race for lieutenant governor 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.

Goodwin and Vélez were the two highest-performing candidates in the three-person primary race, with Goodwin collecting 48% of the vote and Vélez receiving 31%. The winner of the May 26 overtime round will face incumbent Dan Patrick and potential third-party candidates in the November midterm election.

Some context: The lieutenant governor leads the Texas Senate and can exercise the powers of the governor if the governor dies, resigns, is removed from office or is absent from the state, according to the Texas State Historical Association.

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