Georgetown ISD will no longer open its 12th elementary school and fifth middle school this fall.

What's happening: Instead, the district will delay the opening of both campuses until the 2027-28 school year, GISD Superintendent Devin Padavil said at a Feb. 2 board meeting. Padavil’s decision comes as the district looks to reduce a mounting budget shortfall amid slowed enrollment growth.

Additionally, the board may call a voter-approval tax rate election in November to increase the district’s rate and open enrollment outside of the district to generate more revenue, district officials said.

What they're saying: "While bond funds pay for construction, they do not cover the operational costs of opening a new campus, including staffing,” Padavil said in a news release. “With slowing enrollment projections for the year ahead, it is not fiscally prudent to invest in the overhead of additional staff and resources at this time."

What else? The board approved a new bell schedule for next school year that will shorten the instructional day by five minutes.

The Georgetown Palace Theatre is closed due to weather damage, with upcoming shows scheduled to take place at the Doug Smith Performance Center and Klett Center for the Performing Arts.

]What happened: The winter storm that recently hit Central Texas caused pipes to burst at the historic theater on Austin Avenue on Jan. 25, resulting in damaging flooding, Development Director Debra Heater said.

Georgetown Palace Theatre will require significant repairs and renovations, including replacing its sound system, a portion of its seating and parts of the stage, as well as contracting water mitigation services, according to a news release. There is not a timeline for repairs yet, Heater said. 

Get involved: The theater is accepting donations and sponsorships. Interested parties can contact Heater at [email protected] or 512-736-2496.

• 810 S. Austin Ave., Georgetown

From new worship spaces to a car wash and more, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week. 

1. St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church
Parishioners can soon worship at a new site, as St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church will build a two-story, 22,000-square-foot space. It will feature a seating area, a sanctuary with an altar, restrooms, a choir loft and sacristies—also called preparation rooms.

• Location: 230 Post Oak Drive, Dripping Springs
• Estimated timeline: July 1-Jan. 31, 2028
• Estimated cost: $17 million 

• Location: 800 Heatherwilde Blvd., Pflugerville 
• Estimated timeline: March 1-June 30, 2027
• Estimated cost: $5.5 million 

• Location: 3375 S. Interstate 35, San Marcos
• Estimated timeline: July 20-Feb. 26, 2027
• Estimated cost: $4 million

Austin area residents will soon have a new option for convenient fueling of vehicles, boats and fleets.

What you need to know: A franchise of mobile fueling service Juiced Fuel will open in Central Texas, primarily serving the greater Austin area and Highland Lakes region, a Feb. 2 release from the company states.

Juiced Fuel was founded in Charleston, South Carolina, by Army veteran Korey McDavid and his wife Caroline.

About the owners: Ownership of the Austin-area franchise is based in Round Rock. It is owned by partners Clint and Amy Kiemsteadt and Mike and Lisa Hassel.

The details: The company brings fuel to the dock, driveway or job site to eliminate trips to the fuel pump or having to transport containers of gasoline. When the Austin service area is launched, customers can set appointments to have their vehicles or boats fueled at their convenience through the company's website or app.

Texas families can soon apply to receive state funds for private education or homeschooling under the state’s new education savings account program, known as Texas Education Freedom Accounts.

What's happening: The application opens at 9 a.m. Feb. 4 and is designed to be completed in about 15 minutes, according to the state comptroller’s office. Families can apply through 11:59 p.m. March 17.

Parents must submit information about their family's residency, household income, their children's educational history and each child's special education status, if applicable.

The details: To be eligible for the program, students must:

• Reside in Texas
• Be U.S. citizens or lawful residents
• Be eligible to attend a Texas public school, open-enrollment charter school or pre-K program