A new efficiency audit shows a homeowner with a home of average taxable value could see higher property tax bills if Round Rock ISD voters approve a tax rate increase in November.

Auditors also shared insights about per-student funding and staffing in a presentation to the board of trustees Sept. 17.

The gist: A Nov. 3 ballot measure proposes to provide a 2% general pay raise for employees, increase starting teacher pay to $58,000 and address pay compression throughout the district.

Should the tax rate election pass, representatives of third-party auditor CG Strategies said a homeowner with a home of average taxable value could pay $219 more per year than if the measure were to fail.

The local impact: The statutorily mandated efficiency audit shows RRISD receives slightly less in per-student funding than the state average and peer districts. It also shows the district has a slightly higher proportion of its operating budget dedicated to payroll, with the highest expenditures per student being instruction, maintenance and school leadership.

Round Rock's 10th fire station is expected to come online in October, the city shared via social media Sept. 30.

The full story: Fire Station No. 10 is one of several projects included in the city's $274 million 2023 bond, $44 million of which was dedicated to funding public safety improvements.

The station cost $9.1 million to build and is one of three fire stations funded by the bond.

The station is located at 4380 E. Old Settlers Blvd., Round Rock, near the intersection with Red Bud Lane. It is intended to improve response times in the city's growing northeast section.

What's next? Work is also underway on Fire Station No. 11, located near University Boulevard and Seton Parkway. Per the city, this station is expected to become operational by the end of 2027.

The city also purchased property for another future fire station near the Georgetown-Round Rock border in June.

Check out six Austin-area stories trending Sept. 28-Oct. 2.

1. Round Rock OKs alcohol sales in The District

2. GFiber breaks ground in Georgetown, plans 2027 service launch

3. Lammes Candies returns under new owners, with holiday preorders open now

4. Bastrop County property tax rate to rise 6.2%

5. 1,000 apartments cleared for MoPac site in Southwest Austin despite Circle C residents' traffic, safety concerns

6. Pflugerville to gain 2 restaurants, plus other business news

Texas school districts using the state-developed Bluebonnet Learning curriculum saw slightly better year-over-year achievement last school year than other districts, according to Texas Education Agency data released Sept. 30.

What's happening: During the 2025-26 school year, 619 of Texas' 1,200 public school districts opted in to implement at least one of the three Bluebonnet curriculum programs—elementary math, secondary math and elementary language arts.

On this spring's State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam, districts using the state-developed math materials saw student improvement that was 0.6 percentage points higher than students in other districts, while districts that implemented the reading materials performed 0.2 percentage points higher on the STAAR than other schools.

What they're saying: The TEA said the gains in student achievement are an "encouraging sign of early progress."

Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, a statewide educator union, disagreed, calling the results "rather paltry."

"It may take a few more years to determine if this is a valid trend or simply an anomaly," Capo said in a statement.