Guidepost Montessori schools officially rebranded as Illuminate Montessori in September 2026, following their parent company, GGE, filing for bankruptcy in 2025.

The background: In fall of 2025, TNC Schools acquired 18 Guidepost Montessori schools including five in the Austin area.

At the time of the acquisition, TNC Schools had plans to rebrand the schools as Illuminate Montessori, yet the schools were contractually required to continue using the Guidepost name for a number of months, Mongoshua Ball, head of school at Illuminate Montessori in Westlake said in an email.

As of Sept. 1, the schools officially rebranded to Illuminate Montessori.

There are no changes to the Montessori philosophy or teaching approaches, Ball said.

• Cedar Park: 2006 Sun Chase Blvd, Cedar Park and 3017 Polar Lane, Cedar Park

Williamson County officials are seeking applications for a new Precinct 1 Constable, following Williamson County Precinct 1 Constable Mickey Chance's resignation, effective Sept. 30.

How it works: The Williamson County Commissioners Court will appoint a new constable to fill the position until the November 2028 election.

Those interested in the position should send their resume and qualifications to [email protected] by Sept. 30 for commissioners to review.

Why it matters: Constables are law enforcement officials elected to four year terms in each precinct. They execute court orders from county and state courts, which most often include arrest warrants, protective orders and evictions, according to county documents.

Here are six trending Austin-area stories from Sept. 14-17.

1. Check out 22 Georgetown-area business updates

2. Cedar Park to build wave pool in $10 million Veterans Memorial Pool expansion

3. Final first days: Pflugerville ISD prepares for 4 school closures, admin cuts

4. Construction on RM 620 widening project may begin in early 2029

5. Round Rock readopts trails master plan identifying new corridors for connectivity

6. Airbnb launches national affordable housing fund with $6.4M Austin investment

Some Texas Republican leaders have vowed to get rid of the property taxes that homeowners pay to their local public school districts, and lawmakers are analyzing how much it would cost to do so.

The big picture: Texas school districts collect about $29 billion per year in maintenance and operations taxes, which cover schools' daily expenses.

Of that $29 billion in school tax revenue, the state comptroller's office estimates that about $8.6 billion is paid by homeowners, and the rest comes from commercial and industrial property taxes.

This means the state would need to spend at least $8.6 billion annually to zero out homeowners' school property tax bills, officials said.

Quote of note: "Broadly speaking, you have a question about how much you want to fund schools, and then separately, where does that money come from?" Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said during a Sept. 15 legislative hearing. "If you have a target of how much you want to spend, you need to make sure you have enough variable revenue sources to reach that."