Bastrop ISD administrators are anticipating another budget season characterized by budget reductions, as enrollment and impacts of the most recent legislative session may significantly reduce expected revenue. 

What you need to know: BISD Chief Financial Officer Mike White said at a March 10 board meeting that the district has fallen short of projected 2025-26 enrollment as area school districts begin to see the effects of recent homestead exemption changes on property tax revenue. Where BISD's enrollment was projected to grow by 400 students this year, White says the district has only counted an additional 110 to 120 students.

What they're saying: Going into planning for the next financial year, White said no area outside the classroom is off-limits as district officials prepare for likely budget cuts.

"There's no sacred cows beyond the classroom," White said. "That's where the real work begins."

What's next? The district will receive an updated projection on enrollment in April, White said, along with another budget update as department staff works to identify potential reductions through the planning process.

A 43.2-acre RV and cabin park is planned in Cedar Creek, bringing a tourism-focused development to the area.

The details: The project, called the Colorado RV-Cabin Park Development, is approximately 1.7 miles east of McKinney Roughs Nature Park.

The Bastrop County Commissioners Court approved the project during a March 9 meeting.

What else? Homes For The Win, the developer, is partnering with Bastrop County to repair potholes and add overlay to approximately 500 feet of county-maintained roadway along Colorado Circle—a segment that spans from Hwy. 71 to the end of the driveway, according to county documents.

• 172 Colorado Circle, Cedar Creek

A Travis County District Court judge approved a temporary injunction against Darling Ingredients on March 5.

Some context: The temporary injunction comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the Irving, Texas-based company in early February for “unlawfully emitting odors and other chemicals” at its Bastrop facility.

Austin Community College announced a new partnership with the Round Rock-based Trellis Foundation to create an AI-driven system connecting students to support services, personalizing interventions and preparing students for an economy more prominently featuring AI technologies in day-to-day life. 

What you need to know: ACC Chancellor Russell Lowery-Hart said March 11 that this initiative, spearheaded by the community college and Trellis Foundation, will "lean in" to the AI-driven changes in the economy, seeking to meet the moment similar to that of previous large-scale changes, such as the Industrial Revolution or the introduction of computers. 

The initiative is supported by a $3 million federal grant to the ACC Center for Digital Innovation and eEntrepreneurship, which U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett said will be secured by a direct federal appropriation. 

What they're saying: "The question isn't whether AI will shape our future," Lowery-Hart said. "The question is whether higher education will lead in shaping how it's used. We can shape how it's used ethically with humans at the center of it, not in replacement of it."