Interested in local education news in Allen? Check out these four stories about news from Allen ISD, as reported by Community Impact.

1. Allen ISD board sets legislative priorities for 2027 session: Allen ISD has its legislative priorities in order ahead of the 2027 Texas legislative session scheduled to start in January. The district board of trustees approved four priorities focused on teacher recruitment and retention, school funding, local decision-making, and accountability for all publicly funded education organizations.

Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q closed its Allen location Oct. 28, M Crowd Restaurant Group CEO Edgar Guevara said in an emailed statement.

The details: The restaurant opened at Watters Creek Village in June 2025. Prior to opening in Allen, Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q operated as a food truck in downtown Grapevine. The restaurant served smoked pork carnitas, brisket, house-made sausage, tacos, potato salad, sandwiches and more, per its website.

What they're saying: “We are sincerely grateful to the Allen and North Texas communities for welcoming Vaqueros,” Guevara said in the statement. “It has been a privilege to serve our guests throughout our time here. To our dedicated team members, loyal guests and everyone who has been part of the Vaqueros story, thank you for your support.”

• 965 Garden Park Drive, Allen

Educators, public officials and graduates from across the state gathered in Austin on Oct. 27 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Western Governors University in Texas. The online university offers certificates, bachelor's and master's degrees, which students can complete at their own pace.

About the organization: WGU was founded in 1997 by a bipartisan group of 19 governors in Western states to provide a more affordable and flexible option for higher education. In 2011, then-Gov. Rick Perry signed an executive order making Texas an official WGU affiliate.

Since 2011, WGU in Texas has reached the following milestones:

• 38,691 total graduates

• 45,545 degrees earned

• 24,087 students currently enrolled

Quote of note: "It was definitely one of those options that was super flexible, so that kind of fit my current schedule, especially since I work full-time," 2026 WGU graduate Jacob Gomez said. "It was super convenient for me."