Tomball ISD earns A rating, Magnolia ISD scores B in latest TEA accountability results
The Texas Education Agency released public school accountability ratings for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years on Aug. 15. The ratings follow a legal battle that began nearly two years ago, with school districts suing the TEA due to concern over the ratings system.
What you need to know: Tomball ISD received an A for the 2023-24 school year with 91 out of 100 possible points and an A with 92 out of 100 possible points for the 2024-25 school year, according to the TEA. Magnolia ISD received a B for the 2022-23 school year with 84 out of 100 possible points, and a B with 86 out of 100 possible points for the 2024-25 school year, according to the TEA.
Some context: A-F ratings for school districts were first issued in 2018, according to an April 24 TEA news release. The ratings were created to give parents insight into the quality of their children’s campus and district through annual A-F ratings, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
Magnolia-based Golden Age Honey & Chocolates now open
Golden Age Honey & Chocolate is now open, executive chef Aiyana Nixon said.
What you need to know: The online company offers creamed honey and honey-sweetened chocolates using 100% unadulterated U.S. and Texas honey, Nixon said.
"The honey is creamed with certified organic fruits, nuts and spices," Nixon said. "Golden Age Honey's chocolates are made with certified organic cocoa and are filled with our delightful spun honey."
Tomball City Council gives first approval to proposed FY 2025-26 tax rate
Tomball City Council gave the first of two approvals to the city’s proposed fiscal year 2025-26 property tax rate of $0.340940 per $100 valuation during its Aug. 18 meeting.
What you need to know: The city council first approved the proposed tax rate during its Aug. 4 meeting, as previously reported.
City officials said the rate exceeds the no-new-revenue tax rate and will generate more property tax revenue than in fiscal year 2024-25.
During the discussion, officials clarified that while the rate reflects an effective 7.98% increase compared to the no-new-revenue rate, the actual impact on homeowners is minimal. For example, a $300,000 home would see an additional $13.74 per year on the city portion of its tax bill.
What’s next: The proposed rate will return for a final public hearing Aug. 25, with final approval expected afterward.
Lone Star College-Montgomery receives $1.5 million art endowment
The Lone Star College-Montgomery Fine Arts program has received a $1.5 million Nathaniel Emerson Endowment along with six donated art pieces, the college announced Aug. 15.
What to know: The campus will use the funds to add more state-of-the-art equipment, workshop events and professional speaker series, according to the news release. At LSC-Montgomery, the endowment and donated art pieces will help establish new avenues for learning, according to the release.
Q&A: University of Houston expert dives into artificial intelligence in the classroom
Generative artificial intelligence has been making its way into many sectors across the U.S., and education is no exception. Since its release in 2022, generative AI tools like ChatGPT have given students access to technology that can complete tasks and assignments with a simple prompt, blurring the lines of academic integrity and sparking discussions on AI’s place in the classroom.
Community Impact spoke with Meng Li, founder and director of the Bauer Human-Centered AI Institute and Endowed C.T. Bauer Chair of AI at C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, to discuss the role of AI in academia.
Texas House approves mid-decade congressional redistricting plan
The Texas House signed off on a plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts Aug. 20. The vote came two days after approximately two dozen House Democrats ended a two-week walkout in protest of the redistricting effort.
The overview: Rep. Todd Hunter, a Corpus Christi Republican who filed the proposed map, said 37 of Texas’ 38 congressional districts would be redrawn, with “the primary changes focused [on] five districts for partisan purposes.”
“While there's no guarantee of electoral success, Republicans will now have an opportunity to potentially win these… five new districts,” Hunter said.
The debate: House Democrats decried Texas’ proposed map as “illegal and racially discriminatory,” arguing that it would “dilute” minorities’ voting power by dividing historically Black and Hispanic communities into multiple districts.
“Texans and Americans all across the country are watching,” Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, said. “They know this map before us is a calculated maneuver to diminish the voices of the very communities that power Texas.”
House Republicans maintained that race was not considered when the new lines were drawn.
