ATX-SBK: Impact 10/24/2025

All six Hays CISD middle schools are planned to undergo renovations for the installation of turf fields and new running tracks by the end of August, pending board approval.

The project is expected to come in more than $5 million over budget.

The details: The HCISD board of trustees received a presentation on the bond project and the proposed vendor, Hellas Construction, on Oct. 20.

The work is set to include:

• Turf fields
• School logos on the turf
• Shock pads under the turf
• Full-pour track surfaces

What started as a small hygiene drive to help her daughter’s third-grade teachers has evolved into something much bigger for The Feeling Fresh Project founder Paige Biersdorfer.

In a nutshell: The Feeling Fresh Project provides essential hygiene products to San Marcos CISD elementary school students. The organization aims to address hygiene disparities, so students can focus on learning.

The gist: Biersdorfer founded the organization in July, and its first hygiene closet was established at Mendez Elementary School with help from school officials, including school counselor Savahna Silvas.

The background: Bierfsdorfer was inspired to start The Feeling Fresh Project after an experience she had with her daughter’s teacher’s Amazon wishlist. Instead of the usual items like books and tissues, the wishlist included hairbrushes, toothbrushes and toothpaste. Biersdorfer decided to run a small hygiene drive to help out the teachers, thinking that would be the end of it.

“Over the summer, I just could not stop thinking about it,” Biersdorfer said. “So I did a little bit of research about hygiene poverty, how it affects children..."

Two constitutional amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot would impact the operation and oversight of Texas’ judicial system if approved by voters.

State Proposition 3 seeks to require judges to deny bail for certain felony offenses, keeping more defendants in jail as they await trial.

Proponents of the measure, which passed the Legislature with bipartisan support, said in June that it would improve public safety by keeping violent offenders behind bars.

State Proposition 12 would rework the 13-member State Commission on Judicial Conduct, allowing the governor to appoint a majority of the commissioners and requiring most sanctions for judges accused of misconduct to be issued publicly.

The bipartisan proposition faced pushback from some House Democrats who expressed concerns that allowing the governor to appoint a majority of commissioners would politicize the nonpartisan judicial conduct commission and give Abbott more power to remove from office judges with whom he does not agree.

Zooming out: The measures are among 17 state propositions being considered by Texas voters in the Nov. 4 election.