HTX-KTY: Impact 9/4/2025

Fulshear is taking steps toward redistricting as City Council districts continue to become more uneven due to population growth since the 2020 census.

Zooming in: A study conducted by law firm Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta LLP found that the city more than doubled its current population, putting the standard deviation between the largest and smallest district at 153.22%—significantly above the court-interpreted requirement of 10%, attorney Sydney Falk said.

The options: Falk presented the council with four potential redistricting maps, each with a deviation below 10%. The law firm aimed to keep incumbents in their districts and subdivisions together.

Looking forward: Council members requested the firm redraw the map to unite the Bonterra community. Council will vote on the maps at a Sept. 16 meeting.

If new maps are approved, all city council members—including the mayor—must run in the next election, Falk said. Following the election, the city must determine how it will fairly stagger the seat terms ahead of the required redistricting in 2031.

At the Aug. 26 board meeting, Tiffany Mathis, executive director of special education, detailed changes in the 2025-26 school year—including new stipends, added wellness days and increased staffing—designed to retain educators and paraprofessionals working on the front lines.

The background: Over the past five years, Mathis said LCISD’s special education program has grown by approximately 2,500 students, bringing the total number of students receiving services to 7,192 as of the 2024-25 school year.

What’s changing: Mathis said to accommodate the growth of special education students for the 2025-26 school year, Lamar CISD officials have added: 

• 34 new teachers and 29 new paraprofessionals
• Behavior support specialists on every elementary and middle school campus, with social-emotional support classrooms
• Up to $15,000 in raises for teachers and $11,500 for paraprofessionals assigned to the Powell Point program
• Two additional wellness days for self-contained staff

After serving more than a year as Harris County Public Health’s interim director, Leah Barton was officially appointed to lead the county’s public health department.

Quote of note: “Over the past year, I’ve had the great privilege of leading Harris County Public Health,” Barton said in a Sept. 2 news release. “During that time, we have opened new health hubs, expanded mobile care, strengthened support for families, and responded to public health challenges across our community. These efforts reflect our shared commitment to making health services more accessible, connected, and responsive to the needs of the people we serve.”

Zooming out: Barton was first tapped to serve in the interim role in 2024 after former HCPH Executive Director Barbie Robinson was removed from her position last August.