Plans are underway to repurpose the former Faubion Elementary campus for New Hope High School, which provides an accelerated, alternative path to graduation for Leander ISD students. The board of trustees discussed the project's current design phase at its Oct. 1 meeting.

How we got here: In January, the board advanced plans for Pfluger Architects to provide design services for repurposing Faubion Elementary, which closed at the end of the 2025-26 school year.

The details: Officials are proposing a phased approach to the repurposing project, funded by the 2023 bond:

• Phase 1: 30,525 square feet focused on academic spaces

• Phase 2: 28,100 square feet focused on support spaces

• Phase 3: 59,740 square feet of new construction for a two-story building expansion

Some of the proposed academic spaces include a courtyard commons, maker space, media center, science lab, gym, fitness center, art lab and a learning commons.

Looking ahead: A timeline for Phase 1 could include wrapping up the design phase in November, followed by a renovation permitting phase through January and construction from January-July.

A new efficiency audit shows a homeowner with a home of average taxable value could see higher property tax bills if Round Rock ISD voters approve a tax rate increase in November.

Auditors also shared insights about per-student funding and staffing in a presentation to the board of trustees Sept. 17.

The gist: A Nov. 3 ballot measure proposes to provide a 2% general pay raise for employees, increase starting teacher pay to $58,000 and address pay compression throughout the district.

Should the tax rate election pass, representatives of third-party auditor CG Strategies said a homeowner with a home of average taxable value could pay $219 more per year than if the measure were to fail.

The local impact: The statutorily mandated efficiency audit shows RRISD receives slightly less in per-student funding than the state average and peer districts. It also shows the district has a slightly higher proportion of its operating budget dedicated to payroll, with the highest expenditures per student being instruction, maintenance and school leadership.

Construction is underway on Austin-Bergstrom International Airport's temporary midfield concourse, Concourse M, as part of the larger Journey with AUS expansion project. Airport officials, city leaders and construction partners celebrated the concourse's groundbreaking Sept. 29.

How we got here: ABIA's South Terminal closed March 31 and was later demolished. Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines, which operated out of the South Terminal, have since moved to the main Barbara Jordan Terminal. The demolition made way for the construction of Concourse M, a temporary six-gate facility that will help relieve passenger congestion during Barbara Jordan Terminal's Concourse A remodeling and future 26-gate Concourse B and tunnel project.

The details: Concourse M is slated to feature a variety of passenger amenities including a coffee market, grab-and-go concessions, retail options, a pet relief room and shaded outdoor areas. The concourse will also only be accessible through a shuttle bus which will leave from Gate 13 out of the Barbara Jordan Terminal.

Stay tuned: Airport officials said Concourse M has a targeted opening date of spring 2028.

Texas school districts using the state-developed Bluebonnet Learning curriculum saw slightly better year-over-year achievement last school year than other districts, according to Texas Education Agency data released Sept. 30.

What's happening: During the 2025-26 school year, 619 of Texas' 1,200 public school districts opted in to implement at least one of the three Bluebonnet curriculum programs—elementary math, secondary math and elementary language arts.

On this spring's State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam, districts using the state-developed math materials saw student improvement that was 0.6 percentage points higher than students in other districts, while districts that implemented the reading materials performed 0.2 percentage points higher on the STAAR than other schools.

What they're saying: The TEA said the gains in student achievement are an "encouraging sign of early progress."

Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, a statewide educator union, disagreed, calling the results "rather paltry."

"It may take a few more years to determine if this is a valid trend or simply an anomaly," Capo said in a statement.