PREVIEW: Fulshear to discuss redistricting, utility rates at Sept. 16 meeting
Fulshear City Council will meet Sept. 16 to discuss redistricting, after the city has nearly doubled its population since the 2020 census, according to a study conducted by law firm Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta LLP.
The background: Attorney Sydney Falk presented four redistricting proposals to council Sept. 9, with officials favoring a map that had a 3.51% standard deviation between the largest and smallest district, lower than the 10% court-interpreted requirement.
What else: Water rates will also be discussed by council including potential adjustments to minimum water usage, multifamily developments and high-volume users.
One more thing: Fulshear officials are also considering becoming a Texas Film Friendly Certified Community through the Texas Film Commission, which would position the city as a potential location for commercials, music videos, films and more, per agenda documents.
What residents should know: Fulshear City Council meetings are held at 6 p.m. in the Fulshear Municipal Complex located at 6611 W. Cross Creek Bend Lane.
Lamar CISD's Roosevelt Nivens named 2025 Texas Superintendent of the Year
Out of five state finalists from across Texas, Lamar Consolidated ISD’s superintendent was named the 2025 Texas Superintendent of the Year by the Texas Association of School Boards on Sept. 12.
The big picture: LCISD Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens was selected for the award by a TASB committee, citing his innovative approach to learning, teacher support and his philosophy of using public education to change generations, according to a Sept. 12 news release.
Looking back: Nivens previously earned the Region 10 Superintendent of the Year award in 2019, while serving as Community ISD’s superintendent in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Community Impact reported. He has been in the education sector for 29 years, according to the release.
How it started: Nivens was named Region 4 Education Service Center Superintendent of the Year in June and chosen from Region 4's service area, which includes eight counties and 47 school districts.
U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell, who represents U.S. House District 8, announced Sept. 11 that he will not be seeking reelection in 2026.
Quote of note:“When I first ran for Congress, my mission was clear: strengthen our border, stand up for our veterans, and be a strong voice for Texas. I’m proud of the real progress we’ve made. ... But over the July 4th weekend, standing in floodwaters alongside my neighbors, I had a moment of clarity,” Luttrell said in his Sept. 11 statement. “It reminded me that while the work in Washington is important, my family, my community, and my state need me here—closer to home.”
Some context: Luttrell represents U.S. House District 8, which encompasses portions of Harris, Montgomery and Walker counties and all of San Jacinto and Polk counties, according to his website. He was first elected to the office in 2022, Community Impactpreviously reported. Former U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady held the office prior to Luttrell being elected.
DATA: See how Greater Houston-area school districts scored in accountability ratings
Across the state, most school districts and campuses maintained or improved Texas Education Agency A-F accountability scores between the 2023-24 to 2024-25 school years, and the Houston region is no exception.
Within districts in Community Impact’s Greater Houston coverage area, Willis and Houston ISDs saw the largest increases across all categories that make up the overall score, per data released by the TEA on Aug. 15.
The bigger picture: The data showed that since 2023-24, the number of schools that received an A rating across Greater Houston grew from 21.9% to 26.9%, while the number of campuses rated F shrank from 6.4% to 2.6%.
Going forward: House Bill 8, which was sent to Gov. Greg Abbott on Sept. 4, would eliminate the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test and replace it with three shorter tests taken at the beginning, middle and end of each school year.
8 new mobile STEM labs to visit 270 Texas school districts this school year
Education in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, may become more accessible for Texas public school students this school year.
What happened: Officials from national education nonprofit Learning Undefeated and the Texas Education Agency celebrated the opening of eight new mobile STEM labs at a Sept. 10 ribbon-cutting ceremony in Austin. The TEA-funded labs are expected to visit 270 school districts across the state in the 2025-26 school year.
Notable quote: “In an ever-changing world, access to STEM education remains critical to help prepare our students for career pathways and lifelong success,” said Alejando Delgado, TEA deputy commissioner of operations.
The overview: Learning Undefeated built eight new mobile STEM labs after receiving a $3.5 million grant from the TEA, according to Learning Defeated information. The organization opened its first mobile STEM lab in Texas in 2020.
The nine regionally-based labs will now visit elementary and middle school campuses across the state’s 20 educational service center regions. Kindergarten through eighth grade students may participate in a variety of STEM activities to learn engineering design.
Providing a 1:1 student device ratio for grades 3-12
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