ICYMI: 6 stories coming out of Plano and Richardson ISD
Here are six recent Plano and Richardson ISD stories you may have missed.
Richardson ISD earns ‘C’ for 2023-24, 2024-25 school year from TEA Richardson ISD earned a C rating for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school year from the Texas Education Agency’s accountability report, according to the agency website. The 2023-24 ratings were delayed because of a lawsuit filed by 33 districts, which argued the agency’s revamped guidelines did not follow state law.
In August 2024, a Travis County district court blocked the release of the ratings; however, the Texas Courts of Appeals ruled in July that the 2023-24 ratings can be released.
Richardson trash collections, city facilities to be impacted by Labor Day holiday
With the upcoming Labor Day holiday, several city of Richardson services and facilities will be affected, according to a news release issued by the city.
The details: There will be no solid waste or brush and bulky item collection for Sept. 1 and no makeup day for either. Recycle collections scheduled for Sept. 1 will be picked up Sept. 2 and 3.
Collin County commissioners have adopted an annual budget for the next fiscal year including more than $341 million in general fund expenditures. The county leaders also opted to maintain the county’s existing tax rate.
Commissioners at an Aug. 25 meeting adopted a $598.7 million budget for fiscal year 2025-26, with County Judge Chris Hill and Commissioner Cheryl Williams voting against adopting the total tax rate as well as maintenance and operations portion of the tax rate, and Hill also voting against adopting the interest and sinking portion of the tax rate.
The gist: County commissioners voted to maintain the FY 2024-25 property tax rate of $0.149343 per $100 valuation. Adoption of the new rate marks the 33rd year without a tax rate increase in Collin County, according to a presentation at the meeting.
Diving in deeper: Part of the budget includes position changes in the sheriff’s office and jail, county officials said at the meeting. The jail will see 60 positions added, while 20 others were removed from the sheriff's administration staff.
FOODIE FRIDAY Check out these new restaurants and bars opening across the Dallas - Fort Worth area.
Musume is open in Frisco’s The Star District, a company representative said. Other Musume locations are open in Dallas and Fort Worth.
Musume at The Star’s menu includes sushi and sashimi made with fresh fish flown in daily from Japan as well as authentic Asian cuisine offered in both small and large plates, vegetarian and vegan dishes, salads, tempura and ramen. It also features a six-or-eight course Omakase curated daily by chef Yuzo Toyama, a company news release states.
Amid Democratic criticism, Texas lawmakers vote to overhaul STAAR and launch new tests in 2027
Both chambers of the Texas Legislature have voted to overhaul the state’s standardized testing system, putting public school students one step closer to taking new exams in the 2027-28 school year.
The details: House Bill 8 would eliminate the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness and replace it with three shorter tests, which students would take at the beginning, middle and end of each school year.
Bill author Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, said HB 8 would “reduce test anxiety, provide teachers with immediate feedback and create a pathway for trust in our system again." The majority of House Democrats and a few Republicans disagreed, arguing Aug. 26 that the bill would increase the amount of time students spend on exams and essentially create “another STAAR test” developed by the Texas Education Agency.
Next steps: After state senators passed HB 8 with a 21-7 vote Aug. 27, the bill returned to the House for consideration of a Senate amendment. If House lawmakers sign off on the changes, HB 8 will be sent to the governor.
