SATX-BNE: Impact 10/2/2025

Boerne ISD voters will decide on the district’s first voter-approval tax rate election, or VATRE, designed to support teacher salaries and provide funds for capital improvements outside of bonds and other funding mechanisms.

During the 2024-25 school year, around 18% of BISD teaching staff left the district in favor of higher salaries, Superintendent Kristen Craft told Community Impact.

“Basically, one in five teachers left Boerne ISD, and most for better-paying opportunities,” she said.

Two-minute impact: A VATRE is required when a taxing entity wishes to increase the tax rate above the voter approval rate. If approved, the VATRE would generate an estimated $4.8 million in annual funding for BISD, with about 37% coming from the state.

The cause: District staff said while school funding increased statewide this year, BISD received one of the lowest per-student increases in the region—$379 per student compared to a statewide average that is nearly double. BISD currently ranks 15th out of 21 for starting teacher pay when comparing San Antonio-region school districts.

A rebranded convenience store and gas station has officially opened in the Fair Oaks Ranch area, just off of I-10 headed towards Boerne.

In case you missed it: Velocity Country Store & Meat Market officially opened to the public on Sept. 23, a store employee told Community Impact.

Situated at 28214 I-10 W., Ste. 105, the gas and convenience market was previously known as Schott Country Store & Meat Market before it was sold in September 2024, according to a Facebook post.

Bought by Velocity Fuels, the Texas-based chain owns 23 gas stations across the state, its Instagram page states.

Zooming in: The market has a traditional gas station convenience section, stocked with snacks, hot meals, beer, wine and more.

There’s also a meat market in the back, complete with deli cuts from chicken to turkey, steaks and ground beef, according to the Instagram page.

Velocity Fuels stores also make their own beef jerky and fresh fudge.

• 28214 I-10 W., Ste. 105, Fair Oaks Ranch

An Austin-based primary care clinic conglomerate and insurance provider has expanded its territory in Central Texas, southward into San Antonio.

What’s happening? Harbor Health announced the acquisition of 10 health clinics in the San Antonio area from VillageMD on Sept. 18 in a news release.

“With a broader statewide presence, we will now be positioned to serve up to 14 million Texans with care and coverage, up from 1.6 million currently,” Harbor Health’s CEO and Co-Founder said in the release.

Overall, the company acquired a total of 32 new clinics in Texas, with six each in Dallas and El Paso and an additional 10 in the Austin area, the news release states.

What’s special about it? Harbor Health offers patients comprehensive primary care, including clinicians and doctors, and owns clinics across Texas and the United States, according to their website.

Treatments are geared toward general men’s and women’s health, plus specialities in diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol.

Additionally, the health care company offers its own insurance plans for medical coverage and more.

A San Antonio-based grocery chain with a stronghold across Texas is now facing a change in leadership.

In case you missed it: H-E-B President Craig Boyan announced his intention to step down from his role, effective in January 2026.

He’ll subsequently retire at the end of next year, according to a Sept. 30 news release from the company.

As a result, current H-E-B Chief Operating Officer Roxanne Orsak will take his place.

Zooming in: Orsak started her career at H-E-B in 1988 as a store manager, rising through the ranks to become the COO in 2022, according to the release.

“I am honored to continue to shape the future of this great company with integrity, heart and a relentless pursuit of excellence,” Orsak said.

The context: The leadership change comes in tandem with H-E-B’s continued expansion in Texas.

New storefronts in San Antonio, Georgetown, Prosper and more have opened within the last two months, as previously reported by Community Impact.