Construction is progressing on Phase 2 of Mission Hill Park, with framework going up for the $12.15 million project’s three-story observation deck.

The details: Phase 2 construction is funded through New Braunfels’ voter-approved 2023 bond election, Proposition B, which passed with 56.87% of the vote, as previously reported by Community Impact.

Phase 1, completed in 2022, provided basic access to the site, including parking and pathways, said Jeff Bransford, New Braunfels park development manager.

Phase 2 will significantly expand amenities and “activate” the park, which sits at one of the highest elevations within city limits and includes the historic Mission Hill homestead site, Bransford said.

The project features a three-story structure, which includes an indoor reading room, restrooms and observation levels.

An elevated canopy boardwalk will also guide visitors from ground level through the treetops to the observation tower, approximately 30 feet above ground. Additional trail improvements and gathering areas are also included, said Scott McClelland, assistant director of Transportation and Construction Services.

New Braunfels ISD board members heard new details on CREATE at County Line, the district’s first future-ready elementary campus, at a meeting Feb. 9.

Two-minute impact: CREATE centers on six pillars—curiosity, resilience, entrepreneurship, artistry, teamwork and empowerment—through a multidisciplinary, hands-on learning model, according to agenda documents.

The campus will offer students and parents a different option for education, said Rachel Behnke, director of career and technical education for NBISD.

CREATE at County Line—located within County Line Elementary—will use STEM, agriculture, medical exploration, culinary arts, outdoor learning, digital media and performance arts to supplement core instruction. The campus will also work to build leadership and student ownership, according to agenda documents.

Applications opened in November and initially closed in January before reopening through Feb. 28 in response to community feedback. As of now, projected enrollment sits at 312 students. The campus currently serves 295 students, with 142 returning students confirming plans to stay, Behnke said.

The Texas Education Agency must correct roughly 4,200 errors in its elementary and middle school curriculum, the State Board of Education ruled Feb. 25.

The overview: The changes to the Bluebonnet Learning materials, a set of state-developed textbooks, include replacing improperly licensed images, fixing formatting errors or typos and correcting factual errors.

The SBOE approved the Bluebonnet materials in November 2024. The curriculum, which became available to districts ahead of the 2025-26 school year, has been criticized for frequent biblical references in the reading materials, although proponents said the materials would help improve student outcomes.

Zooming in: Before approving the changes, several board members expressed concerns about the “unprecedented” number of issues with the state-developed textbooks, noting that Texas taxpayers will cover the costs of reprinting the updated materials, as they were developed with state funds.

“I’m very concerned that, as a board, we have set a precedent for sloppy publishing. Many times, even if it's a typo, it could become an error of fact,” SBOE member Pam Little, R-Fairview, said.