ATX-NNW: Impact 9/23/2025

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas has announced the development of a new Ronald McDonald House for patients at Texas Children’s Hospital North Austin.

What to know: Construction has begun at Austin’s latest Ronald McDonald House which sparks the start of the first phase of A Place Like Home, RMHC CTX’s capital campaign, a news release states.

The campaign is dedicated to increasing capacity while ensuring families have access to comfort, care and community throughout their child’s medical journey.

The space is expected to open in 2026 and will feature nine private family suites, a communal kitchen, a laundry room and a multipurpose family support space where families can have private conversations with doctors, learn about support resources and more.

• 9835 N. Lake Creek Parkway, Austin

Considering private education? Here’s the tuition, offerings and classification of several private schools in the Northwest Austin area.

Magellan International School

• Type: International Baccalaureate, language immersion
• Grades served: preschool-12
• Religious orientation: Secular
• Extracurricular activities: student-led clubs, competitive sports such as archery, volleyball, sailing and golf, innovation labs and international travel
• Enrollment: 635
• Tuition: $21,835 annually on average
• Main Campus: 7501 N. Capital of Texas Hwy., Austin; preschool campus: 2700 W. Anderson Lane, Ste. 601, Austin

• Type of school: college preparatory, independent
• Grades served: 6 weeks-8
• Religious orientation: Nonsectarian
• Extracurricular activities: academic competitions, competitive athletics for grades 5-8, clubs, band, electives
• Enrollment: 220 (elementary/middle school), 110 (preschool)
• Tuition: $1,270-$1,570/month (preschool), $17,000 annually (pre-K4), $20,430 annually (K-8)
• Preschool: 831 Houston St., Austin; elementary and middle school: 7944 Great Northern Blvd., Austin

• Type of school: independent
• Grades served: pre-K-12+ (up to 22 years old)
• Religious orientation: N/A
• Extracurricular activities: none
• Enrollment: 51
• Tuition: $11,113-$33,957 annually
• 5209 Duval Road, Austin

Travis County homeowners will see about $64 more on their property tax bills after commissioners approved a 9.3% rate increase for Central Health, the county’s taxpayer-funded hospital district. For the average home valued at $515,213, that amounts to roughly $608 in total Central Health taxes.

Funding priorities: Dubbed the “year of access,” the new budget directs additional funding toward expanding primary care, behavioral health, specialty services and diagnostics. Primary care funding will rise from $74 million to more than $103 million, largely supporting CommUnityCare Health Centers. Behavioral health services will also grow significantly, with funding for Integral Care increasing from $25.7 million to over $40 million.

The outlook: Central Health leaders say the investments aim to reduce wait times, improve access to specialists, curb avoidable ER visits, and expand insurance coverage for low-income residents.

Put in perspective: Central Health represents just over 5% of a property owner’s total tax bill.

Texas voters will decide on 17 proposed amendments to the state constitution during the Nov. 4 election.

The overview: The propositions, which were adopted by state lawmakers earlier this year, include measures aimed at reducing property taxes, funding water supply projects and creating a state dementia research institute.

“This is an opportunity to make your voice heard about the governing document of our state,” Secretary of State Jan Nelson said in a June 25 statement.

More details: Texans have until Oct. 6 to register to vote in the upcoming election. Early in-person voting runs from Oct. 20-31, and Election Day is Nov. 4.

The secretary of state’s office randomly selected the ballot order for the 17 state propositions. Keep reading to learn about the proposed constitutional amendments and how they would change Texas law.