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Alvin ISD named Rhonda Mason as the next superintendent of schools in a 4-1 vote at its May 13 special board meeting, with trustee Earl Humbird voting against the appointment and trustees Cheryl Harris and Cory Scott abstaining.

What you need to know: Mason brings more than 25 years of experience in Texas public education, having served as a teacher, principal and district leader in Houston ISD, Fort Bend ISD and Lamar CISD, according to a May 13 news release from the district.

“Growing up in a small town taught me the importance of knowing your neighbors, investing in your community, and never losing sight of the people you serve,” Mason said in the release.

Alvin ISD’s board of trustees approved an amendment during its May 12 meeting to move forward with a 3% cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for employees as a planning assumption in the fiscal year 2026-27 budget.

The details: The agenda item originally reflected a proposed 2% COLA adjustment. Trustee Albert 'AJ' Johnson proposed an amendment at the meeting to increase the adjustment to 3%, which passed unanimously.

“I understand the position that we’re in and not certain what the state will do,” Johnson said at the meeting. “But I believe we have the ability to find a way. We’ve done it for the past two years, and I’d like to see us continue that.”

The context: While the state funded teacher salary increases through the Teacher Retention Allotment, or TRA, following the 89th Texas Legislature, ongoing COLAs are not supported through dedicated state funding, according to district documents.

Check out real estate data for Pearland, Friendswood and Manvel from March 2026, compared to March 2025.

The overview: Median housing prices in the Pearland-Friendswood-Manvel area increased in March compared to the same month last year with the exception of one ZIP code seeing a decrease.

Diving in deeper: Meanwhile, the area saw more homes sold between $200,000 and $399,999 in March compared to other price ranges. Most others were sold between $400,000 and $599,999.

Also of note: The number of homes sold also increased in March 2026 compared to March 2025. One ZIP code saw an increase at nearly 90%.

One last thing: Lastly, the median days a home sat on the market varied. Two ZIP codes saw a decrease, while two ZIP codes saw an increase with one increasing by nearly 175%.

As Houston prepares to see the first of seven matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Chris Canetti, president of the Houston Host Committee, said the city is ready for the influx of visitors expected during the tournament beginning June 14.

Quote of note: “Our greatest asset in Houston is our people,” Michael Heckman, president and CEO of Houston First Corporation, said. “And when visitors come here ... you're not just a visitor, you're one of us. And what a great message from people from all over the world that come here, that see all the languages that are spoken here, our diversity that we welcome people, not just from the United States, but from all over the world.”

The overview: On May 11, the FIFA World Cup 2026 Houston Host Committee gave updates from entities such as the Houston Host Committee, the airports, the Metropolitan Authority of Harris County, Downtown Houston, NRG representatives and FIFA Fan Festival representatives.

After dozens of Texas primary races ended without a clear winner in March, candidates for those seats will face off in an overtime round, known as a runoff election, this month. Texans can vote early in the runoff election from May 18-22, with election day May 26.

How it works: State law requires that primary candidates receive more than 50% of the votes cast to advance to a general election.

In the May 26 runoff election, Republican and Democratic voters will choose who they want to represent them in statewide offices, legislative and Congressional seats, the State Board of Education and county-level positions. The winner of each runoff race will appear on the ballot in November.

On the ballot: The statewide Republican runoff races include:

• U.S. Senate: John Cornyn and Ken Paxton
• Texas attorney general: Mayes Middleton and Chip Roy
• Texas railroad commissioner: Jim Wright and Bo French

• Texas attorney general: Nathan Johnson and Joe Jaworski
• Texas lieutenant governor: Vikki Goodwin and Marcos Vélez