Collin College board approves FY 2025-26 budget, 4% pay increase
Collin College staff can expect a 4% raise in fiscal year 2025-26.
The overview: The college’s board of trustees unanimously approved a budget of $437.44 million and increased base salaries by 4% during an Aug. 26 board meeting.
Diving in deeper: College officials completed a review of peer and local market salary data through the Texas Association of School Boards for the college’s pay system. This review included salaries for other community college systems, universities and the college’s school district partners, said Melissa Irby, Collin College’s chief financial officer.
4 new Frontier Airlines routes from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
Frontier Airlines announced new flights out of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport for late 2025 and early 2026.
International flights: The Denver-based airline announced 22 new routes in a news release Sept. 4. The airline will add new routes from DFW Airport to Guatemala and El Salvador starting this winter.
Weekly flights to La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City will start Dec. 20. Two-times-a-week service from DFW Airport will go to El Salvador International Airport in San Salvador, El Salvador.
Domestic flights: Frontier announced flights from DFW Airport to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in an Aug. 26 news release, as well as a route to New Orleans in a Sept. 2 news release. Those are part of 20 new routes added throughout the United States.
Oktoberfest, Halloween: Check out 12 fall festivals, events around Dallas-Fort Worth
Here are 12 festivals and activities for Dallas-Fort Worth residents looking for fun ways to spend a weekend this fall.
1. Grapefest in Grapevine: Attendees can taste wine and explore Downtown Grapevine. This year’s theme is The Grape Gatsby, a nod to the 100th anniversary of the publication of the "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
2. Oktoberfest in McKinney: Enjoy authentic German food, domestic and imported beer, live music, games and more during Historic Downtown McKinney’s Oktoberfest celebration.
‘This will save lives’: New Texas laws require summer camps to remove cabins from floodplains
Two months after 25 campers and two counselors died in the historic July 4 flooding at Camp Mystic, Gov. Greg Abbott signed three new laws Sept. 5 that he said will “make youth camps safer” and ensure Texas communities are better prepared for future disasters. The flood victims' families attended the Sept. 5 bill signing ceremony in Austin.
The details: Under the two-pronged camp safety package, summer camps are required to remove existing cabins from floodplains by Jan. 1.
Camps must also develop and annually update comprehensive emergency plans, set up warning systems to notify campers if something is wrong and install ladders so campers can climb on cabin roofs during floods.
Looking ahead: Two other disaster preparedness bills, as well as legislation designed to regulate Texas’ multibillion-dollar THC industry, did not pass during the recent special legislative session, which ended around 1 a.m. Sept. 4.
When asked Sept. 5 if he planned to call a third legislative overtime to continue work on those policies, Abbott told reporters to "stay tuned."
