Bryan ISD trustees met May 4 for a workshop and special meeting, which highlighted planning tied to the district's voter-approved 2025 bond program and ongoing budget discussions.

At a glance: Trustees received several informational presentations, including:

• School finance outlook: Guest speaker Amanda Brownson with the Texas Association of School Business Officials, or TASBO, shared statewide survey data showing roughly 70% of Texas school districts expect to make budget cuts in the coming years as districts move away from using fund balances to cover expenses.
• Budget development update: Bryan ISD Chief Financial Officer Norma Friddle continued the district's finance education series, explaining how school districts organize expenditures and monitor spending to remain compliant with state requirements.

A proposed advanced nuclear energy project expected to go before Bryan City Council on May 5 will no longer move forward after the developer withdrew its plans ahead of the meeting.

What's happening: The city of Bryan announced in a news release that Last Energy informed the city and Bryan Texas Utilities that it would no longer pursue the development of a small modular reactor facility in Bryan at this time.

The council had been scheduled to consider approving a 19.5-acre land sale agreement near the Dansby Generating Station on Mumford Road at its May 5 meeting.

What the city is saying: City Manager Andrew Nelson said the city respects the company's decision and emphasized Bryan's continued focus on energy technologies.

“We continue to believe Bryan is uniquely positioned to lead in next-generation energy and advanced manufacturing,” Nelson said in a written statement.

The release states that Bryan will continue to pursue projects aimed at improving grid reliability, supporting manufacturing and expanding long-term economic development opportunities.

Brazos County Commissioners Court received a presentation at its May 5 meeting, reviewing how employees are paid as part of an ongoing compensation and benefits study. The study aims to create a more consistent and competitive pay structure.

The framework: Brazos County's current pay system developed over the years by adding merit raises directly to positions rather than individual employees and over time, that approach created several challenges of pay drift and compression, among other inequities.

Consulting firm Segal compared county salaries with 12 peer organizations, including the cities of Bryan and College Station, plus Texas A&M. The analysis found:

• County pay is generally competitive.

• Starting pay levels are often above market.

The approach: The study recommended the county to create standardized salary ranges grouped into four categories, with minimum to maximum rates. Employees currently paid above future ranges would be grandfathered, meaning their pay would not be reduced.

Next steps: Human resources staff will meet with departments to finalize job classifications and correct data inconsistencies. HR assured no employees risk layoffs or pay cuts.

On May 26, Texas Republican voters will choose their nominee for the U.S. Senate in a runoff election between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The big picture: The Republican race for U.S. Senate is one of several statewide contests that advanced to May runoffs after no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March 3 primary election.

Cornyn and Paxton were the two highest-performing candidates in the eight-way primary race, with Cornyn securing 42% of the vote to Paxton's 41%.

At the polls: Early voting in Texas' runoff elections runs from May 18-22, and runoff election day is May 26.

Looking ahead: The winner of the May 26 overtime round will face the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate—state Rep. James Talarico of Austin—in the November midterm election. Third-party and independent candidates may also appear on the November ballot, and the winner of that election will be sworn in to the U.S. Senate in January 2027.