As part of a Texas Education Agency requirement, the Northside ISD board of trustees approved a series of campus targeted improvement plans, or TIPs, for 12 campuses throughout the district March 24. 

These TIPs are developed for any campus that receives an F rating, consecutive D ratings or if a campus is a Comprehensive Support and Improvement campus during the TEA’s annual A-F accountability ratings.

The overview: According to district documents, there are eight elementary schools, one middle school and three high schools that require TIPs. During the presentation, Janis Jordan, deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction, laid out the components of a TIP, which includes a school improvement strategy, instructional support strategies, support and capacity building, performance management and stakeholder feedback.

Looking ahead: The district will continue implementing the TIPs across the campuses for the rest of the school year, with a goal of removing the campuses from TIP status and preventing them from moving into TAP status.

On March 28, the YMCA of Greater San Antonio celebrated the unveiling of its newly installed synthetic turf fields at the Mays Family YMCA at Stone Oak Youth Sports Complex with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The details: The project replaced roughly seven acres of grass fields with 193,000 square feet of synthetic turf. The project also upgraded the lighting around the fields. The project was made possible through a $100,000 commitment by the Ward family, the news release states.

Additionally, as part of the project, the YMCA partnered with the San Antonio Water System, or SAWS, through its Commercial Custom Rebate Program to eliminate the fields’ irrigation systems, resulting in a $4 million sustainability and water-conservation impact.

• 21654 Blanco Road, San Antonio

In a 3-2 vote, Guadalupe County Commissioners voted against a $500 million property tax abatement for a multibuilding data center campus with CloudBurst Texas on Feb. 24.

Some details: Guadalupe County Judge Kyle Kutscher and Precinct 2 Commissioner Drew Engelke voted in favor of the tax abatement. Precinct 1 Commissioner Jacqueline Ott, Precinct 4 Commissioner Stephen Germann and Precinct 3 Commissioner Jim Wolverton dissented.

A Chapter 312 tax abatement was the tax break under consideration by commissioners. A Chapter 312 tax abatement is an agreement between a taxpayer and a tax unit that exempts increases in property value taxation for up to 10 years. It is an economic development tool available to counties, cities and special districts to attract new industries, according to the Texas comptroller’s website.

The data center would span across 16 properties and be about 220 acres. The center is located at 2955 Francis Harris Lane in New Braunfels.

From Gringo's Mexican Kitchen expanding in Cibolo to a new welcome center in New Braunfels, check out six of the latest filings to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the San Antonio area. These listings are preliminary and subject to change.

Gringo's - Cibolo
The Mexican kitchen is expanding in Central Texas with a new location in Cibolo.

• Location: 18390 I-35, Cibolo

Diabetes & Metabolism Specialist
The San Antonio-based health care providers are renovating a new space to extend services into Boerne.

• Location: 101 Woods of Boerne Blvd., Building A, Ste. 100, Boerne

New Residential Community Welcome Center
The new welcome center will serve incoming residents of the Purlsong development in New Braunfels.

• Location: 4367 Riversong, New Braunfels