Lamar Consolidated ISD officials are reviewing options for rezoning as the district prepares to open Danziger Elementary School at the beginning of the 2027-28 school year.

Current situation: At an Oct. 20 meeting, the LCISD board of trustees received the proposed Danziger Elementary rezoning options. The new elementary, which is located in the Blue Creek Trails subdivision, is being built to help relieve enrollment pressure at Adolphus and McNeil Elementary Schools, said Jonathan Maxwell, executive director of enrollment management.

Additionally, the rezoning will help increase enrollment at Hubenak Elementary, which could become underutilized if its enrollment continues to decrease.

Stay tuned : No action was taken during the meeting. The board will choose the zoning options and the members of the attendance boundary committee in November, Maxwell said. Danziger Elementary is slated to open in August 2027.

Learn more about businesses in the Katy and Fulshear area that have recently opened, as reported by Community Impact.

Nikubol: The eatery specializes in customizable Japanese-inspired bowls in which customers can choose a base of rice, salad or udon before picking a protein. Bowls are finished with fresh toppings and signature sauces.

• 23015 Colonial Parkway, Ste. A105, Katy

Soluna Coffee: The shop as several autumn-inspired drinks including a brown sugar cinnamon chai, caramelized banana bread latte and a pumpkin cream pie latte.

• 22225 Elyson Falls Drive, Ste. 500, Katy

Ayurveda Kitchen: The Indian eatery offers kebabs, biryani, breads and house drinks including teas.

• 25757 Westheimer Parkway, Ste. 130, Katy

Walmart Healthcare Research Institute and Care Access have partnered to streamline the way people engage in clinical research.

How it works: The center holds five patient rooms where people come for health screenings, education and in-trial activities, said Dr. Emily Aaronson, who serves as chief medical officer for Walmart. 

Qualified individuals can receive free health screenings for a variety of conditions including kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, lung disease and Alzheimer's, Care Access CEO Ahmad Namvargolian said.

After a person receives their results, Care Access notifies them if their health background matches a clinical trial.

Also of note: Joseph Oh, Care Access’ senior vice president of marketing, said the company sought out areas where there are no clinical research opportunities nearby.

“Clinical trials are a critical part about how we develop new treatments and medicines for the future and for everyone,” Oh said. “The problem ultimately is that there's not enough representation in clinical trials.”

• 3506 Hwy. 6 S., Houston

The University of Houston will train teachers to ease a special needs teacher shortage and improve reading proficiency in students.

The big picture: UH’s Project BRIDGE will fully fund teachers’ master's programs in special education along with structured literacy certificates through an online program, according to an Oct. 22 news release.

Project BRIDGE, or Building Reading Instruction and Dyslexia Guidance Expertise, is funded by a $1.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs.

The details: The program lasts five semesters for each cohort, and UH plans to accept 42 participants through multiple cohorts in a five-year span, a UH spokesperson said.

Why this matters: Texas is one of 45 states dealing with a special education teacher shortage, which is the most common teaching field shortage among states, according to the Learning Policy Institute, an education research organization.

The program will also train teachers on the science of reading to improve student literacy as some Texas students are not reading at grade level by third grade, per the news release.