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Alvin ISD students will have access to additional dual credit opportunities, following board approval of several higher education agreements at its Aug. 11 meeting.

The overview: The district will continue its partnership with Alvin College to provide eligible students with the opportunity to earn high school and college credit through approved dual credit courses, including economics, astronomy and practicum in health science, according to district documents.

Diving in deeper: The district is expanding access to additional college-credit opportunities through McMurry University's dual credit program, which offers courses online and at AISD campuses. The district is also partnering with The University of Texas at Austin through its OnRamps program, offering courses on AISD campuses through Canvas. 

Pearland ISD’s board of trustees adopted a tax rate of $1.1350 per $100 valuation of a home for the fiscal year 2026-27 at its Aug. 11 meeting, documents show. The rate is identical to last year’s. 

What residents should know: This tax rate will result in a tax bill of over $3,307 for an average residence—about a $136 increase compared to last year’s bill of nearly $3,171, according to district documents.

From 2020-25, more than 45,000 wildfires burned over 2.7 million acres of Texas land, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Ahead of the 2027 state legislative session, lawmakers are looking into ways to better prevent wildfires from happening and prepare communities to respond when fires do start.

The background: In 2025, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 34, which required the Texas A&M Forest Service to create a statewide database of firefighting equipment; established a council to improve emergency communications between local, state and federal agencies; and increased funding to help rural volunteer fire departments purchase equipment from $30 million to $40 million.

Quote of note: Sen. Kevin Sparks, a Midland Republican who authored the law, said more work needs to be done to increase wildfire preparedness across the state.

"As we move forward, our focus should be on a more proactive approach that prioritizes prevention and mitigation alongside response preparedness," Sparks said during an Aug. 11 hearing of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, which he chairs.