The Dog's Head area was assigned to City Council District 3 just over two months after it was annexed into Austin city limits.

The details: While projections show tens of thousands of people could eventually live across the Dog's Head, the largely undeveloped area is currently home to about a dozen residents. A city commission determined their City Council representation for the next several years after the recent annexation.

The Dog's Head touches portions of council Districts 1, 2 and 3. City planning staff recommended placing it fully within District 3 given its geographic separation from District 1 across the Colorado River, and as the river is the only portion of District 2 it touches. Members of the resident commission agreed and unanimously voted for that assignment.

Austin ISD is closing one of its middle schools and splitting the students between two others just weeks before the new school year.

What happened: Austin ISD trustees voted 7-2 on July 30 to close Paredes Middle School and move its 635 students to Bailey and Mendez middle schools for the 2026-27 school year, acting on a modified turnaround plan weeks before classes start Aug. 18.

The district points to years of failing state academic ratings at Paredes, most recently its third consecutive F in 2025.

What's next: Families will be reassigned by home address—students east of Bluff Springs Road and north of Slaughter Lane go to Mendez, the rest to Bailey—with a district virtual option also available.

No Paredes staff will lose their jobs, according to the district, and key dates for families run Aug. 3 through the first day of school.

Several amendments to Austin's charter are set to be placed on the November ballot, capping off a process that was first launched by city leaders more than three years ago. Voters will also decide on a separate charter requirement, a citywide audit measure conceived by the political action committee Save Austin Now.

The details: The charter, which serves as the city's legal rulebook for government structure, can only be revised in an election. Charter amendment elections can't be held sooner than two years after the most recent changes were approved by voters.

City Council started a charter review process in 2023, eventually resulting in more than a dozen propositions voters were meant to consider in 2024. However, a district court judge found city officials likely violated state open meetings law when calling that election, and the propositions were put on hold. Council members voted to place seven of those items on this November's ballot, along with the Save Austin Now audit requirement.

Check out six stories trending in the Austin area July 27-30. 

1. 8 new and coming soon businesses to west Georgetown

2. Urban Egg to open its first Austin location this fall

3. Hao Hao Vietnamese & Chinese Restaurant planned for Pflugerville

4. Two Tim Hortons locations coming to Leander’s Hero Way, Ronald Reagan

5. A Little Shady announces opening date of Kyle location

6. Road work projects around CedarView development to be completed before Scheels opening

Tim League, co-founder of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, is expanding movie theater offerings in Austin with a new Metro Private Cinema location. League will open the private theater in the historic Baker School in Hyde Park.

Metro Private Cinema is slated to open its doors to movie lovers in spring 2027, Tim League said. 

How it works: Metro Private Cinema offers a more intimate approach to going to the movies. Viewers can choose from new releases, independent films or classics from the brand’s movie library. The theaters can hold between 4-20 people for approximately 3.5 hours. 

The experience kicks off with a multi-course family-style meal before the movie begins. As dessert is served, guests can sit in the traditional movie theater recliners and enjoy the film, Tim League explained.

Learn more: The Austin location will feature 11 individual rooms. Tim League has already built one test theater at the Baker School and will invite people to be early testers likely starting in November, he said.

• 3908 Avenue B, Austin

Across Texas, public school districts have approved at least 150 campus closures in the last three years as they grapple with declining enrollment, state accountability issues and hefty budget shortfalls.

What's happening: Among the closures are 56 schools in Community Impact’s coverage areas. Some districts have said that additional closures are not off the table.

Roughly 76,000 fewer students were enrolled in Texas public schools during the 2025-26 school year than the year prior. This marks the first non-pandemic enrollment drop in recorded history, according to Texas Education Agency data collected annually since 1987.

Analysts warn that this year’s enrollment decline is not a one-off, with demographics expert Bob Templeton predicting that enrollment could “drop over 100,000 kids” next year.

What they're saying: “This was a decision that I made, even knowing some of the challenges our students are going to face, because I think the alternative is untenable,” Fort Bend ISD board President Kristin Tassin said as the district voted to close seven elementary schools ahead of the 2026-27 school year.