Bastrop ISD will join several school districts across the state this fall, when students will log on to its virtual academy for the first time.

However, unlike programs launched by some of its peers, BISD's online school pilot will start with middle school students.

What you need to know: District administrators announced during an April 21 board meeting that the pilot program will launch in the fall, initially serving students in grades six through eight, to build a foundation before expanding the program to serve grades nine through 12.

How it works: Chief Academic Officer Jennifer Eberly said the program will initially be limited to 200 students, about 50 per middle school, to ensure sustainability of the program. She added that the district may revisit that number if interest is high.

The academy will be open to students both in and out of the district, and average daily attendance funding for out-of-district students would follow them to BISD.

Area golfers will tee off to raise money for a local nonprofit dedicated to community service.

In a nutshell: The Bastrop County Rotary Club will offer a 7,200-yard, par-72 course at the Lost Pines Golf Club for their inaugural fundraiser, Tee Off for Community.

Registration includes green fees, carts, range time and lunch, as well as drink tickets, swag bags and commemorative T-shirts, according to a news release.

• April 27, 9 a.m. (tee time)
• $225 (individuals); $900 (team of four)
• Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa, 575 Hyatt Lost Pines Road, Bastrop

From an elementary school replacement in Austin to a Home Depot in San Marcos, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Andrews Elementary School modernization ($52 million): This project involves the complete removal and replacement of an existing elementary school. Construction will start this summer.

2. Willow East leasing office ($25 million): Construction on a leasing office for a new apartment complex in Austin will begin this summer.

3. Home Depot ($13 million): The new store in San Marcos will be 107,797 square feet with a 28,120-square-foot garden center.

4. Discount Tire ($2 million): Construction will begin next month on an 8,000-square-foot Discount Tire location in Georgetown. 

5. Layne's Chicken Fingers ($1.1 million): A new Layne's chicken fingers restaurant will be built in New Braunfels.

Austin-Travis County EMS has partnered with We Are Blood to implement a blood distribution plan for mass casualty incidents. The plan strengthens the region’s ability to respond to large-scale emergencies and helps patients receive transfusions quickly.

At a glance: The Mass Casualty Incident Whole Blood Deployment Plan is intended to quicken emergency response in Central Texas by optimizing the deployment of blood units to major incidents, according to an ATCEMS news release.

The plan outlines four distinct steps in the coordination of whole blood deployment to mass casualty incidents in the region:

• Activation: ATCEMS notifies We Are Blood of the mass casualty incident and the estimated amount of blood needed.
• Rapid Staging: We Are Blood prepares units of blood and pre-packed supplies for transfusions.
• Field Deployment: ATCEMS personnel get the units from the blood bank.
• On-Scene Management: A dedicated blood officer oversees blood and equipment distribution at the scene.