ATX-CPF: Impact 10/29/2025

Faubion Elementary is celebrating 50 years of serving the Leander ISD community with an anniversary event in November. 

The details: The event will be held Nov. 8 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and include a proclamation from Cedar Park Mayor Jim Penniman-Morin and speeches from Ada Mae Faubion's grandson Kern Faubion and other district officials. The event will also feature carnival games, a bounce house, food trucks and more. 

Did you know?: Faubion first opened its doors for the 1976-77 school year as LISD's second elementary school and is named after Ada Mae Faubion, a former LISD teacher. 

Faubion is one of three elementary schools LISD officials are considering closing and repurposing in the 2026-27 school year due to lowering enrollment in southern LISD campuses and a growing budget shortfall. However, no decisions have been made yet, and the board of trustees approved a resolution in September for district staff to establish a clear process for long-range planning efforts, including determining the threshold for campus consolidations and finding alternative revenue generation and expenditure reduction strategies. 

Leander ISD's annual demographic report is now available through Population and Survey Analysts, showing LISD's stabilized enrollment, new single-family and multi-family housing construction, and more.

Major takeaways: LISD is past its high-growth phase and is approaching a stabilization phase, PASA officials said. Between 2019 and 2024, the population of people living within LISD boundaries has increased by about 12%, but the proportion of school aged children has gotten smaller, from 21% to 18%.

Another detail: Over the next ten years there are 15 single-family subdivisions located in the north or north-central part of the district that could add thousands of units. Still, LISD's declining student ratios is due to alternative educational opportunities, such as an increase in charter school opportunities. 

Something to note: Some community members have suggested that their neighborhoods are regenerating due to homes being sold in their neighborhood and seeing babies or new families moving in. However, regeneration drives enrollment stabilization, not growth, PASA officials said. 

Texas homeowners could see larger property tax breaks on this year’s bills if voters approve two state propositions on the Nov. 4 ballot.

The details: Proposition 13 would raise the property tax exemption on a Texas homeowner’s main residence, known as a homestead exemption, from $100,000 to $140,000. Proposition 11 would give homeowners who are over 65 years old or have a disability a $200,000 exemption.

The exemptions would apply only to taxes charged by public schools.

The impact: Sen. Paul Bettencourt, the Houston Republican who authored the legislation, estimated in June that the average Texas homeowner would see about $484 in annual savings if the tax cuts are approved by voters, with roughly $950 in savings for seniors and people with disabilities. These estimates do not account for potential tax rate increases by local governments.

If voters approve the two ballot measures, the cuts will take effect for the current tax year and appear on homeowners’ upcoming tax bills, according to the Texas House Research Organization.

Deputy City Auditor Jason Hadavi was tapped to take over as Austin's next city auditor starting next year.

The details: Austin's city auditor is appointed by City Council to oversee internal reporting on a variety of government operations and financial issues. Recent audits have focused on Austin Police Department operations, the city's extensive nonprofit partnerships, infrastructure maintenance and ethics issues.

Hadavi was chosen by council members through a national recruitment process that resulted in three finalists for the role this fall. He'll take over for departing Auditor Corrie Stokes starting in January. His compensation and benefits package is currently being negotiated, and will be approved by city officials in November.

The overview: As Community Impact enters its third decade, it’s returning to its roots of growth and deeper reader connections. The “Patron” program, which began in 2020 by reader demand, has relaunched as the InCIder.

“This relaunch represents our renewed commitment to readers who support our local news,” CEO John Garrett said. “Beyond funding great journalism, we also want to reward our InCIders and build deeper connections with them, creating a true sense of community around the work we do.”

Event details: As part of the relaunch, Community Impact will host its first-ever InCIder Hour, a new event aimed at celebrating and engaging the company’s supporters.

The event, open to InCIders only, will take place Nov. 12 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Community Impact Headquarters, 16225 Impact Way, Pflugerville.

Guests will have the opportunity to network with fellow InCIders, meet Community Impact staff and attend a featured conversation with legislative reporter Hannah Norton, moderated by Garrett.

“Our first event needed to start where all the hard work is put together,” Garrett said. “People are blown away when they see our operation. To be able to sit and chat with the best legislative reporter in Texas, Hannah Norton, makes it an event our InCIder friends deserve and hopefully will enjoy.”