Book Drive for Kids is celebrating half a decade of operation in the Austin area this spring, said Brooke Terry, director of the Austin chapter.

How it works: The nonprofit expanded to Austin in April 2021, hosting free book fairs at Title I and low-income elementary schools. April 15 marks the organization's fifth anniversary since its inaugural distribution event.

Book fairs through the nonprofit are free for all students and schools.

Why it matters: Terry founded the organization to promote literacy by providing access to books for children enrolled in low-income schools. In half a decade, Book Drive for Kids has distributed over 50,000 books to homes and classrooms in the Austin area. During the 2024-2025 school year, the nonprofit organization helped nearly 6,500 children, including Title I students, foster care children and at-risk youth. Currently, nearly 7,000 students are on a waitlist for a free book fair, Terry said.

Round Rock ISD will allocate resources at some campuses to support instruction and student performance, based on accountability performance and with the backing of grant funding. 

What you need to know 
Trustees approved improvement plans for:

• Anderson Mill Elementary School

• Callison Elementary School

• Joe Lee Johnson Elementary School

• Bluebonnet Elementary School

• Wells Branch Elementary School

• Deerpark Middle School

These plans emphasize instructional improvements and curriculum adjustments to help teachers improve the performance of their students. This will come in the form of support for instructors, professional development and ongoing progress monitoring, administrators said. 

Did you know? The district received a "B" rating overall in 2025, with about 80% of all campuses earning a rating of "B" or higher.

Check out the latest updates on upcoming, ongoing and completed transportation projects across the Austin metro. 

Upcoming projects
Austin’s I-35 cap-and-stitch vision faces uncertain funding future: The outlook for Austin's ambitious plans to cover stretches of the redesigned I-35 with public amenity decks remains unclear due to the high costs of constructing the project, which city staff advised not to fund as of this spring. City Council committed last year to pay the Texas Department of Transportation $104 million to add structural supports along I-35, which are needed for any future decks to be built. But no funding has yet been set aside for the development of caps and stitches or public amenities. 

Ongoing projects
Greenlawn Boulevard widening
Project: The city of Round Rock is reconstructing Greenlawn Boulevard from an existing four-lane divided roadway to a six-lane divided urban roadway with pedestrian and lighting improvements.
Update: Construction began in January, per city officials.

• Timeline: completion is expected by April 2027

• Cost: $13.95 million

• Funding source: type B sales tax revenue

Williamson County commissioners adopted the Atlas 14 Floodplain Mapping Study March 24, which identifies flood-prone areas to guide growth and development in the county, as well as helps reduce flood risk, according to county documents.

How it works: The Atlas 14 study identifies flood-prone areas using updated scientific rainfall data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as topographical information.

Williamson County will use the study for drainage and floodplain management in unincorporated areas of the county, according to a news release.

The Texas Water Development Board accepted the study in 2025, and with recent court approval, the study can regulate the floodplains and enforce permits for encroachment.

The impact: In the past decade, Williamson County has experienced severe flooding, including in 2010, 2015 and 2017. Most recently, deadly floods over the July 4, 2025, weekend devastated parts of the county.

At least 257,000 students have applied for Texas’ inaugural education savings account program, according to the state comptroller’s office. Less than half of those applicants are likely to be accepted.

The overview: Applications for Texas Education Freedom Accounts close at 11:59 p.m. March 31. Students enrolling in private schools will receive $10,474 to spend on tuition and related expenses, while homeschool students can get up to $2,000 each, and students with disabilities may qualify for up to $30,000 each.

Through March 29, about 23% of applicants had indicated they would be homeschooled while 77% of applicants said they wanted to attend a private school, state data shows.

Program funding is capped at $1 billion for the 2026-27 school year, meaning between 90,000 and 100,000 students will likely be accepted.

By the numbers: About 34,000 students indicated in their application that they have a disability, per the comptroller's office. Students who have a disability and are considered low- or middle-income will receive priority acceptance into the program under state law.