Texas Council for International Studies will begin operating Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools this fall.

At a March 26 meeting, the AISD board of trustees voted on a three-school year contract with the education nonprofit, which specializes in the International Baccalaureate, or IB, program.

The backstory: Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools each received their fourth consecutive F rating from the Texas Education Agency in 2025. If a Texas public school receives five or more consecutive failed ratings, the TEA commissioner is required to close the campus or takeover the district.

Through Senate Bill 1882, school districts can receive additional funding and a two-year exemption from state accountability interventions by partnering with a charter school, higher education institution, government entities or nonprofits, according to TEA information.

The update: TCIS is required to help Burnet, Dobie and Webb receive D or C ratings in the 2026-27 school year, according to the contract. The schools are expected to receive an acceptable rating of C or higher for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years.

Texas French Bread is reopening a new brick-and-mortar bakery in the West Campus area this spring.

The backstory: The Austin bakery's original storefront, which opened in 1981, closed following a fire in 2022. The business has since operated out of an Airstream trailer in the garden next to the parking lot.

On the menu: The bakery serves breakfast and lunch sandwiches as well as assortments of fresh bread, sweets and pastries.

• 2900 Rio Grande Blvd., Austin

City Council is seeking to limit the amount of new parking that can be build around future light rail lines.

The details: Under a resolution approved March 26, the city will explore limiting off-street parking in new development near Austin’s equitable transit-oriented development, or ETOD, districts. Those zones are being implemented near planned Austin Light Rail lines through Central, East and South Austin.

The proposed ETOD parking caps would follow the city’s recent elimination of minimum parking space requirements for new construction, a policy some officials have framed as a barrier to development and affordability.

Council member Krista Laine, the measure's sponsor, said a “soft cap” on parking is meant to encourage more intentional planning near transit, and support a more walkable and affordable city.

What else: Separately, council also approved a plan to begin splitting parking fees from residential rents in Austin. 

The owners of Freddo, a coffee shop in South Austin, introduced additional owners to reopen the business as a sports bar in February.

What's new: Walter's Tavern now offers a full bar and kitchen until midnight and continues to serve coffee. Patrons can participate in watch parties for sporting events featuring a 15-foot jumbotron outside, live music, free pool, trivia and poker nights.

Did you know: Walter's Tavern is located at a Victorian building that was originally home to Walter Tips—a prominent politician and businessman in Austin in the late 1800s, according to the Austin History Center. The historic house is rumored to be haunted, according to Walter's Tavern's website.

• 2336 S. Congress Ave., Austin

Check out some of the most read stories in the Austin area March 23-26.

1. 5 new and coming soon businesses in downtown Georgetown

2. Beginning March 31, most smokable cannabis products will be illegal in Texas

3. New Willie’s Grill & Icehouse location opening in Leander in late March

4. 44,000-square-foot indoor sports club headed to Leander, Cedar Park

5. Elon Musk announces ‘largest chip manufacturing facility’ Terafab coming to Austin

6. Pflugerville water update: Repairs planned, conservation critical as lake levels recover