The big picture: The Lewisville ISD board of trustees received a presentation from district staff detailing the pay compression created by House Bill 2, during an Aug. 25 meeting.
The details: HB 2, which was passed during the 89th Texas legislative session, impacted teachers' salaries, but it was for teachers with three years of experience or more who would get that raise, according to previous reporting.
Positions that were not included in the raises are:
Nonclassroom professionals
Librarians
Nurses
Athletic trainers
Counselors
Diagnosticians
Therapists
Psychologists
Assistant principals and other campus support staff
Chief Human Resource Officer Melissa Cobb said this has created pay compression, which occurs when there is not enough variance to account for higher responsibility between pay grades. Pay compression can also occur when individual salaries have gotten out of alignment with other employees with similar experience.
Warby Parker now open at Shops at Highland Village
Warby Parker’s new Highland Village location is now open.
A closer look: The store offers eye glasses, sunglasses, contacts, according to the business’s website. In the future, an independent optometrist will offer eye exams within the Highland Village storefront.
Highland Village to provide ambulance, fire protection services to unincorporated Denton County
What happened: Residents in unincorporated areas of Denton County will receive ambulance and fire protection services from the city of Highland Village for the next two fiscal years. Highland Village City Council members unanimously approved an agreement at an Aug. 26 meeting.
The specifics: The city will provide services to unincorporated areas of Denton County from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, 2027, according to city documents.
City Secretary Angela Miller said the city and county have had similar agreements in the past, and the contract is usually renewed annually.
Quote of note: “In Denton County, mutual aid between fire departments is an essential part of daily operations,” Director of Marketing and Communication Laurie Mullens said in an email. “The agreement with Denton County is a revenue source for the city and does not typically impact the service to our residents. As a region, we rely on one another to provide backup and mutual aid.”
FOODIE FRIDAY Check out these new restaurants and bars opening across the Dallas - Fort Worth area.
Musume is open in Frisco’s The Star District, a company representative said. Other Musume locations are open in Dallas and Fort Worth.
Musume at The Star’s menu includes sushi and sashimi made with fresh fish flown in daily from Japan as well as authentic Asian cuisine offered in both small and large plates, vegetarian and vegan dishes, salads, tempura and ramen. It also features a six-or-eight course Omakase curated daily by chef Yuzo Toyama, a company news release states.
Amid Democratic criticism, Texas lawmakers vote to overhaul STAAR and launch new tests in 2027
Both chambers of the Texas Legislature have voted to overhaul the state’s standardized testing system, putting public school students one step closer to taking new exams in the 2027-28 school year.
The details: House Bill 8 would eliminate the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness and replace it with three shorter tests, which students would take at the beginning, middle and end of each school year.
Bill author Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, said HB 8 would “reduce test anxiety, provide teachers with immediate feedback and create a pathway for trust in our system again." The majority of House Democrats and a few Republicans disagreed, arguing Aug. 26 that the bill would increase the amount of time students spend on exams and essentially create “another STAAR test” developed by the Texas Education Agency.
Next steps: After state senators passed HB 8 with a 21-7 vote Aug. 27, the bill returned to the House for consideration of a Senate amendment. If House lawmakers sign off on the changes, HB 8 will be sent to the governor.
