HTX-CYP: Impact 10/6/2025

Lone Star College System board members voted to lower the college system’s property tax rate for fiscal year 2025-56 during the board’s Oct. 2 meeting.

The action taken: The board unanimously approved a FY 2025-26 tax rate of $0.1060 per $100 valuation, down from last year’s rate of $0.1076. Trustee Rebecca Broussard was absent from the Oct. 2 meeting.

Diving deeper: According to the Oct. 2 meeting documents, the tax rate is made up of:

• $0.0785 per $100 valuation for the maintenance and operations tax rate, up from last year’s rate of $0.0757.
• $0.0275 per $100 valuation for the interest and sinking rate, down from last year’s rate of $0.0319.

Cheatcode Lemondate and Smoothie Bar owner Donald Jeanlewis said the smoothie bar opened on Sept. 20.

What they offer: Cheatcode Lemonade and Smoothie Bar offers lemonade, smoothies, dirty sodas and acai bowls infused with supplements. Per previous Community Impact reporting menu items are designed to help stabilize blood pressure, balance hormones and boost energy with supplements and minerals such as magnesium, turmeric and collagen.

The University of Houston has been awarded a $1 million grant from the non-profit Houston Endowment to analyze how school districts are implementing various teacher certification pathways—including teacher residency programs and grow-your-own models—with the goal of improving student achievement and bolstering teacher recruitment and retention.

The two-year project is intended to generate data, research, and policy recommendations that could help reduce the number of uncertified teachers in classrooms across Texas.

Why does it matters: Amid a growing percentage of uncertified teachers, a UTeach Institute study showed uncertified teachers are more likely to leave early, and their students can lose up to six months of learning.

Zooming out: To curb the teacher shortage during the 2024-25 school year, Community Impact reported that Fort Bend, Georgetown and Leander ISDs had waived teacher certification requirements for certain subjects and opted to require their staff to enroll in alternative certification programs, or nontraditional programs that can often be completed online.

From Oct. 13-19, Texas residents will not have to pay to apply to in-state public colleges and universities.

The details: During Free College Application Week, application fees will be waived for all Texas residents applying to undergraduate programs at public colleges and universities located in Texas. First-time college students, transfer students and students returning to school are eligible, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

To qualify for the fee waiver, all applications must be submitted through ApplyTexas, the state’s college application portal.

What they're saying: “Texas prioritizes opportunities for students to pursue the best education they need to succeed in high demand, good-paying jobs after graduation,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in an Aug. 29 news release. “By supporting our students today, we are investing in a stronger Texas tomorrow.” 

Put in perspective: Most high school seniors apply to 5-10 colleges or universities and each application costs about $60-$75, state lawmakers estimated in June.