Pflugerville ISD has identified a site for its teacher housing development.

PfISD Chief Operations Officer Victor Valdez provided an update on the project Oct. 5 during the district's workforce housing Public Facility Corporation board meeting.

The update: Valdez said the facility will be built near the district's upcoming Advanced Pathways for Excellence Center.

The new career and technical education facility is currently being constructed on the northern portion of a district tract of land known as the Andrewartha property. Valdez said the teacher housing project will be built on 40-50 acres of land on the southern end of the property.

Zooming in: Officials are planning for 202 homes at full build out, including:

• 28 one-bed, one-bathroom apartments at 675 square feet each

• 66 two-bed, two-bathroom apartments at 1,015 square feet each

• 108 three-bed, two-and-a-half-bathroom duplexes or townhomes at 1,750 square feet each

Other planned features include an amenity center with a club house, gym and conference room; a pool with cabanas; a dog park; playgrounds and pickleball areas; and nature trails.

A new pickleball spot is now open in Pflugerville. 

The gist: Austin PickleHaus, which has seven indoor pickleball courts, is holding its soft opening from Sept. 25-Oct. 16. 

The business sells several membership options that offer unlimited open play, with some including coaching and guest passes. Nonmembers can also book open play sessions.

Austin PickleHaus is open 7 a.m. to midnight daily. 

What else? The business also has a cafe that serves lattes, matcha, smoothies, refreshers, iced teas, mocktails and locally made baked goods. 

• 18629 Weiss Lane, Bldg. 2, Ste. 200

In 2015, the Texas Legislature passed a law changing the amount of time students are required to spend in public schools from 180 days to 75,600 minutes per school year.

More than a decade later, some state senators are considering again mandating the number of days schools are open, citing concerns about student performance in districts that use condensed weekly schedules.

The details: At least 181 districts and 572 campuses used four-day school weeks in the 2024-25 school year, per Texas Education Agency data.

A TEA study found that during the 2022-23 school year, students attending school four days per week had lower performance in certain subjects on the annual State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness than students at five-day schools.

"There is not a benefit that I see for a four-day school week for the child," Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, said. "We know there's learning loss. What is the advantage of a four-day [week]? Because I see none except to please somebody who wants to be off more days."