The Austin ISD and the Texas Education Agency confirmed on Sept. 18 that the district has appealed the fifth consecutive failing ratings at Burnet and Webb middle schools.

Some context: Under state law, five straight unacceptable ratings at any single campus require the education commissioner to either close the school or replace the district's elected board with a board of managers.

What happens next: The commissioner sends decisions to appealing districts by letter before Dec. 11, when TEA releases final ratings and counts of consecutive years of unacceptable performance. Current ratings and year-over-year history are available at txschools.gov.

Dozens of Four Points area residents gathered Sept. 17 to discuss the future of the former 3M campus off River Place Boulevard, which is now slated to house an artificial intelligence manufacturing company.

Some context: Karlin Real Estate purchased the site from 3M in 2021 and renovated it in 2024. County documents show that in early 2026, Karlin sold the property to SB Energy, a company that develops and builds infrastructure used to power AI data centers.

The update: SB Energy's takeover of the site is known as "Project Cosmos." United Kingdom-based semiconductor manufacturer Graphcore was announced as the site's first tenant.

Diving in deeper: Officials said the site will comply with existing noise ordinance limits; its water use is expected to be at or below what 3M utilized due to the use of closed-loop chillers; and its electric use will have a max capacity of 50 megawatts.

Get involved: 2222 CONA is conducting a survey through Oct. 5 for Four Points-area residents to provide feedback on the project.

Community members in Round Rock ISD will soon be able to provide feedback on the district's bus operations through an upcoming Transportation Advocacy Group.

The district is accepting applications for the group from Sept. 21-30.

About the program: Chief Technology Officer Donnie Bruton Jr. said the program would aim to include fewer than 20 members from district families, with membership distributed evenly across the district. The group will also include district and campus leaders, he said.

Bruton clarified the group will exist in an advisory capacity only, with final decisions left up to RRISD and its transportation department.

What they're saying: The group's formation is in response to community input after some bus routes were proposed for cuts earlier this year, administrators said at a Sept. 17 board meeting.

"It may still result in routes being cut or adjusted, but involving the community in that decision-making process is really important," Place 3 trustee Amber Feller Landrum said.

What's next? Applicants will be notified of their selection status around Oct. 9, Bruton said.

Here are six trending Austin-area stories from Sept. 14-17.

1. Check out 22 Georgetown-area business updates

2. Cedar Park to build wave pool in $10 million Veterans Memorial Pool expansion

3. Final first days: Pflugerville ISD prepares for 4 school closures, admin cuts

4. Construction on RM 620 widening project may begin in early 2029

5. Round Rock readopts trails master plan identifying new corridors for connectivity

6. Airbnb launches national affordable housing fund with $6.4M Austin investment