Austin ISD launched a public dashboard Sept. 15 tracking academic and staffing data at 29 campuses carrying "unacceptable" ratings from the Texas Education Agency. The dashboard is expected to expand to cover all Austin ISD schools over time.

Why it matters: Most of the campuses are operating under state-mandated turnaround plans, or TAPs, which require campuses with repeated unacceptable TEA ratings to show academic improvement or risk more severe state intervention, per the district.

The dashboard tracks static and regularly updated metrics, including:

• Principal experience for the 2026-27 school year

• Core and overall teacher vacancy numbers and rates

• Percentage of certified and experienced teachers

• Teacher attendance against a 95% goal

• Active PTA status

• Assessment data

What's next: The dashboard is set to update on the 15th of every month on the district website.

Access to sports programming in Dripping Springs is increasing as the Dripping Springs Sports Club team gears up to open a new facility on Fitzhugh road. Dripping Springs Sports Club Warehouse II will be the business's third location.

The big picture: Local founder and CEO Drew Rose is opening Dripping Springs Sports Club Warehouse II adjacent to the original Warehouse location, which opened in April.

The building will add:

• One basketball court

• Two volleyball courts

Quote of note: "We opened the Warehouse earlier this year to give Dripping Springs indoor court space it didn't have, and the response has been steady,” Rose said in an email to Community Impact. “Warehouse II is how we keep investing in this community."

• 15113 Fitzhugh Road, Bldg. 400 Dripping Springs

The Austin Infrastructure Academy will receive an additional $2.55 million in city funds over four years to support its workforce training and jobs program. This funding, approved by the Austin City Council in September, follows an initial $5 million investment in the initiative led by Workforce Solutions Capital Area.

The details: The academy is connecting Austin-area residents with construction careers during major local infrastructure upgrades, including the I-35 expansion, Project Connect, the Austin Convention Center redevelopment, and the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport expansion.

By the numbers: According to a one-year report released in spring 2025, the initiative:

• Connected more than 1,500 residents to career opportunities

• Enrolled nearly 1,100 participants

• Awarded 162 training scholarships

• Raised participants' annual earnings

Texas does not have a single system to connect first responders in emergencies, meaning local and state agencies often operate on a network of radio systems that are not always compatible with one another.

The big picture: State leaders said there are more than 50 different radio systems used by first responder agencies across Texas.

"We have situations where counties and cities are on separate ones, and they never know it until they have to [communicate with] each other," state Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, said during a Sept. 14 legislative hearing.

Looking ahead: King has vowed to pass a bill to integrate first responder communications under a statewide system during the 2027 legislative session, with some emergency management experts calling interagency communications "the No. 1 issue" in the aftermath of disasters.

"[This] is not simply a communication issue—it's a responder safety issue and an operational effectiveness issue," said Kyle Mills, head of planning and preparedness for the Texas A&M Forest Service.