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2023 ANNUAL COMMUNITY GUIDE
Imperial Sugar Char House developers, city o cials update residents on building’s development plan
Major education bills led for 88th Texas legislative session
OTHER STORIES TO FOLLOW IN 2023
OTHER STORIES TO FOLLOW IN 2023
BY HANNAH NORTON From public school funding to the student assessment model, educa- tion is expected to be a hot topic as lawmakers return to Austin. The 88th Texas legislative session began Jan. 10, and public education is once again the focus of many prospective bills. Public school funding remains a top priority for lawmakers, educa- tors and advocates. Because schools receive funding based on atten- dance, some administrators said their districts lost funding during the 2021-22 school year. The state nances schools through the basic allotment, which is the amount of money schools receive per student. Funding is based on average daily attendance, or the number of students at school on average. Average daily attendance is the sum of students present throughout the school year divided by the num- ber of days that schools are required
Fort Bend ISD intruder detection audit results issued The Fort Bend ISD board of trustees recently requisitioned a series of intruder detection audits for campuses across the district, which were presented in closed session at the Dec. 12 board of trustees meeting. According to available documentation from that meeting, three of the four schools audited passed the audit with no recommendations, while one school was directed to take corrective actions. The school district has declined to provide information on which schools were audited or what corrective actions have been taken. The district provided a statement saying the Texas School Safety Center provided guidance to districts about audit results. The center reportedly recommended districts not share the results “as it could lead to compromising important campus security information,” the district said in a statement. However, a district spokesperson said typical corrective actions often include additional sta training or work orders to repair doors.
to be open, according to the Texas Education Agency. Schools then earn $6,160 per student who meets the average daily attendance threshold. But when a student is frequently absent, their school loses money, even if the school’s day-to-day operations do not change. House Bill 31, led by Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D Austin, would require schools to be funded based on the average number of students enrolled during the academic year. This would protect districts from losing money when students miss school. An identical bill, Senate Bill 263, was led by Sen. Nathan Johnson, D Dallas. Two bills in favor of enroll- ment-based funding—HB 1246 and SB 728—were led during the 2021 legislative session. But despite bipartisan support from lawmakers and educators across the state, neither bill received a hearing or reached the chamber oors.
SESSION TO ADDRESS SCHOOL FUNDING
BY JACK DOWLING
Lawmakers have led bills to increase the state’s allotment for per-pupil funding in Texas public schools, which, according to Education Week, trails the national average by over $4,000.
For the second time in a decade, the Imperial Sugar Char House has a developer with plans in place that may save the aging structure. A purchase agreement struck in early December between PUMA Development, the company developing the mixed- use Founders District in West Houston, and the Hunton Group, the property owner of all the historic Imperial build- ings, means plans for development are moving forward. Residents had questions for the city of Sugar Land, which has promised to invest in the property, as well as for PUMA CEO Mark Toon, at town halls at the Sugar Land Heritage Museum on Dec. 8 and 15. Their inquiries revolved around what businesses or residences would be on the property; where exactly the development will overlap; and how African American and convict leasing history will be incorporated into the project. “Financially, it’s a really di cult thing,” Toon said at the Dec. 15 meeting. “At the end of the day, we’re all about adaptive reuse and restoring old buildings, and we think that’s one of the coolest things ever, but you can’t do it when you know going in that you’re going to lose a lot of money.” Toon refrained from committing to leasing prospects, but promised businesses would be “experiential.” The
RENDERING COURTESY KM REALTY
Township Square to bring new tenants, with completed renovation set for 2023 Township Square, located at 3434 FM 1092 Road, Missouri City, is in the midst of a $4 million transformation, spearheaded by KM Realty, a commercial real estate rm based in Houston. The renovation is set to be complete early in spring 2023 with a lineup of tenants, including Fellowship Co ee Co., Phresh as Duck Barber Shop and a yet-to-be- announced restaurant. The upgrades include replacing windows and doors; installing metal canopies and fabric awnings; repairing and replacing siding; adding patios and improving the common areas; landscaping; and renovating the shopping center’s roadside monument signs.
$8K
$7,075
$6,106
Up by $969 (16%)
Redevelopment on Sugar Land’s Imperial Historic District will see movement in 2023.
$6K
HUNTER MARROW COMMUNITY IMPACT
$4K
development is also expected to contain green space and multitenant housing. Overcoming challenges Sugar Land Communications Director Doug Adolph said after the Dec. 15 town hall that more work is needed. “We recognize there’s a need to do more to ensure histori- cal representation, and we are committed to building on the work we’ve already done in this area,” he said in an email. Toon told residents Dec. 15 that “a few restaurants” could be expected in the development site by 2025, and “the rest of the project” will start development by 2026.
$2K
$0
SOURCES: EDUCATION WEEK, STATE OF TEXAS COMMUNITY IMPACT
Johnson also led SB 88, which would increase the basic allotment to $7,075.
SUGAR LAND 3335 Hwy 6 S (281) 313-4446 MISSOURI CITY 5418 Hwy 6 (281) 403-0400
SUGAR CREEK 13827 Southwest Fwy (281) 491-8628 SIENNA PLANTATION 9034 Sienna Crossing Dr (281) 778-9959
NEW TERRITORY 5720 New Territory Blvd (281) 491-0811
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