Education
BY JOEL VALLEY
Education Edition
2025
Welcome to Community Impact’s 2025 Education Edition! Whether you’re a parent, resident, or business owner, our Education Edition provides valuable insight for everyone in the community. We’re committed to delivering unbiased, hyper-local news that keeps you informed about the issues that matter most in our schools. Inside, you’ll nd an article on after-school mental health resources, an update on the balanced budget and districtwide raises, details on the newest campuses in Bastrop ISD, and a bond project tracker. Delivering this important content is a team e ort. We’re incredibly grateful to all of our community partners. Please support these businesses —they make it possible for us to keep Bastrop and Cedar Creek informed, inspired and connected.
What's inside
Initiative targets youth mental health (Page 10)
Leslie Bradshaw General Manager lbradshaw@ communityimpact.com
Bastrop ISD unveils a new elementary and two updated middle schools (Page 11)
Follow our Bastrop ISD bond tracker for the latest project updates (Page 15)
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Initiative targets youth mental health
Zooming in
Emotional backpack workshops will be implemented at area campuses through partnerships with local school districts, including Bastrop, Elgin and Smithville ISDs. The team will also mobilize the Chill Out Zone—which emphasizes coping strategies and the importance of checking in on oneself as well as others—to underserved communities across Bastrop County. Mercado said she anticipates reaching approximately 1,500 students by mid-2026, through a combination of workshops, training and expanded Out of School Time Cares programming. “By meeting youth and families where they are, the [Out of School Time Cares] Team is helping ensure that all children have access to the support they need to grow, thrive and feel heard,” BCC o cials said.
Bastrop County Cares, a nonpro t that aims to build a stronger community through local partnerships, has a new program: the Youth Mental Health Initiative. Led by the Out of School Time Cares and comprised of BCC sta , the Youth Mental Health Initiative launched during a summer kicko event June 21. “The team is actively engaging youth and families through their chill-out zone and emotional backpack workshops, o ering tools and safe spaces that make mental wellness accessible and relatable for young people across the county,” said BCC Executive Director Norma Mercado in a newsletter.
Students at Mina Elementary in Bastrop ISD participate in an emotional backpack workshop as part of a Youth Mental Health Initiative with Bastrop County Cares.
COURTESY BASTROP COUNTY CARES
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