Education
Transportation
BY HANNAH NORTON & CHLOE YOUNG CONTRIBUTIONS BY DANICA LLOYD
BY ATIRIKTA KUMAR & HANNAH NORTON
TEA once again blocked from issuing A F ratings for Texas public schools
Local projects included in Unied Transportation Program
The AF accountability system The Texas Education Agency’s accountability system was established by the 2017 Texas Legislature based on factors including:
The Texas Transportation Commission approved a $148 billion investment in the Texas Department of Transportation’s 2025 Unied Transportation Program on Aug. 22 to improve the 100 most congested roadways, including ones in Houston. What it means The Unied Transportation Program is the state department of transportation’s 10-year plan, which is updated annually following public feedback. “With the adoption of this record-breaking $148 billion transportation investment, Texas will con- tinue to meet the needs of Texans in rural, urban and suburban communities while also improving roadway congestion and safety,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news release. Ocials are expected to distribute around $14.5 billion for Houston-area projects. Despite having approval, there is no guarantee that all the projects in the 2025 UTP will be completed, according to TxDOT ocials.
The breakdown 1 Hwy. 6 intersection improvement at FM 529 • Estimated start date: 2025-29 • Cost: $8.7 million 2 Hwy. 249 widening from Beltway 8 to I45 • Estimated start date: 2025-29 • Cost: $306 million 3 FM 529 widening from FM 362 to the Grand Parkway • Estimated start date: 2025-29 • Cost: $188.6 million 4 I10 widening from Voss Road to Studemont Street • Estimated start date: 2025-35 • Cost: $1.17 billion
1960
The annual State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness
For the second year in a row, a Travis County judge blocked the Texas Education Agency from releasing its AF accountability ratings for Texas school districts and campuses Sept. 18. The case echoes a 2023 lawsuit from over 100 school districts, including Cy-Fair ISD, which alleged the TEA’s revamped accountability system was “unlawful” and would unfairly harm school districts. The agency was set to release ratings for the 2023-24 school year on Aug. 15. In a lawsuit led Aug. 12, ve public school districts said the TEA has not been transparent about changes to its accountability system and failed to x “mistakes” made last year. An additional 27 districts have since joined the lawsuit as of press time. A TEA spokesperson told Community Impact the agency plans to appeal; however, the injunction
will remain in eect unless an appeals court issues a new ruling, according to court documents. More details Texas’ AF system, designed in 2017, gives parents insight into the quality of their children’s schools. If a campus or district receives a failing grade for several years in a row, the state can intervene. CFISD has only received ocial ratings in two years since the system launched—a “B” in 2018-19 and an “A” in 2021-22. Most other years, the district was not rated due to interruptions from Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The lawsuit alleges that the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness—which the state redesigned to feature more open-ended questions and be administered fully online—has
290
249
45
2
1
Academic growth
529
6
High school graduation rates
N
Student preparedness for college, a career or the military
99 TOLL
362
3
529
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCYCOMMUNITY IMPACT
N
become a “awed assessment instrument” that the TEA failed to verify by a third party. Travis County Judge Daniella DeSeta Lyttle sided with the plaintis in blocking the ratings for the 2023-24 school year after hearing arguments Sept. 16-17. A full trial is set for Feb. 10.
4
10
610
N
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION’S 2025 UNIFIED TRANSPORTATION PROGRAMCOMMUNITY IMPACT
CYPRESS ROSEHILL 14315 Cypress Rosehill (281) 373-2999
SPRING CYPRESS 22508 Hwy 249 (281) 379-7383 BARKER CYPRESS 17996 FM 529 (281) 656-4200
HUFFMEISTER 8945 Hwy 6 N (281) 859-5879
Powered by FlippingBook