Bay Area Edition | August 2024

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Bay Area Edition VOLUME 7, ISSUE 1 AUG. 28SEPT. 27, 2024

2024 Education Edition

Great Wolf Lodge opens in Webster

500K expected annual visitors

Great Wolf Lodge will oer several entertainment options, including a water park and more than a dozen slides.

COURTESY MARK ASHMAN WITH GREAT WOLF LODGE

been an excellent partner.” For Webster, the new location will be the anchor tenant for Flyway, a shopping and entertainment center. The resort’s opening will also be the start of a few dierent incentives Webster will pay out to Great Wolf Lodge over the next two decades.

In a city that on its website bills itself as the “Christmas Capital of Texas,” Grapevine hasn’t been a stranger to attracting tourists. However, Mona Quintanilla, director of marketing and communica- tions, said the indoor, all-inclusive resort and water park helps make the city a year-round destination. “It’s been an incredibly wonderful experience honestly,” Quintanilla said. “[Great Wolf Lodge] has

BY JAMES T. NORMAN

Great Wolf Lodge opened its second Texas-based resort in Webster on Aug. 7, and ocials in the city and the broader region are hoping it will bring an economic boost to the area. It comes nearly two decades after the company’s rst Texas resort opened in Grapevine back in 2007.

CONTINUED ON 12

Also in this issue

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Government: League City police tout success of mental health program, lay out plans to expand it in coming scal year (Page 8)

Business: Hap’s Cajun Meats & Market in League City brings history, avors, culture of Louisiana to Texas (Page 26)

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In addition to more physicians and expanded specialty care, our Bay Area Campus features more advanced diagnostic imaging, on-site labs, a Kelsey Pharmacy with drive-thru services, and free parking. It will also be home to a new nationally recognized Kelsey-Seybold Cancer Center and a new Outpatient Surgery Center, both opening in 2025. Experience world-class care at our new Bay Area Campus.

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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

Owners John and Jennifer Garrett launched Community Impact in 2005, and the company is still locally owned today with editions across Texas. Our mission is to provide trusted news and local information that everyone gets. Our vision is to build communities of informed citizens and thriving businesses through the collaboration of a passionate team. Our purpose is to be a light for our readers, customers, partners and each other by living out our core values of Faith, Passion, Quality, Innovation and Integrity. About Community Impact

Market leaders & metro team

Reporters Jovanna Aguilar Asia Armour Angela Bonilla Melissa Enaje Wesley Gardner Cassandra Jenkins Rachel Leland Emily Lincke Nichaela Shaheen Jessica Shorten Haley Velasco Aubrey Vogel Carson Weaver Graphic Designers Richard Galvan Ellen Jackson Matt Mills

Papar Faircloth General Manager pfaircloth@ communityimpact.com

Martha Risinger Jesus Verastegui Taylor White Ronald Winters Managing Copy Editor Beth Marshall Account Executive Anita Orellana Senior Managing Editor Matt Stephens Senior Art Production Manager Kaitlin Schmidt

James T. Norman Editor jnorman@ communityimpact.com

Jason Culpepper Publisher jculpepper@ communityimpact.com

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Impacts

• Opened Aug. 7 • 1000 Great Wolf Way, Webster • www.greatwolf.com/webster

ARMAND BAYOU NATURE CENTER

4 Via 313 Pizzeria The Detroit-style pizzeria offers pizzas with an assortment of toppings, including smoked pepperoni, mushrooms, calabrese and prosciutto, among other toppings. • Opened Aug. 9 • 1065 W. Bay Area Blvd., Ste. 200, Webster • www.via313.com 5 Friendswood Scoop Shop The ice cream shop serves whimsical flavors inspired by the owner’s personal experiences and Friendswood’s roots. Some flavors include bubblegum, blackberry, creme brulee and fig. The shop will also serve sorbet. • Opened July 30 • 901 S. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood • www.friendswoodscoopshop.com 6 Los Mirasoles Cocina Mexicana The restaurant serves chile con queso, enchiladas, carne guisada, fajitas, burritos and sopapillas, among other menu items. • Opened July 20 • 5828 FM 517 Road E., Dickinson • Facebook: Los Mirasoles Cocina Mexicana 7 Foundations Medical Care & Aesthetics Services at the health care center include primary care, pediatrics, weight loss, nutrition and mental health. It also offers aesthetic services, such as Botox injections. • Opened in June 8 El Jefe The restaurant serves pollo asados, or grilled chicken, seafood, such as ceviche, and a variety of birria items, including tacos, tortas, ramen and pizza, among other menu items. • Opened July 1 • 620 W. NASA Parkway, Webster • Facebook: El Jefe • 612 W. Main St., Ste. 101, League City • www.foundationsmedicalcare.com

Seabrook

2351

CLEAR LAKE

146

GALVESTON BAY

BAYBROOK MALL DR.

CLEAR LAKE RD.

MASTERS DR.

Webster

518

528

GREAT WOLF WAY

COLUMBIA MEMORIAL PKWY.

SOUTH SHORE BLVD.

Nassau Bay

646

League City

517

ALDERWOOD ST.

517

2 The Bar The establishment hosts pool and dart tournaments, and serves chicken-fried steak, spring rolls, burgers and chef salads, among other menu items. • Opened June 5 • 2709 Dickinson Ave., Dickinson • Facebook: The Bar 3 Great Wolf Lodge The resort is 92,000 square feet in size and has more than 500 rooms. Officials hope the lodge will lead to more economic growth for the area.

Now open

1 Lil’ Outriggers Hula Bar and Grill The establishment serves small bites, including tacos, oysters and boudin balls, along with burger and seafood sliders. • Opened June 29 • 822 Clear Lake Road, Clear Lake Shores • www.liloutriggers.com

Good for business. Good for life.

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Coming soon

Now open

Relocations

9 Sanabreh Mediterranean Restaurant The eatery will offer Middle Eastern cuisine, such as shawarma and various kabobs. • Opening in September • 487 Bay Area Blvd., Houston • Website not available 10 Bay Area Family Dentistry The dentist office will provide dental cleanings, sealants and fluoride treatments, among other services. • Opening in late September or early October • 391 Columbia Memorial Parkway, Ste. A, Kemah • www.bayareafamilydentistry.com

18 Attuned School of Music The school will offer group classes, private lessons and performance programs for instruments such as piano, voice, drums, wind, strings and guitar. • Opened July 31 • 395 Columbia Memorial Parkway, Ste. A-B, League City • www.attunedschoolofmusic.com

14 Roma Pizza The restaurant serves cheese, barbecue, buffalo spicy, chicken ranch, meat lovers and veggie pizzas, among other menu items. • Relocating August • 3023 E. FM 517, Dickinson • www.romapizzaleaguecity.com

Relocations

11 The Hive Women’s Wellness The business completed its expansion and relocation to a new, larger facility in April. It offers medical services, such as women’s exams, comprehensive lab work and hormone evaluation. Vitamins, supplements and spa services, including sessions in an infrared sauna, waxing and facials, are also available. • Relocated in April • 1001 Pineloch Drive, Ste. 800, Houston • www.hivewomenswellness.com

15 Popeyes The fried chicken chain could be opening a new shop in League City in 2025. • 2498 Gulf Freeway S., League City • www.popeyes.com 16 Lynn Gripon Park The park reopened Aug. 3 after closing due to damages caused by Hurricane Beryl. • 100 Alderwood St., League City • www.leaguecitytx.gov 17 Texas Huddle Grille & Sports Bar The restaurant reopened Aug. 1 under new ownership after closing earlier this year. It will serve chicken wings, tacos, pizza and burgers, among other menu items.

• 803 E. NASA Parkway, Ste. 100, Webster • www.txhuddle.com

19 Salata Salad Kitchen The business’ Clear Lake location celebrated its 10-year anniversary with a complete revamp of its restaurant on July 30. It offers built-to-order salads and wraps, soups, teas and lemonades. • 1780 NASA Parkway, Houston • www.salata.com 20 The U.S. Small Business Administration The federal agency partnered with the Brazosport College Small Business Development Center and opened up two Business Recovery Centers on July 24 following Hurricane Beryl. One location is in Galveston County. • 2121 Market St., Galveston • www.sba.gov

In the news

12 Upscale Main Formally Main Street Events, the event venue reopened

under a new name on Aug. 8. • 322 E. Main St., League City • Facebook: Upscale Main

13 South Shore Harbour neighborhood The League City neighborhood could be getting a new community pool house. The $180,000 project is expected to wrap up in May. • 4002 Masters Drive, League City • www.leaguecitytx.gov

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Government

BY RACHEL LELAND

League City’s mental health unit expects to grow, seeks grant funding

Looking ahead

The unit is hoping to grow in the coming fiscal year and as part of that is looking to bring on two new paramedics and additional police officers during FY 2024-25, Lt. Andrew Gilbertson said. Community Impact previously reported the police department applied for a $218,000 U.S. Department of Justice grant but was denied, Gilbertson said. Gilbertson added the department applied for another $300,000 grant from the Bureau of Justice and is still being considered for those funds, which he said could be used to purchase additional unmarked vehicles for the unit. If approved for the additional grant, funding would be awarded in October, Gilbertson said.

Seven months after launching a dedicated mental health unit, the League City Police Department is hoping to expand the team and secure additional funding. The department launched the unit in February to respond to calls involving people experiencing a mental health crisis. In August, Sgt. Kierstyn Portis called the program a success. It allows officers to connect people experiencing a mental health crisis to various local resources, such as churches, Alcoholics Anonymous and the Gulf Coast Center. Portis said members of the community are more open to interactions with the mental health officers. Plain clothes and unmarked vehicles help put residents at ease and protect

982 follow-up calls have been conducted by the mental health unit

6 months is how long the mental health unit has been operating

have been diverted from jail to a mental health care facility 25 people or 10% of people

SOURCE: LEAGUE CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT/COMMUNITY IMPACT

privacy, she said. “To see the response that we’re getting and to see how well it’s flourishing on a day-to-day basis has been fantastic,” Portis said.

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Government

BY MELISSA ENAJE

Harris County approves $10M for criminal courts An estimated $10 million comprehensive reform initiative aimed at advancing quality and efficiency within Harris County’s district criminal courts was unanimously approved by county commissioners at an Aug. 6 meeting. The plan, spearheaded by Precinct 4 Commis- sioner Lesley Briones, will invest in five areas,

Voter registration initiatives approved By a vote of 4-1, Harris County commis- sioners approved a voter registration pilot program aimed at increasing total voter turnout numbers at elections, including among marginalized and working-class communities. Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey cast the dissenting vote at the Aug. 6 court meeting. The breakdown Carried out across multiple county depart- ments, the program includes: • Developing an unregistered voters map • Hiring a vendor to assist with voter outreach efforts • Implementing a text-to-register program and other registration pilot programs

including updating court technology and further reducing the criminal court backlog, while also providing bilingual assistance and mental health support services to defendants. Funding for the project will come from a combination of capital improvement, general and American Rescue Plan Act funds, according to Briones’ office. Expanding mental health support along with the jail-based competency restoration program will result in jail population reduction, District Court Judge Lori Gray said in a news release.

Harris County criminal district court active cases

While the number of criminal district court cases have decreased since 2022, the new investments are meant to further the momentum and address justice barriers that could delay the life cycle of cases.

0 50K 40K 30K 20K

49,513

29,579

Jan.

Dec.

Jan.

Dec.

Jan.

July

2022

2023

2024

SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY DISTRICT COURTS/COMMUNITY IMPACT

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Environment

BY MELISSA ENAJE

Hurricane Beryl’s impact left around half a million CenterPoint customers without power for at least five days after the hurricane landed on July 8. Eight Harris County fatalities were attributed to heat exposure due to power outages, according to July 24 data from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. From July until December, investigations and formal hearings are ongoing into CenterPoint Energy and other Greater Houston-area utility providers’ emergency response and preparedness efforts for the storm. In addition, a new 13-member Texas Senate Special Committee was formed July 17 and tasked with studying power companies’ hurricane and storm preparedness. The committee first met July 29, asking why more than 2 million Houston-area residents lost power and why it took weeks to restore it. While appearing in front of Texas public utility commissioners on July 25, CenterPoint Energy executives laid out a three-phase resiliency plan with details and deadlines as early as Aug. 1. CenterPoint’s plan focuses on three priorities: • Customer communications • Resiliency investments • Strengthened partnerships Meanwhile, Texas-New Mexico Power, which powers much of League City, had at peak 116,000 outages following Hurricane Beryl. Officials said on July 19 they had restored half of those without power by the next day on July 9. The remainder were restored by July 18. CenterPoint releases resiliency plan after Beryl

The action taken

In what may be the first staff action related to Beryl, Lynnae Wilson, CenterPoint’s senior vice president of electric business, is no longer with the company as of July 29, according to an email from CenterPoint media officials. In a July 28 publicly advertised letter, CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells apologized for falling short of customer expectations during times of emergency. Wells also outlined immediate actions to improve not only future response and restoration efforts, but

also customer and public-facing communications. CenterPoint Energy’s resiliency plan includes prioritizing power restoration and temporary generator deployment for critical facilities. The top five general priority levels for mobile generator deployment include: • Hospitals • Emergency services & Houston airports • Cooling centers • Senior/assisted living facilities • Small emergency rooms

CenterPoint Energy's 3-phase timeline to implement resiliency improvements*

Completed

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Immediately

By Aug. 15

By Dec. 31

Prioritize restoration and temporary generation deployment for critical facilities, including critical care facilities, water utilities

Harden nearly 350 distribution line miles to the latest extreme wind standard; CenterPoint is replacing wooden towers with steel and concrete towers

Complete all aerial imagery and visual inspections on all over- head distribution circuits affected by Beryl to identify equipment or vegetation-related issues that could impact future outages Informed by the Texas governor’s office, CenterPoint will execute identified repairs based on risk Increase call center capacity by 165% for storm events with a standard average answer speed of 5 minutes or less

Launch initial public communi- cations earlier in the storm cycle

Hire two new senior leaders: one for emergency preparedness and response and one for communications

By Aug. 1

By Aug. 31

By June 1, 2025

Launch a new cloud-based

Leverage AI and implement changes to accelerate dispatch of vegetation crews to immediately address higher-risk vegetation issues through Dec. 31 Remove 100% of vegetation from the 2,000 incremental distribution lines considered to be at a higher-risk due to vegetation Deploy 300 automated devices to reduce sustained interruptions and reduce restoration time By Sept. 30 Select sites for up to 10 donated backup generator facilities

Install donated backup generator facilities

storm outage tracker

Increase mobile generators

from four to 13 units

Adopt a daily press briefing policy before and during a named storm, and daily restoration updates, during the press briefing

By Aug. 9

Coordinate more closely with local, county and state officials as well as emergency management personnel to align response efforts

*LIST IS NOT COMPREHENSIVE SOURCES: CENTERPOINT ENERGY, TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SMART GRID CENTER/ COMMUNITY IMPACT

Number of customers without power 2.5M CenterPoint Energy Hurricane Beryl outages

What to expect

Impact , CenterPoint did not provide information on how much the new plan will cost the company and its customers. The state could take action on energy legislation next legislative session as Senate committee members on July 29 looked into what new regulations or legislation they can enact to keep similar circumstances from happening again. While no further Senate committee meetings on hurricane preparedness are scheduled for this year, the PUC’s final investigation report will be delivered to the governor and Legislature for review by Dec. 1.

CenterPoint originally filed a $2.2 billion-$2.7 billion resiliency plan with the PUC for its long- term sustainability efforts on April 29, prior to the derecho and Beryl outages. Internal July 24 communication between Wells and Gov. Greg Abbott indicated Wells enacted stricter deadlines to CenterPoint’s original resiliency plan, which required refiling with the PUC in order to meet the new strategies, Wells said. By Aug. 1, the company withdrew its PUC filing and announced it needs to complete a broader assessment of additional resiliency opportunities. In an email with Community

2.2M

2M 1.5M 1M 500K 0

4,713

Hurricane Beryl lands

BAY AREA EDITION

Great Wolf Lodge opens in Webster From the cover

The impact

In a nutshell

City and lodge officials touted the positive impact Great Wolf Lodge could have on businesses and communities surrounding it. “Businesses looking to expand in Houston rec- ognize the incredible [Great Wolf Lodge] market and have shown tremendous interest in develop- ing in Webster,” Vela said. “The city is confident that the lodge will thrive and contribute positively to Webster’s growth.” Barbara Cutsinger, marketing manager for the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, or BAHEP, said it also fills a need as there aren’t many water parks in the area. It will also be one of the few hotels outside of downtown Houston with enough space for conventions. “I think we’ll see more complimentary activities

pop up around the region,” Cutsinger said. “The visitors will want to see what else our region has to offer. Other cities will want to take advantage of the captive audience that [Great Wolf Lodge] brings.” However, officials could not provide data show- ing projections of how Great Wolf Lodge might affect the area long term. Meanwhile, for cities outside Webster like League city, the resort is expected to have a “positive impact” and possibly draw people into town, said Scott Livingston, League City director of economic development. In addition to adding a new amenity to the area, some of the money coming in to the resort from visitors—and new jobs—could also find its way into League City, Livingston said.

Great Wolf Lodge in Webster opened three months earlier than expected. The resort is 92,000 square feet and has 500 rooms, more than a dozen water slides and a 61,000-square-foot entertainment center. Officials hope it could attract families not only in the Greater Houston area, but from cities several hours out. Katie Vela, marketing and tourism specialist for Webster, called the resort a “landmark project” that city officials hope will be a “tourism magnet.” In addition to the resort bringing in families, Vela said city officials are optimistic it will boost other business as well. Meanwhile, the resort opening means the incentive deal Webster inked with Great Wolf Lodge in 2021 begins. The deal includes millions in grants to the resort and a share of tax revenue over two decades.

The context

Great Wolf Lodge’s impact

Grapevine’s sales tax revenue jumped by more than 23% in the year after its Great Wolf Lodge opened in 2007 compared to the previous year, according to sales tax data provided by the Texas Comptroller’s Office. However, tax revenue stayed relatively stagnant in the years after, which coincided with the Great Recession. In addition, the resort has drawn nearly 650,000 total visitors dating back to January 2022, according to city data. Many of those visitors have also gone to nearby attractions, such as Grapevine Mills Mall, which drew in 300,000 of those visitors. “[The resort]’s been an enormous draw for people everywhere,” Quintanilla said. “We’re very pleased having them in our city.”

Grapevine sales tax revenue before and after Great Wolf Lodge opened Before After

increase in economic foot traffic annually for the Bay Area 10%-25% in property tax revenue for Webster and Harris County* $1M+

Opened in December

$40M

$30M

jobs created by the resort 600+

$20M

$10M

investment in area by Great Wolf Resorts $200M

$0M

*PROJECTED SOURCES: CITY OF WEBSTER, FLYWAY TEXAS, GREAT WOLF LODGE, HARRIS COUNTY/COMMUNITY IMPACT

SOURCE: TEXAS COMPTROLLER’S OFFICE/COMMUNITY IMPACT

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BY JAMES T. NORMAN

Also of note

The bottom line

Popstroke toward the end of 2024; and restaurant Vida Mariscos, which was scheduled to open in July. Two other lots are listed as under contract, according to the Flyway website. “I think we’ll see money spent around the region … dining out at a restaurant outside of [Great Wolf Lodge], visiting other tourist spots such as Lonestar Flight Museum Space Center Houston, NASA, Kemah, the Battleground and San Jacinto Monu- ment, Armand Bayou, renting a canoe to paddle around our waterways or just having a nice day at one of our parks,” Cutsinger said.

Great Wolf Lodge isn’t the lone attraction in the area. On top of the various tourist attractions the Bay Area has to offer, including Kemah Boardwalk, NASA’s Johnson Space Center and beaches in Galveston, the immediate area around the resort— called Flyway—is seeing new businesses added to the area. Located along I-45, the space has 26 separate parcels across 80 acres, according to a map on the area’s website. In the past year, three businesses have opened or are set to open soon, including Chicken N Pickle, which opened in February;

Keith Furnas, general manager for Webster’s Great Wolf Lodge, said in July he expects the resort to be running at full capacity by September. The resort will start out at around half capacity in August. Looking ahead for Webster, the city will begin to recuperate money from its 2021 incentive agreement it gave to Great Wolf Lodge in exchange for coming to the city. The deal, as previously reported by Community Impact , included giving the resort: • $5 million in a grant package over two years from the city’s hotel occupancy tax fund • 90% of the city’s portion of hotel tax revenue collected from the resort for 20 years • 33% of the sales tax generated for 20 years after Webster retains the first $200,000 each year Neither Great Wolf Lodge nor Webster officials were able to provide estimates on how much in tax revenue the resort will make in that 20-year period. City officials also did not say how long it would take to recuperate the $5 million in grants. In 2020, the property Great Wolf Lodge is located on netted only around $200 total in property taxes, Vela said. If the site obtains a $200 million valuation, it would net the city $667,000 before incentives, Vela said. However, Vela declined to give an estimate on how that number would look after incentives.

26 separate parcels 80+ acres

Flyway Development*

Lots available Lots taken or under contract

FAIRWAY DR.

Great Wolf Lodge

Chicken N Pickle

Popstroke

Vida Mariscos

Public parking

Plaza

* AS OF JUNE 19 SOURCES: FLYWAY TEXAS, CITY OF WEBSTER/COMMUNITY IMPACT

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Real estate

More homes were sold in the Bay Area in July compared to the same month in 2023. Changes in median house prices varied by ZIP code. Residential market data

Number of homes sold

July 2023

July 2024

+40%

-4.55%

-7.69%

+55.56%

+36.7%

77059

77058

77059

77062

77565

77573

146

77062

77058

GALVESTON BAY

Median home sales price

77565

518

July

2023

2024

$315,000 $416,495 $324,825 $310,000 $385,000

$299,000 $465,000 $322,550 $401,625 $383,000

77058

77573

77059

Homes sold by price point

77062

77565

July 2024

77573

$800,000+

$600,000 to $799,999

Average days on market +600%

$400,000 to $599,999

-7.69%

+164.44%

+64.29%

121

$200,000 to $399,999

<$199,999

MARKET DATA PROVIDED BY ALINA ROGERS SPARROW REALTY • 281-961-2944 WWW.SPARROW-REALTY.COM

77058

77059

77062

77565

77573

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Transportation

Events

BY RACHEL LELAND

BY ASIA ARMOUR

TxDOT ‘behind schedule’ on Hwy. 146 improvements in Seabrook it was behind schedule. The details

Galveston at Chicken N Pickle. Participants can enter as two-person teams in this family-friendly, all ages tournament. • Sept. 22, 9 a.m.-noon • $100 (two-person team)

August

Pride of America Car Show This car show at Crazy Alan’s Swamp Shack is free for spectators and will feature awards for categories such as best classic car or truck, modern car and truck, best

Total project cost: $111 million Timeline: Will be completed by December 2025

• 210 Blue Heron Drive, Webster • www.webstertxfirefighters.org

bike, and best interior. • Aug. 31, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. • Free (admission) • 310 Texas Ave., Kemah • Facebook: Texas Red Dirt Productions

GALVESTON BAY

146

After Seabrook officials in July said mobility improvements to Hwy. 146 near Red Bluff Road could take up to two more months to complete, officials with the Texas Department of Transporta- tion confirmed it may take until around the end of

Try Scuba Sports Divers of Houston in Webster hosts this program for those who want to try scuba diving. An instructor will provide an introduction to the water sport. Attendees must register prior to the class. • Sept. 22, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. • $95 • 20810 Gulf Freeway, Webster • www.divessi.com Salsa Beats Attendees can visit Kemah Boardwalk for a night of live music and dancing. Entertainment includes Houston Salsa Band, Salsa Dance Music and Grupo Latitude. • Sept. 29, noon-9 p.m. • Free (admission) • 215 Kipp Ave., Kemah • www.kemahboardwalk.com

The remaining improvements on the frontage roads adjacent to Hwy. 146 from Red Bluff Road to FM 96 include: • Installing pavers, sod and sidewalks • Driveway adjustments • Completion of detention ponds Meanwhile, between Red Bluff Road and Spen- cer Highway, widening projects include: • Additional lane construction for southbound and northbound roads over the Red Bluff Road intersection • Building a retention wall in late 2024 near the Red Bluff Road intersection.

September

the year. The gist

The Shard Yard 7th Anniversary This local art studio will celebrate seven years in business with a DIY reclaimed glass craft project for participants ages 4 and older. • Sept. 14, 2 p.m. • $25-$125 • 315C Odyssey Drive, Webster • www.theshardyard.com WPFA Pickleball Tournament The Webster Professional Firefighters Association hosts this fundraiser for Shriners Children’s Texas hospital in

Music in the Historic District League City residents can come to the historic League Park for a family-friendly music event, which highlights 12-16 musicians from all genres. Attendees are welcome to bring a chair, food and drinks. • Sept. 27, 7-10 p.m. • Free (admission) • 512 Second St., League City • Facebook: League City Folk Association

Seabrook city staff said at a July 2 meeting they expected the work between Red Bluff Road and FM 96 to take two months to complete. However, Danny Perez, public information officer for TxDOT, said Aug. 2 the agency will be working “most likely through December.” At that same July meeting, Seabrook City Manager Gayle Cook briefed Seabrook City Council on the status of a few TxDOT projects attached to Hwy. 146 and shared that TxDOT officials told her

CLEAR CREEK

146

Total project cost: $202 million Timeline: Will be completed by Dec. 31

NOTE: THE REMAINING IMPROVEMENTS ONLY MAKE UP A PORTION OF THE TOTAL COST.

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Education

BY HALEY VELASCO

Education Edition

2024

Readers, welcome to your annual CI Education Edition! This guide features the latest updates and resources about local K-12 public school options in your community, ranging from new campuses to budget details to bond elections. All of the stories were written by our team of local journalists, and all of the advertisements are from nearby businesses who support our mission to provide free, useful news—show them your gratitude by supporting them. In this year’s edition, we break down a recent decline in test scores for Clear Creek ISD and how it compares to the state overall. We also look at recent staffing trends in Clear Creek ISD that have resulted in higher turnover rates. Check out an update on CCISD’s budget and the steps officials took to reduce their projected shortfall by $9 million, as well as a pay increase for staff going into the new school year. Meanwhile, a new bachelor’s program at San Jacinto College is starting this fall semester. To wrap up the guide, we examined recent trends in applications for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which has seen a decline recently in the number of students who have completed their submissions. Thank you for reading.

What's inside

Clear Creek ISD sees increased staff turnover in recent years (Page 20)

Papar Faircloth General Manager pfaircloth@ communityimpact.com

Raise Your Hand Texas officials discuss teacher pay (Page 22)

Completed FAFSA applications decline across U.S., Clear Creek ISD (Page 25)

Sponsor: San Jacinto College

STAAR scores decline at Clear Creek ISD “Our district performance remains above the state on all STAAR tests, grades [three to eight],” Susan Silva, CCISD’s assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, said in an Aug. 16 email. “We are fortu- nate in CCISD to have some of the best leaders and teachers in Texas, and we are excited to continue growing our students in the 2024-25 school year.” What else? The 2024 STAAR tests were graded almost

Passage rate changes, 2023-24 The data shows the change in percentage points of students who passed the STAAR between the spring 2023 and 2024 administrations. Clear Creek ISD Statewide -15 -10 -5 +5 +10 +15 0

Passing rates for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, test at Clear Creek ISD declined in reading and math, according to results released in June. The trend is similar statewide, which also saw passing rates dip, data shows. The state and district only saw improvement in fourth-grade reading based on the rates of students approaching grade level, which is con- sidered passing, between spring 2023 and spring 2024, according to STAAR data from the Texas Education Agency, or TEA. For math, grades three-eight saw declines based on the rates of students approaching grade level within the district and state. TEA officials noted in a June 14 news release the decrease in math profi- ciency could be attributed to learning loss following the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite CCISD having declining passage rates, the state saw a larger dip in overall passing rates, except in eighth-grade math and seventh-grade reading, according to STAAR data. Diving in deeper While the district passage rates declined com- pared to last year, CCISD traditionally has higher passage rates than the state. The district’s scores surpassed the state’s in 2024 as well, data shows.

3rd grade

4th grade

5th grade

entirely by computers in an effort by the state to save money and make the grading system more efficient, according to a March presentation by the TEA. Other changes to the STAAR test occurred in 2019 when House Bill 3906 mandated a redesign of the state’s standardized test. Some of the updates included: • State assessments now being required to be administered online • The addition of nonmultiple choice questions, and a “multiple choice cap,” in which 75% of points on the test can be based on multiple choice questions • The addition of evidence-based writing to write responses based on a reading passage in STAAR Reading Language Arts assessments

6th grade

7th grade

8th grade

3rd grade

4th grade

5th grade

6th grade

7th grade

8th grade

SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT

BAY AREA EDITION

Education

Teacher turnover rates statewide and locally at Clear Creek ISD are rising, according to Texas Education Agency data, and education experts are looking for solutions to reverse the trend. Tricia Cave, a lobbyist for the Association of Texas Professional Educators and former Houston-area teacher, said she believes several issues are contributing to teachers leaving the profession, including low pay, paperwork, having to complete an abundant amount of tasks and having to work at home, which all lead to burnout. Clear Creek ISD sees increased sta turnover

Diving in deeper

While turnover rates have increased, Britani Moses, CCISD’s director of human resources, said the district has been able to maintain stu- dent-teacher ratios despite the district being under a District of Innovation plan—meaning it’s not bound by ratios provided by the state. Moses said CCISD aims to have around 23 students per teacher for kindergarten through fourth grade. For secondary levels, which are grades ve through 12, Moses said the district aims to be at 27 students per teacher. To maintain ratios, Moses said district ocials connect with every campus principal beginning in February to discuss projected student enroll- ment numbers for the upcoming school year. These February discussions also include projec- tions of new housing additions—and therefore potentially new students—near schools in the district, Moses said.

Number of K4 grade students per teacher, Clear Creek ISD

2022-23 2023-24 2021-22 2019-20 2020-21

18.27

17.18 17.37

17.7

18.05

Number of 512 grade students per teacher, Clear Creek ISD

2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24

18.57 18.66 18.53 18.77

18.93

SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCYCOMMUNITY IMPACT

Turnover rates for teachers

Clear Creek ISD Texas

What they said

25%

21.4%

20%

“[CCISD] is a place where employees want to work. Teachers want to work at [the district] because they’ve heard

“We have a long way to go just to keep up with the national average [for teacher pay]. We’re having

15%

17.5%

10%

of all of the great things that are happening, and all of our administrators work really diligently.” BRITANI MOSES, HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR, CCISD

a hard time in Texas not only keeping teachers but attracting them to the profession as well.” BOB POPINSKI, SENIOR POLICY DIRECTOR, RAISE YOUR HAND TEXAS

0 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23

SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCYCOMMUNITY IMPACT

ADVOCATING TO END DOMESTIC & SEXUAL VIOLENCE - SINCE 1991 24-hOUR HOTLINE EMERGENCY SHELTER victim ADVOCACY COUNSELING

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BY HALEY VELASCO

What else?

What’s next

Emergency Relief, or ESSER, funding that Texas public schools received in 2020 and 2021 to help districts address pandemic-related learning loss also expires in September, according to the Texas School Alliance. There has also now been a rise in uncertied teachers becoming employed in school districts, according to the TEA. The percentages of uncer- tied teachers newly hired by CCISD surged by nearly 12 percentage points from 2020-23, TEA data shows. Moses veried this and said there are more applicants who were not “traditionally trained through a university program.” Individuals in dierent professions who now want to teach, as well as fewer colleges oering education degrees and unpaid student-teacher programs, could be the root causes of the rise in uncertied applicants, Moses said.

Bob Popinski, the senior policy director for Raise Your Hand Texas, an education policy nonprot, said while retaining certied teachers has become a prevalent challenge for the state, he believes the main reason for teacher shortages right now is low pay. He said a “driving force” to low pay for teachers is ination increasing about 22% since 2019, and it’s dicult for districts to provide salary increases while having to pay for other items, such as electricity and food costs for students. The state of Texas has not raised student allot- ment funding for school districts, which is $6,160 per student, since 2019, according to a 2023 news release from Raise Your Hand Texas. This has led Texas school districts to head into budget short- falls, including CCISD, which in July projected a potential $4 million shortfall for its 2024-25 scal year, district documents show. The Elementary and Secondary School

Institutions, such as San Jacinto College in Pasadena, are looking to help bring more teachers into the profession. San Jacinto College launched in spring 2024 its second bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in early childhood education, college ocials said. Meanwhile, education advocates are hoping the next state legislative session, which begins Jan. 14, includes passing solutions recommended in the Teacher Vacancy Task Force, which was created in 2022. The task force is composed of teachers and school system leaders in public education across Texas. It proposed eight solutions for the Texas Legislature to consider in 2023 that revolved around increasing compensation, providing more support and training for new teachers, and helping teachers balance their time. Just one of the solutions passed during the 2023 session. Public education advocates such as Cave and Popinski said they believe passing the task force’s recommendations could help lessen the state’s teacher shortage. “Resources are not being allocated fairly to districts to help them with mitigating the shortage,” Cave said. “I wish that we would treat our teachers like the professionals that they are, and trust their word and allow them to do the good work that they do.”

New hires without a Texas teacher certication or permit Clear Creek ISD Friendswood ISD

Teacher base pay

Clear Creek ISD Friendswood ISD

Dickinson ISD

Pearland ISD Region 4

Pearland ISD Dickinson ISD

$70K

40%

35.4%

30%

$65K

$67,182 $66,418 $66,084 $63,970 $63,917

20%

15%

$60K

10%

3.37% 13.2%

$55K

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

2023-24

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

2023-24

SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCYCOMMUNITY IMPACT

BAY AREA EDITION

Education

BY HANNAH NORTON

Bob Popinski discusses Texas public school funding challenges Amid high operating costs and stagnant state funding, public school districts across Texas have adopted budget shortfalls for fiscal year 2024-25. Last year, public education advocates urged law- makers to increase the basic allotment—which is the base amount of money schools receive per student and has not changed since 2019, when it was raised to $6,160. Community Impact interviewed Bob Popinski, the senior policy director for education policy nonprofit Raise Your Hand Texas, to learn more. How are Texas public schools funded? Right now, Texas is in the bottom 10 [states] for per-student funding. We’re more than $4,000 below the national average, according to a new National Education Association report. [Texas uses] what is known as an equalized system, where the Legislature sets the amount of per-student funding and a district is guaranteed that amount. [District] revenue comes from local property taxes and general revenue from the state. On average, when you look at per-student fund- ing across the state, the funding that actually gets down into the classrooms—that pays for day-to-day operations like teachers and cafeteria workers and bus drivers and school principals—is roughly $10,000 per student, on average, across the state. Why are so many districts facing high budget shortfalls? Since 2019, the last time we saw any increase to our school funding formulas, inflation has gone up 22%. School districts are operating at roughly a $1,400 deficit from where they were in 2019. When you look at the basic allotment—[which is] kind of the building block for our school funding formula—it’s at $6,160, and that hasn’t been updated since 2019. Federal stimulus funding is ending. And school districts knew that, ... but it doesn’t mean that the post-pandemic student achievement loss has gone away. There’s still a lot of programs that are in place to help students with their academic progress that school districts would like to con- tinue, but because that federal stimulus funding is going away, it may not be available to them. In addition to those two major driving factors, there are some school districts out there experi- encing enrollment decline. Think of it this way:

Per-student spending On average, Texas public school districts spent $13,109 per student for the 2022-23 school year. Texas ranks 44th for per-student expenditures out of all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

#50 #49 #48 #47 #46 #45 #44 #43 #42

Alabama Arkansas

$13,484 $13,516

Texas

$12,815 $12,837 $13,109

Florida Arizona

Tennessee

$12,476

Nevada

$12,246

Oklahoma

$11,928

Utah

$11,146

#51 Idaho

$9,808

The national average for per-student expenditures is $17,493.

SOURCE: NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION/COMMUNITY IMPACT

COURTESY RAISE YOUR HAND TEXAS

if every student draws down about $10,000 to pay for teachers, and you lose 10 kids, that is $100,000 that the school district doesn’t have to pay for a teacher salary. But you still have to have a teacher in the classroom, and you still have to have a bus driver, and you still have to be able to turn the lights and the air conditioning on. So those are big, kind of fixed costs that a school district doesn’t necessarily control. What kind of staffing issues are schools facing, and what can the state do to help? The state needs to implement a lot of the recom- mendations that came from the Teacher Vacancy Task Force report that was issued last year. There were about 24 recommendations in there. A lot of them focused on salary; a lot focused on training and retention of teachers. School districts are struggling to find certified teachers. In the 2022-23 school year, approxi- mately 15,300 teachers were hired in Texas with- out certification. That’s a drastic increase, about a 650% increase, from 2010. And it’s especially acute in rural and small towns, where nearly 75% of teachers were uncertified. Research shows [hiring uncertified teachers] can have negative consequences on academic achieve- ment. If you have a new teacher that doesn’t have the skills to be ready on day one, obviously your kids aren’t going to be achieving where you want them to be. It’s also causing high turnover. Only about 37% of uncertified teachers are still teaching after five years. That means over 60% have left before that fifth year of teaching.

The Texas State Board of Education will soon approve new textbooks that districts can begin using during the 2025-26 school year. What does this mean for districts and students? It’s a big decision for school districts, whether to opt in to the statewide curriculum program. The idea behind the law is that the state [can identify] high-quality instructional materials and make them available statewide. If a school district opts in, they can get an additional $40 per student and another $20 to print the materials. [The State Board of Education’s] job is to deter- mine the criteria and quality of those materials. There’s a lot of back and forth with the publishers and with stakeholders [regarding] what needs to be in that program. Once that is fully formed, it really is up to the local school boards and school administrators to see if that is the right fit for their district. And if it is, you can draw down additional funding in a time when budgets are tight. But if you have different community needs and different community wants, and you’ve spent decades developing your own curriculum and you think it’s high quality, it may not be the right fit for [your district].

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For a longer version, visit communityimpact.com .

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