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A screenshot of HISDs April 13, 2023 meeting.

Houston ISD trustees met Thursday morning for what was likely their final hearing before their decision-making power transfers to a state-appointed Board of Managers.

Steve Lecholop, deputy commissioner of governance for the Texas Education Agency, updated trustees on the transition process. He promised no immediate disruptions to district operations.

"The current district staff will continue to be employed by the district. Current district operations will continue to run just as they're running," Lecholop said. "The trains are still going to run on time."

Trustee Elizabeth Santos characterized the takeover as "taking away our democracy," and she pressed Lecholop on the tight timeline between the installment of the Board of Managers and the end-of-June deadline to approve a budget.

"I'm going to ask that you get your math together," Santos said. "When you have nine people that don't know the ropes, it can get pretty complicated."

227 of the 462 applicants for the Board of Managers completed TEA's mandatory Lone Star Governance training over the past few weeks, according to Lecholop. Nine of them will take control of the state's largest school district in June.

After the takeover, the current trustees will continue to meet, and November elections will proceed. But policymaking including finalization of next school year's budget will rest with the state-appointed managers and superintendent. Lecholop encouraged trustees to act as community liaisons, to advise board members and to help update the district's goals.

"This is a temporary intervention," Lecholop told trustees. "The board will return to elected leadership. I suspect many of you will continue to run, will continue to be engaged, and will transition back onto the board after the timeline of the intervention takes place."

In order for Houston voters to regain control of their schools, the district must check three boxes: full compliance with special education laws, no schools that fail to meet state standards for two years, as well as board procedures and conduct that "focus on student outcomes." Once all criteria are met, three elected trustees replace three managers each year until the district exits state management. In the best case scenario, Houston ISD residents won't have complete control of their public education system until 2027 at the very earliest.

Rumors and unanswered questions swirled ahead of the Thursday hearing.

On Saturday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner claimed former Dallas ISD superintendent Mike Miles had been chosen to replace Houston ISD superintendent Millard House II. But this week, a TEA spokesperson said no selections have been made and that there were "no updates regarding BOM or superintendent search to share at this time." A spokesperson for Mayor Turner did not respond to a request for more information on his claim.

Mike Miles served as superintendent in Dallas from 2012 through 2015, coinciding with Education Commissioner Mike Morath's tenure on the DISD school board. Miles' leadership style and reforms, including performance-based pay for teachers, led to some controversy ahead of his resignation. After departing the district, he founded Third Future Schools, which describes itself as "a network of public charter schools serving 4500 students across Colorado, Texas, and Louisiana." He did not respond to a request for comment.

On Tuesday, Morath directly engaged with a group of Houston ISD teachers for the first time. TEA said it invited about 200 teachers, and that it selected invitees based on previous nominations by campus colleagues for the District Advisory Committee.

Morath again said that any policy changes will be made by the superintendent and Board of Managers who he said have not yet been chosen.

"I find that very difficult to believe," said union president Jackie Anderson, with the Houston Federation of Teachers. "But if that is the case, it shows a very lax attitude about who's going to run the district."

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Houston school board holds final hearing ahead of takeover, TEA presents update on transition - Houston Public Media

RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) needs your help finding forever homes for some of their longer-tenured pets through a twist on their foster program.

"You can foster an animal from the comfort of your home, your phone," said RACC Outreach Coordinator Robin Young.

WTVR

Called their Virtual Foster program, Young said people can sign up to help promote certain RACC animals on their own social media platforms.

"We have our basic foster program where people can take animals home, but as their lives get busier people want to still feel involved," said Young. "We send updates and you just share these really cute available animals. Help us, maybe, reach an audience that we haven't reached before. And you help us take ownership of that animal and help them find a forever home."

Provided to WTVR

Young said the program launched over a week ago and they are highlighting two dogs that have been with them for the longest.

Muffin Top has been there since early December.

"So we would love to get some extra attention for her -- an adopter that wouldn't see those posts come in fall in love with her," Young said.

WTVR

Dwayne has been there since March.

"He is a great dog a lot of energy. The shelter environment kind of stresses him out a little bit. so we would just love to get him into an adoptive home and someone that's ready to share the love with him."

Young said since they started the program they have had around 60 enrollees, mostly people, but a few businesses. She said they are hoping to attract more of the latter.

"We're like, 'Hey, if your social media needs a boost, why not a cute dog or a cat to kind of post on your page?' So it's a good way to maybe up your audience as well," she said.

If you would like to join RACC's virtual foster team, you can email Young at Robin.Young@rva.gov.

Do you know about a good news story happening in your community?Click hereto email WTVR.com and the CBS 6 News team.

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Richmond shelter hopes virtual foster program will lead to more ... - CBS 6 News Richmond WTVR

Brett Cross and his wife, Nikki Cross, have been coming to the Texas Capitol every week since January.

They've spent hours talking to reporters. More hours talking to lawmakers. And even more hours hearing that the politicians are thinking of and praying for them.

"I've been here almost every Tuesday since session started," Nikki Cross told a group of gun control advocates protesting in the Texas Capitol rotunda earlier this month. "I'm angry, and I'm not going to give up."

The Crosses lost their 10-year-old son Uziyah in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde last year. This is personal for them.

That's why both Brett and Nikki, along with the family members of the other Uvalde shooting victims, have been calling all year long on lawmakers to raise the minimum age to buy a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21.

For 11 months they didn't hear any positive news in fact, they mostly heard from lawmakers, like Gov. Greg Abbott, who told them changing the age was unconstitutional and a no-go.

But earlier this month, something surprising happened. A Texas House committee passed a measure that would have increased the minimum age.

Berlinda Arreola, the step-grandmother of 10-year-old Uvalde victim Amerie Jo Garza, celebrated the vote.

"It was just overwhelming," she told reporters. "It was a huge, huge success for us."

But that celebration was short-lived.

Even though the House committee passed the bill, the legislation missed a key deadline so, barring any significant legislative maneuver, it's presumed dead.

Rep. Ryan Guillen, R-Rio Grande City, told reporters recently the measure faced the biggest challenge a measure can face.

"The support is not there in the Legislature, and that's what happens with bills that don't have the support in the Legislature," he said.

Guillen says he believes there are other solutions to gun violence.

"I'm for taking guns away from bad people, not from good ones," Guillen said. "We gotta find that balance to where we are taking them away from bad people and not from the good."

Other Republicans have said raising the age is the right thing. Still, not enough of them are on board, and without them, changing the state's laws around gun safety is impossible.

That hasn't deterred the Uvalde families from continuing their fight.

Brett Cross, the father of Uziyah Garcia, promised to keep pushing for changes.

"We are not tiring out," Cross told The Texas Newsroom recently. "We lost our damn children. We have fight!"

And part of that fight, the families say, is to go to the ballot box.

Manuel Rizo, the uncle and godfather of 9-year-old Uvalde shooting victim Jackie Cazares, said the focus once the Legislature adjourns later this month should turn to the politicians who have not supported changes to the state's gun laws.

"We understand where they stand," Rizo told The Texas Newsroom. "We are going to do everything that we can to vote them out."

If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it here. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and KUT.org. Thanks for donating today.

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A year after the Uvalde shooting, Texas gun laws remain the same - Houston Public Media

LAKELAND, FL (May 18, 2023) |The City of Lakeland will begin construction to retrofit an existing stormwater pollution control device (PCD) located at the intersection of Lake Hollingsworth Drive and Palmola Street using innovative technology to enhance nutrient removal in stormwater discharges to Lake Hollingsworth. The City has obtained all required permits and will utilize funds appropriated for stormwater management and treatment within the Lake Hollingsworth drainage basin.

The project involves installing a 40 x 12 underground biosorption activated media (BAM) treatment unit that will be connected to the existing baffle box PCD. The baffle box PCD is designed to remove gross pollutants such as sediment, litter, and debris from stormwater flows, while the addition of the BAM unit will remove soluble nutrient pollutants from stormwater prior to discharging into Lake Hollingsworth. Implementation of this project will enhance the Citys ongoing efforts to reduce pollutant loads in stormwater entering Lake Hollingsworth. Lake Hollingsworth has a current State Total Maximum Daily Load mandate to reduce nutrient loads entering the lake.

The project is scheduled to begin June 6, 2023, and will be completed by Public Works Construction & Maintenance crews within a week from the construction start date. Construction equipment can be expected in the area Lake Hollingsworth Drive and Palmola Street, with equipment and vehicles periodically entering and leaving the site while also crossing the Lake Hollingworth recreation path. The City will provide traffic control at the recreational pathway for the safety of residents throughout the construction activities as needed. The estimated cost to complete this project is $57,000, which is provided through the FY23 Stormwater Utility Capital Improvement Projects Fund.

Contact

Kevin CookDirector of CommunicationsCity of Lakeland863.834.6264Kevin.Cook@LakelandGov.net

About Lakeland

The City of Lakeland was incorporated in January 1885 and has grown to become one of the largest inland communities in Florida. With a current population of over 100,000 Lakeland continues to grow. It has been designated a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area by the US Census Bureau for over 30 years. With tourist attractions and gulf beaches only an hour away, Lakeland continues to capitalize on its ideal central Florida location along the I-4 corridor. The City owns and operates Lakeland Electric, the third largest publicly owned utility in Florida and it was one of the first to offer power in the Sunshine State over 115 years ago.

For additional information about the City of Lakeland, please visit http://www.lakelandgov.net. Citizens are also invited to follow the City on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Vimeo, Snapchat and Nextdoor. Citizens can find the City of Lakeland on these socialmediaplatforms by searching lakelandgov.

For additional information about the City of Lakeland, pleaseexploreLakelandGov.net.Citizens are also invited to follow the City on social media.

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Public Notice: Lake Hollingsworth Stormwater Treatment Retrofit ... - City of Lakeland

As technology and the environment have drastically changed, so has the way we communicate. Not only between business and customers, but between employees. With a customer base and workforce consisting of four generations, adapting is required to effectively market and manage.

In a webinar sponsored by WorkWave, Pest Pac, hear from Michelle Patschke of TRNZ4m why it's important to understand the role technology has played in creating a divide and how business owners can use that to their advantage in communicating, marketing and retaining customers and staff. Topics to be covered, include: The Generational Divide; Business Impacts - Customers and Staff; Generational Marketing Considerations; Managing, Training and Hiring; and Demo: One Central Bridge to Communication.

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Bridge the Gap: Communication Across the Generations - PCT Magazine