The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - December 12, 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy folks, today is Friday, December 12th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans assistant editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, at a late-night meeting on December 10th, the Grapevine-Ville-Independent School District Board voted five to two to close two elementary schools, Dove and Bransford. Trustees Matt Faust and Dahlia Begin voted against the closures. Students from Dove Elementary will move to either Cannon or Silver Lake Elementary, while students from Bransford Elementary will move to either O.C. Taylor or Collieville Elementary. Trustee Mary Humphrey, who voted in favor of the closures, recounted the history of GCSD and how its growth, peak, and decline had been predicted as far back as the 1980s.

Starting point is 00:00:55 She acknowledged that the district hit its peak at about 15, thousand students in 2010. Enrollment held fairly steady between 2010 and 2020. During that decade, unexpected flood control funds and federal funding during COVID-19 helped mask the financial challenges that the district was facing, Humphrey noted. The brick and mortar school's attendance has declined as the community ages and none of the elementary schools are operating at full capacity, she said. In other news, Keller residents who are continuing to seek the removal of some of the Keller Independent School District Trustees believe they are one step closer to accomplishing their goal. The Heritage Legal Task Force held a press conference on Friday, December 12, to announce that

Starting point is 00:01:39 Johnson County District Attorney Timothy Good had been appointed as lead counsel for the state of Texas in the removal proceeding. Additionally, Good deputized a group of lawyers who have been working on the case to assist in its prosecution. D. Kelly, a partner at Kelly Hart, Connor Day, Joseph Austin, and Matthew Francis. The residents filed the removal action in August because of actions the trustees took earlier this year regarding the possible detachment of a portion of Keller ISD to form a new Alliance ISD. They are seeking the removal of trustees John Burt, Heather Washington, and Charles Randcliffe. The petition alleges that those three members violated the Texas Open Meetings Act. Last but not least, the Arlington City Council voted five to four. on December 9th to uphold the suspension of the city's anti-discrimination ordinance, which expanded in 2021 to include sexual orientation and gender identity among its protected groups. The anti-discrimination provisions were originally suspended on September 9th, 2025, and halted any city code or policy, quote, that conflicts with federal grant requirements, as determined by a legal opinion, a directive from a federal

Starting point is 00:02:52 agency or a court order to the extent of such conflict. Council member Bowie Hogg said this vote was a result of the city's, quote, legal department trying to protect the city of Arlington, end quote, due to issues with grants and federal administration. Hogg continued, quote, would it have been easier to just ignore it and go on? A hundred percent. During the public comment period, a majority of speakers supported restoring the LGBT protections. Help Center for LGBTQ Plus Health, Chief Clinical Officer Kelly Tillman, said that she highlights Arlington as an inclusive city when speaking nationally for her organization.

Starting point is 00:03:32 Tillman said, quote, I am often approached by colleagues who are so amazed that I work within a city of Texas that is so supportive of my patients and my patient population. If Arlington withdraws discrimination protections from the LGBT community, I expect those conversations with my national colleagues will change greatly, end quote. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - December 12, 2025

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