The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 23, 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 How do folks? Today is Thursday, October 23rd, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans reporter Cameron Abrams, and here's the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Marath announced the state takeover of the Fort Worth Independent School District in an interview this morning. Marath attributed the takeover to, quote, chronic academic underperformance, citing an increase in, quote, multiple year academically unacceptable campuses. He said these are schools where fewer than one third of students are on grade level or less than half show academic growth, conditions that apply to about 20 campuses. The TEA will be replacing the superintendent and board of trustees with a board of managers selected by Moran. He said he has been, quote, impressed with the bold actions of Fort Worth ISD Superintendent

Starting point is 00:01:04 Karen Molinar and that she will be considered in this interview process for state-appointed superintendent. Molinar has led several major improvement initiatives since taking over as interim superintendent on October 1st, 2024, following the resignation of Angelica Ramsey amid criticism over poor academic performance from public officials, including Fort Worth Mayor Maddie Parker. Mullinar was officially named Superintendent in March. These initiatives included cutting jobs to restructure funding for literacy, a plan to close 16 schools by 2009, adding 25 extra instructional days to failing campuses, and turnaround plans for seven campuses with unacceptable ratings. In other news, the New Bromfell's Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to temporarily close all of their middle and high school libraries to ensure compliance with a new Texas law.

Starting point is 00:02:07 Senate Bill 13 passed during the 89th legislative session and signed by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20th requires a new transparency and oversight measures for school libraries. Under the law, districts must publish an online catalog of all library materials, grant parents' access to their child's checkout history, and allow parents to submit book restriction lists specific to their own child. School boards are also required to establish local library advisory councils to help ensure that library content reflects community values. Following an October 13th board meeting, the district announced the closure of, quote, all secondary libraries and all secondary library materials effective immediately with no projected timeline for reopening. The new Bromfield's ISD Board of Trustees will establish an advisory council to assist the superintendent with a district-wide review of more than $195,000 books and resources, which includes about $50,000. secondary titles. Elementary school resources are also being reviewed, but their libraries will remain open. Last but not least, Travis County has approved about $125,000 funding to commission a feasibility study of high-speed rail service between Austin and San Antonio. Travis County Judge Andy Brown said about

Starting point is 00:03:35 the feasibility study, quote, we're not going to be able to build our way using highways out of the connection problem that we have with San Antonio, and so this would allow another option. I can't think of any similar size, especially growing this fast, regions in the world that don't have good passenger rail service in between them. Brown noted that the study will consider whether a rail route could be, quote, squeezed into the existing right of way so that there won't be a lot of, quote, taking a private land. He also expressed his excitement about the possibility of a short timeline to build and get the train operational. If the feasibility study shows that the rail line is possible, then Brown said the county will, quote, hit up the federal

Starting point is 00:04:22 government for the construction park. HNTB is the engineering firm that will conduct the study of a possible rail to run along State Highway 130 and Interstate 10. According to the HNTMB website, it offers, quote, fully integrated services for all phases of a rail project, including feasibility studies, planning, environmental review, conceptual design, final design, and construction management. Michelle Moe, the long-range planning manager for Travis County, told the commissioner's court that the study was meant to complement a Texas Department of Transportation Study, also by HNTB, that is focusing on the Interstate 35 corridor and is expected to conclude in March 2026. 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 - October 23, 2025

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.