Limestone County Commissioners made quick work of a lengthy agenda on Tuesday, Sept. 9, finishing in under 30 minutes. See the main topics summarized below, along with a “For the Record” portion that lists all other decisions made in the meeting.
In the final days of the 89th 2nd Called Special Session, the Texas House gave final passage to House Bill 8 (HB 8) with a key Senate amendment to restore the critical 8th-grade social studies test and US History end-of-course exam. HB 8, authored by House Public Education Chair Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado) and sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R– Houston) is a priority bill of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Speaker Dustin Burrows, and now heads to Governor Abbott’s desk. The bill eliminates the STAAR test and replaces it with three shorter supportive assessments while restoring annual A–F public school accountability ratings and protecting taxpayers from lawfare against the state’s accountability system.
Limestone County Crime Stoppers (LCCS) will be hosting its annual fundraising dinner in Mexia on Saturday, raising money to support local law enforcement needs and initiatives. This year, LCCS is focused on campus safety and will be rolling out the Houston Crime Stoppers Safe Schools program, beginning with Mexia ISD and expanding to more Limestone County schools.
The Limestone County Master Gardeners have been hard at work transforming Inspiration Gardens into a beautiful, thriving space for all to enjoy. With the major infrastructure now complete and fencing installed, volunteers are pouring their energy into developing the unique and inspiring internal gardens.