The B/CS Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum

Brazos County Early Voting Draws 54% Of Registered Voters

Early voting in Brazos County draws 54% of registered voters. Elections administrator Trudy Hancock said as of Monday (November 4), there were 71,761 ballots out of 133,382 registered voters. The busiest of five voting centers was the College Station Utilities training facility with around 22,000. There are 28 voting centers in Brazos County on election day. Hancock suggests driving a few extra minutes to a lesser used center to get in a line with a shorter waiting time. On election day, Hancock says those who are in line at 7 p.m. will be able to vote. Listen to election night returns and interviews on WTAW. Click below to hear comments from Trudy Hancock, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver. Listen to “Brazos County early voting draws 54% of registered voters” on Spreaker.

College Station City Council Receives An Update From Texas A&M’s Off-Campus Student Services Office

The College Station city council at its last meeting (October 24) received an update from Texas A&M’s office of off-campus student services. Assistant director Jaclyn Upshaw-Brown’s report included starting the new “Good Neighbor Network”, allowing property managers to promote their housing by following a list of requirements. That drew the attention of councilmembers William Wright and Bob Yancy and mayor John Nichols. Brown also responded to questions about how the office is enforcing the city’s housing occupancy regulations and using city resources to assist students who have issues with their landlords. Brown will be part of a group who will make a similar presentation will be made by A and M representatives later this week to the board of regents. Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from Texas A&M’s office of off-campus student services during the October 24, 2024 College Station city council meeting. Click below to hear comments from the October 24, 2024 College Station city council meeting. Listen to “College Station city council receives an update from Texas A&M's off-campus student services office” on Spreaker.

Attendance Push By College Station ISD Central Office Administrators May Mean More Money For Individual Campuses

College Station ISD campus principals and teachers have been directed from the central administration office to increase student attendance. CSISD school board members learned during their last meeting (October 15) about a financial incentive when the district’s average daily attendance (ADA) goes up, which generates more state funding, that individual campuses that also increase their ADA will receive a share of the additional money. Board members were told that the percentage of CSISD students who miss more than ten school days a year has risen from seven percent before the pandemic to almost 11 percent last year. Members were also told that a student who misses school two days a month, will miss one and a half years by the time of their high school graduation. Assistant superintendent Penne Liefere says the incentive plan will also generate important information about CSISD students and how the district can assist getting students to class. Chief financial officer Heather Wilson said a CSISD campus with 1,000 students could get as much as $30,000 dollars. Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the October 15, 2024 College Station ISD school board meeting. Click below to hear some of the comments from the October 15 2024 CSISD board meeting.