May 18, 2026 Newsletter
May 18, 2026 – Volume 20 Number 20
Highlights:
* The new council is to meet Tuesday.
* AISD to meet on Wednesday and Thursday.
Teachers' Salaries
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_97.html
Taxpayers' Funds at Risk:
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_83.html
City Council grades:
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_39.html
AISD Board grades:
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/blank_1.html
Citizens Defending Freedom vs. AISD
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_14.html
Open Letter to AISD Taxpayers
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/blank_11.html
Arlington is a city where citizens are relegated to being spectators, rather than players on the field. The SPECTATOR helps citizens know what is happening on the field. Only a few of the in-house team members are allowed to play ball in Arlington. The SPECTATOR helps citizens understand the game.
GAME SCHEDULE:
Monday, May 18: Primaries Runoff Early Voting Begins.
Tuesday, May 19: City Council meetings, 101 W. Abram Street, 10:30am, 2:30pm, 6:30pm. (You must preregister online by 5:00pm to speak during citizen participation.)
Wednesday, May 20: AISD Board meeting, AISD Administration Building, 690 E. Lamar Boulevard, 7:00pm. (You must be signed up online by 3:00pm if you wish to speak.)
Thursday, May 21: AISD Special Board meeting, AISD Administration Building, 690 E. Lamar Boulevard, 6:30pm. (You must be signed up online by 3:00pm if you wish to speak.)
Friday, May 22: Primaries Runoff Early Voting Ends.
Monday, May 25: Memorial Day Holiday.
Tuesday, May 26: Primaries Runoff Election Day, 7:00am – 7:00pm.
Monday, June 1: Early voting begins for city council runoff election, 8:00am-5:00pm.
Wednesday, June 3: P&Z meeting, Council Chambers, 101 W. Abram Street, 5:30pm. (Work session at x:xxpm)
Thursday, June 4: AISD Board meeting, AISD Administration Building, 690 E. Lamar Boulevard, 6:30pm. (You must be signed up online by 3:00pm if you wish to speak.)
Tuesday, June 9: Early voting ends for city council runoff election, 7:00am-7:00pm.
Saturday, June 13: City Council Runoff Election, 7:00am – 7:00pm.
Tuesday, June 16: AISD Board meeting, AISD Administration Building, 690 E. Lamar Boulevard, 6:30pm. (You must be signed up online by 3:00pm if you wish to speak.)
Sunday, June 21: Fathers' Day.
From THE LOCKER ROOM
Arlington City Council Update
The Arlington City Council met to canvass election results this past Tuesday, May 12 (agenda). The meeting may be viewed at: arlingtontx.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=5441 .
(16:37) Start of meeting. Council members Piel and Hogg were not present. Chris Moss of the Arlington Report has an article on the people sworn in at: https://fortworthreport.org/2026/05/14/2-new-members-join-arlington-city-council-as-runoff-looms/ . The city has an article at: https://www.arlingtontx.gov/News-Articles/2026/May/Hunter-Ware-Garcia-Dumas-and-Ross-Sworn-In-May-12-2026 .
(43:33) Citizen participation. The only speaker present spoke on Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD).
The new council will meet for a full slate of meetings this Tuesday, May 19. The first of three committee meetings is at 10:30am. The afternoon meeting starts at 1:30pm and goes into executive session. The open portion of the afternoon meeting will start no sooner than 2:30pm. The evening meeting is at 6:30pm.
Committee Meetings
The Municipal Policy Committee plans to meet at 10:30am. They plan to discuss Honorary Naming (presentation)/President's Corner Facility naming opportunities (presentation) and a construction chapter update (TX2835), single-stair residential buildings (presentation) and the 2023 National Electrical Code (presentation), and the legislative agenda process (presentation).
The Community and Neighborhood Development Committee will meet at noon to discuss the Alisa Lane perimeter fence (no presentation available). Alisa Lane is a small residential street in zip code 76014, near the Arlington Tech Centre area.
The Transportation and Municipal Infrastructure Committee will meet at 12:45pm and receive a Handitran update (presentation).
Afternoon Meeting
The agenda for the afternoon meeting may be found at: https://granicus_production_attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/arlingtontx/d32dadf815f27cc03d914541be27b3df0.html .
The afternoon meeting is to start at 1:30pm and go into executive session, which includes:
- four Division Street Sidewalk Projects along Division Street.
- offers of incentives to business prospects.
The open portion of the afternoon meeting agenda will start no sooner than 2:30pm and includes five work session items, committee reports, evening agenda items, external committee reports, and future agenda items.
Five Work Session items:
1. World Cup update (no presentation available).
2. 2025 Fire Department Annual Report (presentation , report).
3. Texas Commission on the Arts application (presentation).
4. Workers' Compensation Program and Administration (presentation).
5. Council Priority – Preserve Financial Stability (presentation).
Evening Meeting
The agenda for the 6:30pm evening meeting includes 20 consent agenda items.
Consent agenda items 8.17 and 8.18 are for $350,000 for funding/expanding Arlington on Demand during the World Cup (staff report17 , staff report18).
Council Leftovers
The City of Arlington proposes a total project investment of an estimated $24,000,000, combining federal, state, local, and private resources for the acquisition and demolition of an existing two-story, 81,205-square-foot dilapidated motel structure at 1220 W. Division Street built in 1965 and comprised of 72 rooms. So far, they have determined they will use approximately $3,850,000 in federal HOME-ARP funds. Part of the city/local funds included is $2.85 million of Arlington Housing Finance Corporation funds. Anyone's guess on the specifics of the rest of the funding?
Following demolition, the city intends to construct a new permanent supportive housing community consisting of a minimum of 70 units. The new development will provide safe, service-enriched housing for chronically homeless individuals, veterans and their families, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations. The primary objective is to expand the supply of affordable, supportive housing and promote long-term housing stability for residents experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
So, has anyone divided that out? $24,000,000 / 70 units = $342,857/unit [cost of a house???].
Economic Development Corporation (EDC)
We do not know the date of the next EDC Board meeting.
Upcoming Public Hearings
On Wednesday, June 3, P&Z will hold a public hearing on PD25-17, at 2002 Wynn Terrace. They wish for a planned development for RM-12 zoning for a cottage community on 2.035 acres.
On Wednesday, June 3, P&Z will hold a public hearing on PD25-21, at 1013 N. Mesquite Street. They wish to change from RS-7.2 to a planned development for RM-12 (usually townhomes) on 0.924 acres.
On Wednesday, June 3, P&Z will hold a public hearing on PD25-18, at 1605 Wilma Lane. They wish to change zoning from RS-7.2 to a planned development for RS-5 (small lots) on 2.919 acres.
On Tuesday, June 9, the city council will hold a public hearing on SUP08-15R1, at 4151 Dr. MLK Jr. Drive. They wish to modify the SUP by establishing a gas drilling zone on 2.955 acres.
On Tuesday, June 9, the city council will hold a public hearing on SUP07-17R1, at 4801 Dr. MLK Jr. Drive. They wish to modify the SUP by establishing a gas drilling zone on 4.622 acres.
On Tuesday, June 9, the city council will hold a public hearing on PD26-03, at 6700 (+others) U.S. 287 Highway. They wish to change zoning from RS-7.2 to a planned development for RMF-22 (apartments) on 7.908 acres.
On Tuesday, June 9, P&Z will hold a public hearing on PD23-6R1, at 1915&1921 W. Arkansas Lane. They wish for a revised development plan on 2.57 acres.
On Wednesday, June 17, P&Z will hold a public hearing on PD25-8, at 2100 S.E. Green Oaks Boulevard. They wish to change the CC (community commercial) to a planned development plus a car wash.
On ???, P&Z will hold a public hearing on ZA26-03, at 911 S. Davis Drive. They wish to change the zoning from RS-7.2 to NC (neighborhood commercial) on 2.454 acres.
# # # # # # # # # # # #
P&Z Commission
P&Z met this past Wednesday, May 13. The only public hearing had requested a continuance. The agenda can be found at: https://granicus_production_attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/arlingtontx/ff78ba8ecc84d7318cffe1c8bca0448d0.html .
The applicant for the only public hearing (PD25-08) has requested it be continued until June 17. The meeting may be viewed at: rlingtontx.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=10&clip_id=5445 .
AISD School Board
The AISD School Board met this past Tuesday, May 12. The board had this special meeting Tuesday morning for canvassing the election results. The agenda is at: https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/2978?meeting=742938 . It can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxGJcHIeJAA .
The meeting scheduled for 7:45am did not start until 8:30am. Only two trustees are required, however, Mr. Mike came in when the second trustee did not show. Mr. Chapa ran the meeting.
The results were approved by two 2-0 votes.
There were two speakers speaking against the elimination of the elementary STEM positions which we assume was the result of a staff meeting May 7 discussed in this Chris Moss of the Arlington Report article at: https://fortworthreport.org/2026/05/08/positions-eliminated-as-arlington-isd-reorganizes-to-address-9m-shortfall/ .
There are TWO meetings scheduled this week, one on Wednesday and one on Thursday. The Thursday meeting is labeled as a special meeting [, meaning the Wednesday meeting is the normal meeting?].
The agenda for the Wednesday meeting can be found at: https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/2978?meeting=742920 .
That agenda has the administrating of the oaths for Place 6 and Place 7 at 5:00pm, and an executive session, including:
Personnel.
Potential and pending litigation.
A discussion of board members' duties and responsibilities.
They hope to start the open portion of the meeting at 7:00pm. The agenda includes open forum for agenda items, administrative appointments, election of board officers, recognitions, five committee and staff reports, one action item, consent agenda, and end-of-meeting reports.
The committee and staff reports:
1. Finance and Academics Committee report.
2. Governance Committee report.
3. Student Code of Conduct report.
4. Key Program Measure: Program Evaluation report.
5. Technology Innovation report.
The one action item is to consider approving the Additional Days School Year calendar.
One of the consent agenda items is the authorizing of individuals to calculate the No-new-revenue and Voter-approved tax rates.
The agenda for the Thursday meeting should be posted on Monday.
A Chris Moss article in the Arlington Report explores the possibility of the AISD joining the pay-for-performance teacher program offered by the state. That article can be found at: https://fortworthreport.org/2026/01/07/arlington-isd-considers-texas-pay-for-performance-teacher-program/ .
AISD saw a jump in their accountability scores because of their challenge of some of the STAAR testing results. Chris Moss of the Arlington Report has an article at: https://fortworthreport.org/2025/12/09/arlington-isd-sees-2025-academic-accountability-bump-after-staar-appeal/ . Also an AISD article may be found at: https://www.aisd.net/district-news/updated-district-and-campus-accountability-ratings/ .
The AISD enrollment is expected to fall below 50,000 students at some point, maybe as early as the 2026-2027 school year. Chris Moss of the Arlington Report has a story at: https://fortworthreport.org/2025/12/03/arlington-isds-enrollment-projected-to-drop-below-50000-next-year/ .
The AISD Board and Superintendent have established written goals, including student improvement on the STAAR testing. The Chris Moss article in the Arlington Report: https://fortworthreport.org/2025/10/01/arlington-isd-school-board-sets-goals-and-expectations-for-new-school-year/ .
TEA Accountability Data:
In 2020, the AISD was tied for the highest M&O rate of all the school districts in Tarrant County. Since then, there has been NO tie. The AISD HAS the highest M&O rate in Tarrant County. [school district tax rates]
Top 5 of Tarrant County's 21 ISDs M&O Rates
1. Arlington ISD $0.802200
2. Birdville ISD $0.786900
2. Fort Worth ISD $0.786900
2. Lewisville ISD $0.786900
2. Mansfield ISD $0.786900
Teacher Salaries
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_97.html [Arlington ISD easily pays the highest salaries, thus creating ISD inflation.] An article by Jacob Sanchez in the Fort Worth Report confirms that the Arlington ISD pays the highest salaries in Tarrant County [ https://fortworthreport.org/2025/12/17/teachers-in-this-tarrant-county-school-district-earn-the-highest-salaries/ ].
OTHER NEWS
AISD to Cut [non-teacher] Positions
It has been reported that the AISD leadership administration has met with staff telling them there will be cuts in positions because of the budget shortfall. That budget starts July 1. Chris Moss of the Arlington Report has an article at: Positions eliminated as Arlington ISD reorganizes to address $9M shortfall | Fort Worth Report .
Stadium Extension
[Commentary: Just because they believe it is legal to approve the stadium extension without the public voting, it is neither the correct nor transparent thing to do. If you talked about the finances with officials back in 2016, they would point to the ability to pay off the Cowboy bonds early, giving them the ability to build the second stadium. They would also suggest that there would be a good chance bonds would be paid off before 2048.]
HELPFUL CONTACTS
The Spectator: www.ArlSpectator.mysite.com
to be added/deleted to/from the mailing list e-mail: ArlSpectator@yahoo.com
We can be found on Facebook at ArlSpectator.
Teachers' Salaries
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_97.html
Taxpayers' Funds at Risk
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_83.html
City Council grades:
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_39.html
AISD Board grades:
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/blank_1.html
City of Arlington website: www.arlingtontx.gov
e-mails of mayor and council:
.................... first.last@arlingtontx.gov
mayor = jim.ross
district 1 (north) = mauricio.galante
district 2 (sw) = raul.gonzalez
district 3 (se) = nikkie.hunter
district 4 (west) = tom.ware
district 5 (central/east) = brittney.garcia-dumas
district 6 (all) = long.pham
district 7 (all) = bowie.hogg
district 8 (all) = barbara.odom-wesley
AISD website ....................... www.aisd.net
McMurrough............ - sarahforaisd@gmail.com
Fowler ................... - fowler.aisd@gmail.com
Mike .................. - larrymike.aisd@gmail.com
Wilbanks .......... - dwilban.aisd@gmail.com
Chapa ...................... - chapa.aisd@gmail.com
Richardson ... - brooklyn.richardson.aisd@gmail.com
Haynes ................... - haynes.aisd@gmail.com
TEA Accountability Data:
ARC Political Watch Committee Reports
includes coverage of Mansfield ISD and national, state, county, & city
Texas Legislative Online:
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx
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