With the first week of school over, parents are looking to local districts to see an improvement in their children’s learning for the 2026-2027 school year. 

Many were disappointed to hear that following Houston’s Texas Education Agency (TEA) takeover, some HISD schools have reportedly received F ratings, just one year after all schools passed. 

Mike Miles, superintendent of HISD, visited Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in the 2025-26 school year to discuss that year’s scores. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

The TEA-installed superintendent Mike Miles addressed the ratings ahead of their official release on Friday, explaining the failures away with “all kinds of variables.” Miles also addressed a video I linked in Wednesday’s newsletter of a teacher crying over his high schoolers’ inability to read or write, saying, “We’ve always had this.”

The same day the failing scores were announced, Miles was granted a $231,000 bonus on top of his $462,000 base salary.

💰 Do you think Superintendent Mike Miles earned that raise? 

A story worth sharing with your neighbor

A tugboat travels down the Port of Corpus Christi ship channel on April 24, 2022. (Angela Piazza/Caller-Times file via Reuters Connect)

Corpus Christi voters will decide in November whether to eliminate a program that allows participating large-volume water users to pay a fee in exchange for exemption from drought surcharges.

The Corpus Christi City Council voted 6-2 on Aug. 11 to place the Fair Water Amendment on the Nov. 3 election ballot.

Under a program adopted in 2018, large-volume users can pay 31 cents per 1,000 gallons of water used each month, regardless of drought conditions, to be exempt from surcharges if the city were to implement them.

Houston’s food and art news

Luigi’s Pizzeria makes Axelrad visits extra delicious. (Anna Raj/Courier HTX)

🌮 The New York Times has named a Houston restaurant one of the greatest Mexican restaurants in the US. Find out which local eatery it is. 

🐄 Houston Chick-fil-A restaurants will offer free breakfast next week. Here’s how to claim yours. 

👊 A feud between two local restaurants has escalated after a video of a confrontation was posted online. Watch the viral video here. 

🍽 What’s on my plate: 

There’s nothing like following up a cider with a giant slice of cheese pizza or a bowl of pasta. Luigi’s Pizzeria behind Axelrad lets you finish off your night out with Italian bites.

Peyton Vasquez’s prized Dupont fountain pens reflect the meeting of high-quality craftsmanship and utility. (Anna Raj/Courier HTX)

For a niche group of Houston collectors, pens are a gateway to connection, acting as an escape to the analog from the onslaught of technology. 

This hobby has been popularized in the US since the early 20th century, attracting enthusiasts because pens can be as unique as a person’s handwriting—they come in varying shapes and colors, and can even be made with precious metals and stones, like gold and diamonds. 

The fine pen industry has carved out an emerging community of collectors, aficionados, and artists in Houston, with dedicated stores like Dromgoole’s, clubs like Space City Pen Club, and a growing desire among younger fans to turn from the digital life to slower, more analog ways of living. 

With newer generations experiencing technological oversaturation from constant exposure to screens and social media, pens offer a respite from the immediacy and overwhelming urgency of today’s digital age.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Anna Raj and edited by Joi Louviere.

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