2023
READERS’ CHOICE
Libraries offer tax assistance - Page 4
GET SEEN CALL 713-371-3600
ADVERTISE HERE! WEDNESDAY • MARCH 26, 2025
Plug and Play makes splash in Sugar Land By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
A large ballroom at the Sugar Land Marriott was filled last Thursday with area go-getters eager to see the official ribbon-cutting for Plug and Play, a Silicon Valley startup accelerator company that recently chose Sugar Land to serve as the flagship of its Texas offices. In November, Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Plug and Play, along with members of the City of Sugar Land Economic Development and Tourism team announced the move at the 2024 Silicon Valley Summit in Silicon Valley. The Sugar Land office is the company’s fourth location in Texas, joining offices in BryanCollege Station, Cedar Park outside Austin, and Frisco in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. The event had all of the hallmarks of a tech company roll-out, including company officials laying out their vision, an onstage panel discussion, and a series of startup pitches to close out the festivities. Michael Olmstead, Plug and Play’s chief revenue officer, described the company’s philosophy as “stage agnostic,” meaning it invests in startups at any stage of their development. He said it uses an “equity-free” approach, meaning that it does not require entrepreneurs to commit a portion of their companies’ equity to Plug and Play. Plug and Play began in the early 1990s and now has 585 “corporate partners,” Olmstead said. These include Dell Technologies, Daikin, Microsoft, LG Chem, Shell, and Mercedes. Among the 35 partner companies in Texas thus far are names such as Rugged Robotics, Aircon, Goat Fuel, Rand & Style. Sugar Land Mayor Pro Tem Suzanne Whatley was joined onstage with Council members William Ferguson, Naushad Kernally, Stewart Jacobson, and Carol McCutcheon to take part in the ribbon-cutting with company officials and others. Whatley told the audience that when the city’s economic development first presented the idea of welcoming Plug and Play to Sugar Land, many of the council members were uncertain what it was all about. But with some persistence under a lot of questioning by Council, she said, the staff were able to convince them that it was going to be an ideal match. Officials have been talking for the past several years about making technology one of the major economic drivers for the city. A panel discussion that focused on the startup
SEE PLUG AND PLAY PAGE 2
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 50 • No. 13 • $1.00
Visit www.FortBendStar.com
FBISD board approves purchase of ‘sample’ Bluebonnet curriculum By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
The Fort Bend ISD board of trustees voted Monday to allow the district to purchase a “sample” set of materials from a controversial state-approved elementary school language arts curriculum which critics say overemphasizes Christianity in its lesson plans. The purchase is meant to allow district staff to review the so-called Bluebonnet curriculum with an eye toward either recom-
mending it or not to the board for full adoption by the district. Fort Bend ISD currently uses its own board-approved language arts curriculum, including for elementary schools. Last fall, the State Board of Education narrowly approved the so-called Bluebonnet curriculum for use in elementary schools across the state. Per a bill passed by the Texas Legislature in 2023, the curriculum has financial incentives attached for school districts which adopt it.
The Bluebonnet curriculum - the authorship of which has never been publicly disclosed - has received widespread criticism in Texas and elsewhere because it incorporates stories from the Judeo-Christian tradition, among other sources, in its lesson plans. Critics have said many of these lessons are textually inaccurate, and that the curriculum does not give adequate attention to other
SEE FBISD PAGE 4
The Fort Bend ISD board on Monday voted to purchase a “sample” set of the controversial Bluebonnet reading curriculum. File photo
BRINGING ART TO LIFE
C
orie Fairchild of The Woodlands works on a portrait of a little girl during the Fourth Annual MCTX ChalkFest in Sugar Land. This year’s event also included the Children’s Entrepreneur Market, which teaches young people about entrepreneurship. See more photos on Page 5. Photo by Ken Fountain
Candidates in FBISD school board races discuss curriculum, funding at forum By Juhi Varma SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Campaign season is in full swing in Fort Bend County. On Saturday, Sugar Land’s University Branch Library was the site of a well-attended candidates’ forum for the Fort Bend ISD school board elections, organized by the faith-based nonprofit Disha. The FBISD school board has two open seats – Positions 3 and 7 – each with three candidates vying for the spot. The forum was moderated by Dr. Nik Nikam, a practicing cardiologist and 42-year Fort Bend County resident, and Jigisha Doshi, a Sugar
Land-based college counselor. Both Nikam and Doshi are parents of FBISD children. For Position 3, Afshi Charania, Angela Collins, and incumbent Rick Garcia are in the race. Position 7 candidates include Cheryl Buford, Allison Drew, and Angie Wierzbicki, as incumbent David Hamilton has chosen not to seek reelection. Five of the six candidates expressed dissatisfaction with the current board and outlined what they would do differently. The exception was Rick Garcia, the only incumbent in the race, who found himself in the challenging position of defending the board’s decisions and
JOINT PAIN SEMINAR
refuting his opponents’ criticisms – all while articulating his own vision for the district.
Budget constraints: Why has FBISD been falling short of its commitments in the past few years? “The state underfunds us… and we don’t have enough money, the only choice we have is cutting programs,” said Afshi Charania, a longtime Fort Bend County resident and Clements High School alumna. “When I went to school here, we had four high schools: Willow Ridge, Kempner, Clements and Dulles. Now we have about 12. We’re blessed, but with that has come
Thursday, April 10, 6 p.m.
16655 Southwest Fwy. I Brazos Pavilion Conference Center I Sugar Land, TX 77479 To register for this free event or for more information, visit join.houstonmethodist.org/jointpain-sl.
challenges as well … We need leadership to stand up for our children.” Charania said that rebalancing the district is a necessary but difficult step, as the current approach isn’t working, adding that the district’s financial challenges would likely worsen if the school vouchers proposal being considered in the Texas Legislature passed. She called for stronger leadership on the school board and emphasized the need to find cost- saving measures to avoid cutting programs or negatively affecting teachers.
SEE ELECTION PAGE 5