Harris County commissioners are set to receive a number of financial updates ahead of budget season on May 14 alongside over 400 additional agenda items.

The big picture: According to agenda documents, commissioners are set to receive updates from the Harris County Office of Management and Budget regarding the county's financial standings so far in fiscal year 2025-26.

Commissioners will also receive an update on the five-year financial plan to avoid additional budget shortfalls by finding ways to generate revenue and create savings opportunities.

Also on the agenda: With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, commissioners will also receive an update on security and general preparedness for the event.

Stay tuned: Harris County Commissioners Court meetings are held at 9 a.m. in Downtown Houston. The administration building is located at 1001 Preston St., Houston.

Lone Star College System’s calendar for the 2027-28 school year—which features student start dates of Aug. 30, 2027, and Jan. 18, 2028, for the fall and spring semesters, respectively—was approved by the college system’s board of trustees May 7.

At a glance: The fall semester will run Aug. 30-Dec. 19-2027, for students and Aug. 23-Dec. 19, 2027, for faculty. The spring semester will last from Jan. 18-May 14, 2028, for students and from Jan. 10-May 14, 2028 for faculty. LSCS’ calendar was distributed to employees before being finalized.

Dates to know: According to the calendar, two “minimesters” will be held:

• Winter, which will run Dec. 20, 2027 to mid-January 2028
• May, which will run May 15 to early-to-mid June 2028

• June 5-July 11, 2028
• July 13-Aug. 20, 2028

As Houston prepares to see the first of seven matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Chris Canetti, president of the Houston Host Committee, said the city is ready for the influx of visitors expected during the tournament beginning June 14.

Quote of note: “Our greatest asset in Houston is our people,” Michael Heckman, president and CEO of Houston First Corporation, said. “And when visitors come here ... you're not just a visitor, you're one of us. And what a great message from people from all over the world that come here, that see all the languages that are spoken here, our diversity that we welcome people, not just from the United States, but from all over the world.”

The overview: On May 11, the FIFA World Cup 2026 Houston Host Committee gave updates from entities such as the Houston Host Committee, the airports, the Metropolitan Authority of Harris County, Downtown Houston, NRG representatives and FIFA Fan Festival representatives.

Roughly 76,000 fewer students were enrolled in Texas public schools this academic year than the year prior, according to May 11 report.

The overview: The 2025-26 school year marks the second recorded enrollment drop in recent history, according to Texas Education Agency data collected since the 1987-88 academic year. The first decline happened in the 2020-21 school year, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hispanic students accounted for 81% of the enrollment loss in the 2025-26 school year, the policy research group Texas 2036 found.

The local impact: School districts across Community Impact’s coverage areas are in the process of closing and consolidating campuses, citing enrollment declines and budget shortfalls. Statewide data shows that 130 campuses have been selected for closure in the past two years.

What they're saying: “This year, we are down students, and these [drops] are somewhat more accelerated than statewide demographic trends indicated,” TEA Commissioner Mike Morath told lawmakers May 11. “We cannot tell you the precise cause of this. We just know that it has occurred.”