Special education growth in Conroe ISD outpaces expected House Bill 2 aid
Karen Garza, chief financial officer for Conroe ISD, said legislative aid could provide $2.5 million for special education evaluation costs in the district in 2025-26, but it will need to look to future legislative sessions for more aid for its growing special education program.
The framework: CISD’s special education student population grew 22% from 2023-24 to 2024-25 while overall enrollment increased less than 1% in that time, from 72,352 to 72,914 students.
Some context: House Bill 2, a piece of state legislation which was signed into law June 4, will provide $850 million statewide to support special education programs in the next two years. However, district officials said the total amount it will receive has not yet been determined.
Montgomery County Commissioners Court approves creation of new criminal district court
Montgomery County commissioners voted in support of the creation of the 523rd Criminal District Court, citing growing caseloads and overcrowding at the county jail.
Quote of note: “We're growing significantly here in Montgomery County, and that trickles down to all of us, and we are at the point now where we need a new criminal District Court, and the reasons are clear,” Judge Phil Grant said. “I think you guys have been talking a lot over the last few months about jail overcrowding. We are seeing longer and longer times before we can get cases to trial.”
The details: Grant said, according to a weighted caseload study by the Texas Office of Court Administration, Montgomery County is “significantly short” on courts needed to keep up with filings. In 2024 alone, about 7,500 new felony cases were filed, while the county’s four existing criminal district courts disposed of about 10,000 cases.
Grant said the largest percentage of people who make up the population in the Montgomery County Jail are pretrial detainees.
Labor Day Festival, live music: 5 things do to in The Woodlands area Aug. 29-31
Several outdoor activities, a Labor Day Festival and live music are planned this weekend in The Woodlands area, Aug. 29-31. Here are a few events to check out.
The Woodlands Farmers Market The weekly farmers market is held in Grogan's Mill Village Center. Local vendors share their wares, fresh produce and handmade goods.
H-GAC bringing back ‘Free Fare Fridays’ to Greater Houston area in September
The Houston-Galveston Area Council announced the return of a campaign focused on reducing air pollution levels by providing free use of certain mass transit routes on Fridays in September.
What you need to know: As part of Ozone Action Month, multiple transit agencies across the Houston region will allow riders to use mass transit routes free of charge on Fridays in September, according to H-GAC’s website. The initiative aims to reduce the amount of air pollution generated by vehicles on Houston area roads.
The participating agencies include:
Harris County Transit: All routes
Fort Bend Transit: All routes
City of Conroe: Fixed and paratransit routes
The Woodlands Township: All routes
What else: For residents unable to use the transit options, H-GAC officials also suggested other measures to reduce air pollution, including carpooling, reducing the number of trips and biking when possible.
Houston region receives additional $2.2 billion in state funds for major transportation projects
The Texas Transportation Commission officially approved the 2026 Unified Transportation Program on Aug. 21, outlining an additional $2.2 billion in state transportation funds for the Greater Houston area.
The big picture: The UTP is a 10-year project plan crafted and funded by the Texas Department of Transportation, and reviewed and updated on an annual basis according to feedback from communities and metropolitan planning organizations. The 2026 UTP allocated an additional $2.2 billion for projects in the Houston region through 2035.
Quote of note: "This more than $146 billion investment in our roadways will help Texas meet the critical needs of our growing state as more people and businesses move here for the freedom and opportunity they can’t find anywhere else," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news release. "We must strengthen our roadways and improve congestion and safety to keep our economy booming and keep Texans moving. By investing billions of dollars in our transportation network today, we will build the future of Texas for generations to come."
