Willis ISD's board, at its June 10 meeting, approved the compensation plan for FY 2026-27, which Chief Financial Officer Garrett Matej presented.

The action taken: The approved FY 2026-27 new employee compensation plan includes a minimum 3% net increase for teachers. For returning teachers who will receive an August retention payment, their net increase should rise to 5.3%.

More details: The minimum 3% increase for all returning teachers is a market realignment compared to other pay raises in outside school districts. The pay raise is expected to make WISD more competitive with outside school districts and reward returning teachers, Matej said.

One more thing: Alongside the new compensation plan, the district will be issuing a $1,500 stipend as previously reported. Matej said the total impact of the new employee compensation plan will be $2.58 million.

Top This Party Co. Owner Selena Leal said the decision to open this store came from happenstance during a conversation with a friend who mentioned an open location next to a bakery called Baby Cakes. Leal said that it was the “perfect” location and opportunity to open her new business.

Quote of note: “It’s a great marriage to be next to a bakery that sells cakes and cupcakes, and we have everything for it; they don't have candles or cake toppers, so we refer others to our business back and forth,” Leal said.

• 12621 Hwy. 105 W., Conroe

During a June 11 meeting, Montgomery County commissioners voted 4-1 to create four new courts to help handle increasing caseloads. Precinct 4 Commissioner Matt Gray was the opposing vote.

The discussion: Two district court judges, 284th District Judge Kristin Bays and 418th District Judge Tracy Gilbert, presented data to support the request for a resolution for the new courts from the state’s Office of Court Administration, Bays said many more courts are needed to meet the increase in case filings.

How it works: Bays and Gilbert broke down the numbers from OCA for commissioners to help put their request in perspective.

What they’re saying: Commissioners and judges debated the pros of a plan for new courts.

What happens next: After an executive session was held, commissioners decided to create a new resolution outlining how many courts were approved.

On June 4, a $25 million funding increase was approved for Lone Star College System’s textbook program in order to continue the services through fiscal year 2026-27.

In a nutshell: The maximum amount to be spent to fund LSCS’ textbook program’s was raised to $79.24 million total, according to June 4 meeting documents. The maximum amount was last increased by $34.24 million to about $54.24 million in December 2024 to cover the program through FY 2025-26.

In case you missed it: However, the new textbook program allotment total includes services that have been evolving at the college system since 2023, according to a June 4 presentation from Kristy Vienne, LSCS’ vice chancellor for finance and administration. The current iteration of the program, dubbed the STAR Bundle, officially launched in the fall of 2025 and:

• Automatically provides students with their required textbooks and class materials by the first day of class
• Costs $24 per credit hour enrolled, no matter the actual textbook costs

As thousands of airline passengers begin to touch down in Houston for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the George Bush Intercontinental Airport and the William P. Hobby Airport have revealed their newest amenities to meet high-volume needs, including a fully operational Terminal E at IAH and upgraded restrooms, officials said in a news release.

Two-minute impact: The Houston Airport System projects an estimated 4.5 million travelers from around the globe will land in Houston either as their destination or their connecting flight to another host city between June 12 and July 6, according to a news release.

This influx of passengers traveling through the city’s airways has prompted HAS officials to prepare accordingly with upgraded facilities and concessions, multilingual customer service and newly implemented fan activations in both of its airports.

Need to catch up on Community Impact’s coverage from this week? Check out five trending stories in the Greater Houston area from June 8-12.

1. Vegetarian restaurant Simply South to open in Katy
2. EVO Entertainment is coming to Fulshear next year
3. New and upcoming stores in The Woodlands Mall
4. Doctors on inaugural year of Houston Methodist Willowbrook’s new OB-GYN residency
5. Katy ISD will use two stadiums for future graduations