At its April 13 workshop meeting, the Tomball ISD board of trustees discussed the district's plan to implement a new requirement for local Texas school districts to only use buses that contain three-point seat belts. The mandate stems from Senate Bill 546, which passed during the 89th Texas legislative session.

The gist: Originally, there was an exception to the seat belt rule for certain school buses with a model year of 2017 or earlier, Chief Operating Officer Steven Gutierrez said. The new bill eliminated this exception, meaning that TISD currently must calculate the total cost required for its new buses and submit it to the Texas Education Agency by May 29. Gutierrez said TISD has a total of 205 school buses in its fleet. Of that 205, around 103 buses do not meet the new standard set under SB 546.

The cost: After reviewing the numbers, the cost to retrofit the 103 buses would be $3.24 million to $4.9 million. The cost for the district to purchase 103 buses would be $14.42 million—$140,000 per bus. 

Trader Joe’s will be opening a new store in Spring, according to a TDLR filing from April 14.

Some context: Trader Joe’s is a national grocery store chain known for their lack of outside branded items in their stores, according to their website.

There are currently eight operating Trader Joe’s scattered throughout the Houston area, but this will be the first Spring location.

Montgomery County Commissioners Court got another look at where the county’s 2025 road bond program stands April 9 and also approved a Precinct 2 construction contract tied to that work.

The details: According to the county’s April 2026 road bond financial report, the program has brought in about $130.8 million so far, including bond proceeds and interest income. Of that, roughly $115.89 million had been allocated, leaving about $14.99 million still available to assign. The report also shows the current cash balance at about $63.45 million.

Also on the agenda: Commissioners also approved a contract for the Woodtrace Boulevard construction project in Precinct 2 on April 9. County bid documents recommend JFO Services LLC for the job at a bid amount of about $6.15 million, the lowest of the bids listed.

The project will build about 2.05 miles of roadway along Woodtrace Boulevard from Highland Drive to FM 2978, according to project documents. 

The annual Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas North American Championship triathlon is scheduled for April 18. It’s a competitive race that brings athletes and spectators from around the world to The Woodlands.

The backstory: Though registration to participate has closed, interested attendees will still have the opportunity to witness professional athletes compete for a portion of the $175,000 pro prize purse.

The race will consist of:

• 2.4-mile, spectator-lined lake swim
• 112-mile bike run on mostly closed roads
• 26.2-mile run

The State Board of Education gave preliminary approval April 10 to roughly 200 literary works that all Texas public school students would be required to read beginning in 2030.

What happened: The SBOE trimmed about 100 titles from a list proposed by the Texas Education Agency, which board members and educators criticized as too long to be taught. The Republican-led board signed off on a revised list in a 9-5 party-line vote April 10.

The details: The draft list ranges from nursery rhymes and short stories in early grades to classical and 20th-century literature in high school. The list also includes about a dozen excerpts from the Bible. While students learn about world religions today, Texans testified that if the reading list is approved, it would be the first time in recent history that state leaders mandate religious readings in the classroom.  

Next steps: Board members are scheduled to take a final vote on the reading list in June. If approved, the list will be used in classrooms in the 2030-31 school year.