Houston ISD will be implementing a new approach to special education in the 2026-27 school year that district leaders say will better student and teacher experiences through reduced class sizes, narrowed age groups for classes and improved adult-to-student ratios.

However, during a May 14 board of managers meeting, some parents expressed concern that the changes could be a detriment to special education students’ learning and emotional well-being.

What’s happening: HISD’s revamped Special Education Success Programs are slated to roll out in the 2026-27 school year. Under the changed program model, students that were in self-contained special education programs will be in classes with:

• A maximum of 15 students
• Ratios of a maximum of five students per adult
• Two grade levels or fewer per class for 95% of classes

Houston’s Parks Department said it is ready to open 34 out of its 37 pools this summer.

During the Parks Department’s May 15 budget workshop, Director Kenneth Allen said three pools will be down for maintenance reasons this summer.

The department will roll out the pool openings beginning with 10 on Memorial Day weekend.

“Two will hopefully come back online, and the third one will take a while, that’s Tidwell, because of renovations and reconstruction,” Allen said.

Why it matters: In 2024, the city had a lifeguard shortage, which led to fewer than two dozen of the city’s 37 pools opening for the summer.

This year, Allen said, the FY 2026-27 budget will offer salary increases for lifeguards.

“We dropped the incentives and increased the pay by $2 [an hour] with each classification,” Allen said during the meeting. "And it’s been a shot in the arm, so to speak, with recruitment.”

Allen added that the department is also hiring 15-year-olds, which has also helped with recruitment.

Houston City Council will vote May 20 on a proposed change to how residents sign up to speak at council meetings.

Council member Alejandra Salinas introduced an ordinance in mid-May to allow residents who want to speak during council meetings to register online

Why it matters: Currently, residents interested in speaking can only register in person at the city secretary’s office, by mail, fax, phone or email.

“In 2026, Houstonians should not have to navigate outdated systems just to sign up to speak before their local government,” Salinas said. “We use online forms every day to book appointments, request services and manage our lives. Speaking at City Council should be just as easy.”

Salinas said this would make public comment easier and more accessible for residents who may not have time or the ability during the workday to call, email or go downtown.

One more thing: Salinas proposed the ordinance using Proposition A, which allows council members to add items to the City Council agenda.

The Harris County Flood Control District intends to work with the Texas General Land Office to extend funding deadlines for disaster recovery projects related to Hurricane Harvey, as about half are not on track to meet the timeline, HCFCD Executive Director Tina Petersen told Commissioners Court May 14.

The overview: According to a May 1 report from the flood control district, six of the 11 Hurricane Harvey recovery projects have an estimated completion date beyond the GLO’s Feb. 28, 2027, deadline.

Petersen said HCFCD will seek a nine-month extension and discuss contingency planning with the GLO. This will not be the first time Harris County asks for more flexibility, as the flood control district previously received a nine-month extension in March 2025, she said. 

Also of note: HCFCD is also working to deliver 17 flood mitigation projects, which aim to build resiliency against future extreme weather events, by a March 31, 2028, deadline. However, at least 12 projects are scheduled to run past the deadline, per the report, some of which extend well into 2029. 

The Texas Supreme Court on May 15 denied Gov. Greg Abbott’s request to remove state Rep. Gene Wu from office after the Houston Democrat led his colleagues in a walkout to protest congressional redistricting last summer.

The details: In the court’s majority opinion, Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock ruled that because Wu and other House Democrats “voluntarily returned” to the Capitol two weeks after their August departure, it was not necessary for the court to get involved.

The court also rejected a petition by Attorney General Ken Paxton to expel Wu and 12 other Democrats over the walkout, consolidating the two requests in one ruling.

What they're saying: Wu celebrated the ruling in a May 15 statement, saying that "the Constitution does not let a governor erase voters’ choices when their choices are inconvenient to him."

Abbott's office argued the governor's August lawsuit helped end the walkout and said the state was prepared to fight future quorum breaks: "If Democrats abandon their offices again, the governor will bring them right back to the Texas Supreme Court."