Education
BY COLE GEE
Tomball Education Foundation awards $160,000 in grants The Tomball Education Foundation awarded $159,812 in educator grants to Tomball ISD teachers and sta , per a Jan. 16 news release. Since TEF’s founding in 2018, it has donated $680,000 to educators. About the project The money will fund a variety of projects and education initiatives.
Magnolia ISD discuss plans for future growth Magnolia ISD o cials discussed at the Jan. 12 board meeting the growth the district is expected to face in the next decade—and the various e ects it could have across the district. What’s happening? MISD saw enrollment increase by over 1,773 students in the last ve years, MISD o cials said. The district saw an increase of over 480 students entering the 2025-26 school year. A possible overcrowded district means a lack of space and opportunities for students in school programs and athletics, MISD’s Assistant Superin- tendent of Administration Ben King said. He said a likely measure to address the needs of a crowded campus would be for certain programs to pack as many students as they can, despite the lack of space, or for other smaller programs—such as ne arts and junior athletics—to be cut in order to
At the Jan. 12 board meeting, MISD o cials presented enrollment gures and projections.
15,408 students for the 2025-26 school year
19,304-20,492 students projected by the 2030-31 school year
Over 25,000 students by the 2035-36 school year
SOURCE: MAGNOLIA ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
Erich Morris previously said that over half of MISD schools will be near or at capacity in about three years, per prior reporting. He reiterated that the money for these issues has to “come from somewhere,” and if they are unable to generate the funds to expand their facilities, it is likely that funding will be taken from either the school’s general fund or from student programs and sta . Voters voted against three proposed bond propositions in November, as previously reported. The funding would have allowed the construction of a third high school, two elementary schools, a second natatorium and facility upgrades. An option to address overcrowding is student portable buildings to be quickly built across campuses. Per Morris’s research, the average cost for these portables is $110,000.
Some of these initiatives include but are not limited to: Developing vocational skills through a student cafe
Using virtual reality to enhance social skills and problem solving Robotics and coding training for early learners Peer-to-peer mental health support and suicide prevention programs
accommodate. The conditions
The estimated future student population growth exceeds the current facilities MISD has to o er. MISD Assistant Superintendent of Operations
SOURCE: TOMBALL EDUCATION FOUNDATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
TISD appoints Patrick Beecher to board
LSC cuts ribbon on new Magnolia satellite campus
Lone Star College o cials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Jan. 13 to celebrate the opening of Lone Star College-Magnolia Center. The background LSC Magnolia Center is a long-awaited project for the Magnolia community. The new campus was announced back in 2014, and a large portion of its timeline revolved around nding a location for it. Soon after o cials secured a location in 2019, the center’s design was completed in 2022 and broke ground in 2024. Classes began in January. LSCS Chancellor Mario Castillo said the center’s opening was “long overdue.” “It did take us way too long to get to this point, and as I always tell my sta , the best apology is changed behavior,” Castillo said. “ I promised you ... it will take us no longer than 581 days before this place opens, and I’ll tell you it only took 565 days for the building to be completed.”
On Jan. 14, Tomball ISD appointed Patrick Beecher to the vacant Position 1 seat on the dis- trict’s board of trustees. The local impact The position became vacant following the resignation of former
Patrick Beecher
Lone Star College-Magnolia Center is 85,000 square feet and sits on 15 acres.
COURTESY LONE STAR COLLEGE SYSTEM
board member Tina Salem in December. Per a news release, Beecher emerged as the top candidate for Position 1 in a “competitive process.” Beecher has lived in Tomball since 2013 with his wife Vicki and two sons. Beecher will be sworn in at the next board workshop Feb. 9, and will serve the remain- der of the term for Position 1.
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TOMBALL MAGNOLIA EDITION
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