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Tomball Magnolia Edition VOLUME 14, ISSUE 5 MARCH 2 28, 2024
Amanda Quilizapa, a pre-K teacher at God’s Grace Learning Center in Tomball, reads a book to children during class time. The early education center is one of a few day care centers in Tomball and Magnolia that have expanded to accommodate growing demand for child care.
CASSANDRA JENKINS COMMUNITY IMPACT
Local parents, providers face child care challenges
However, the relief funds expired in September. Some local child care providers operating at prepandemic capacity said wait times to secure a seat could be a ected by the loss of funding. How- ever, they said they’re growing to meet demand while remaining nancially frugal.
nonpro t Children at Risk, a third of all Texas ZIP codes—including three in the Tomball and Magnolia area—qualify as “child care deserts,” meaning there are three times more children eligible for early child care than the number of seats available. Since 2020, Texas child care providers have received more than $4 billion in federal relief funds.
BY WESLEY GARDNER & CASSANDRA JENKINS
Parents across the state—including those in Tom- ball and Magnolia—have seen increased wait times to secure spots at child care facilities, and o cials said the problem could be exacerbated by the halt of relief funding provided early in the pandemic. According to a July 2023 report issued by
CONTINUED ON 24
Also in this issue
Impacts: Crew Boutique brings women’s wear to FM 1488 (Page 6)
Government: Tomball hosts event for comprehensive plan (Page 12)
Education: Breaking down Tomball ISD’s rezoning e orts (Page 21)
Community: Laurie Clifton named new chamber president (Page 29)
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TOMBALL - MAGNOLIA EDITION
Impacts
vaccination and photo services. • Opened Dec. 29 • 29015 FM 2978, Magnolia • www.cvs.com
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4 T-Mobile T-Mobile is now open in Magnolia, spokesperson Roni Singleton said via email Jan. 23. The store offers service plans, smartphones, tablets and accessories. • Opened Dec. 15 • 13371 FM 1488, Ste. 102, Magnolia • www.t-mobile.com 5 Great Clips Great Clips has opened a new location in Magnolia, franchisee Adriana Hinojosa confirmed via email. Great Clips offers haircuts for the entire family. • Opened Dec. 16 • 13650 FM 1488, Ste. 200, Magnolia • www.greatclips.com 6 MOD Pizza MOD Pizza, located at the FM 1488 and Spur 149 intersection, is now open in Magnolia, General Manager Mathew Castleberry said via email Feb. 2. The restaurant offers a variety of pizzas, drinks and salads. • Opened Dec. 12 • 13650 FM 1488, Ste. 500, Magnolia • www.modpizza.com 7 SoCo Blow Dry Bar SoCo Blow Dry Bar is now open in Magnolia, Manager Zully Amaya confirmed via email. The business offers blow drying and hair styling services. • Opened Jan. 6 • 13397 FM 1488, Ste. 900, Magnolia • www.socodrybar.com 8 Iron 24 Fitness and Recovery Iron 24 Fitness and Recovery is a gym franchise that provides a fitness experience combined with the latest technology to achieve personal fitness goals. • Opened Jan. 6 • 32503 Tamina Road, Magnolia • www.iron24.com
249 TOLL
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QUINN RD.
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2 Dentists of Magnolia Dentists of Magnolia is now open, Operations Manager Tamra Dandridge said via email Jan. 23. Dentists of Magnolia’s services include exams, cleanings, root canals, oral surgery and implant dentistry. • Opened Dec. 19 • 13381 FM 1488, Ste. 106, Magnolia • www.dentistsofmagnolia.com 3 CVS Pharmacy CVS opened a new pharmacy location along FM 2978, offering groceries and a variety of prescription,
Now open
1 McDonald’s A new McDonald’s location is now open in Magnolia, Elizabeth Machuca, marketing coordinator for the Glaser-Swift Organization, said via email. The franchise offers burgers, fries and shakes. • Opened Jan. 25 • 13337 FM 1488, Magnolia • www.mcdonalds.com
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BY JOVANNA AGUILAR, JESSICA SHORTEN & LIZZY SPANGLER
9 Total Skin Health Spa Total Skin Health Spa is now open along FM 1488 in Magnolia, owner Cecilia Baxter confirmed via email. The business offers services such as body contouring, facials, needle-free Botox and spray tans. • Opened Dec. 11 Home Clean Heroes Locally owned and operated, Home Clean Heroes is now offering its residential professional cleaning services to northwest Houston. • Opened Jan. 15 • www.homecleanheroes.com/northwesthouston • 11821 FM 1488, Ste. A, Magnolia • www.totalskinhealthspa.com
• 18003 Shaw Road, Cypress • www.fasttrackswimming.com
Now open
In the news
12 Climb Woodlands Climb Woodlands, an indoor rock climbing gym located along Tamina Road, is under new ownership as of Nov.
15, owner Evan Phillips confirmed Jan. 19. • 7515 Oak Bluff Drive, Unit C, Magnolia • www.climbwoodlands.com
13 Montgomery County Farm Bureau The Montgomery County Farm Bureau received the Golden Buckle Award from the Texas Farm Bureau for its agricultural advocacy, community dedication and work to increase membership, according to a news release. • 405 N. Loop 336 W., Conroe • Facebook: Montgomery County Farm Bureau 14 Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has awarded the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce a five-star accreditation, according to a news release. • 29201 Quinn Road, Ste. B, Tomball • www.tomballchamber.org
16 Crew Boutique Crew Boutique, located at the intersection of FM 1488 and Spur 149 in Magnolia, is now open, co- owner Makael Pritchard said via email Jan. 18. The boutique offers women’s clothing in sizes ranging from XS-3X. • Opened Dec. 29 • 13397 FM 1488, Ste. 700, Magnolia • www.instagram.com/shopcrewboutique
Coming soon
10 Rich’s Car Wash Rich’s Car Wash offers modern car wash services with an express tunnel system. Plans are in place to open several new locations in Texas. • Opening TBD • 32007 FM 2978, Magnolia • www.richscarwash.com/tamina-tx Paris Baguette Paris Baguette is set to open around Tomball, owner Armando Córdova said via email Jan. 17. Paris Baguette is a bakery and cafe restaurant chain with locations around the country, according to its website. • Opening this summer • Address TBD • www.parisbaguette.com
the snow cone shop has closed its doors. The business was known for snow cones and ice cream. • Closed Dec. 21 • 24510 Hwy. 249, Tomball • www.tropicalsno.com 18 Journey Justeen’s Boutique Journey Justeen’s Boutique has closed its storefront along North Eldridge Parkway, owner Amber Latu confirmed. The children’s boutique is still open in an online-only capacity, Latu said. • Storefront closed Dec. 16 • 18635 N. Eldridge Parkway, Ste. 400, Tomball • www.journeyjusteensboutique.com
Worth the trip
15 Pickleball Hideout Pickleball Hideout is now open in Montgomery, co-owner Stacy Woyton said via email. The business offers six indoor pickleball courts that can be accessed between 5 a.m.-11 p.m. • Opened Dec. 8 • 18952 Freeport Drive, Montgomery • www.pickleballhideout.com
Relocations
11 Fast Track Swimming Fast Track Swimming relocated from North Eldridge Parkway to Shaw Road, co-owner Phil Garner said via email Jan. 23. Fast Track Swimming offers classes and adult lessons as well as pickleball, with two indoor courts available 24/7. • Relocated Jan. 13
Closings
17 Tropical Sno of Tomball Tropical Sno of Tomball co-owner Brittany Puckett said
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Government
BY LIZZY SPANGLER
LSC Tomball Community Library renovates teen space
In partnership with the Tomball Economic Devel- opment Corp., renovations were done at Lone Star College-Tomball Community Library’s teen space. “This is like their home away from home,” Young Adult Program Specialist Rachael Wells said. The big picture The renovated teen space was completed in December, Young Adult Program Librarian Victoria Allums said. The renovations include TVs; new tech- nology such as game consoles and iPads; a digital touchscreen table; and new mobile furniture. Allums said teen participation in the library’s programs has increased since the renovation. “It’s really nice to be able to walk by and see so many of them in the room using it,” Wells said. How we got here In January 2020, the TEDC partnered with the library to create the Tomball Innovation Lab, a space that features technology community members can
Sta at the LSC Tomball Community Library said program participation has increased since the teen space renovation.
COURTESY LONE STAR COLLEGE TOMBALL COMMUNITY LIBRARY
A $47,614 TEDC grant for this project was approved by Tomball City Council in December 2021, per prior reporting. “We wanted to have something that [would] de nitely attract the local youth,” Library Director Janna Hoglund said.
use, Community Impact previously reported. The renovated teen space is an extension of that, TEDC Executive Director Kelly Violette said via email. “This collaborative project provides our local youth with ... opportunities ... to prepare them for the future,” Violette said.
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Government
BY LIZZY SPANGLER
Tomball opens new $7.4M fire station
STUEBNER AIRLINE RD.
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On Jan. 13, the Tomball Fire Department and Harris County Emergency Services District No. 15 held an open house for the new Station No. 4, located at 10333 Mahaffey Road, Tomball. “We are super excited that it’s open,” Tomball Fire Chief Joe Sykora said. How we got here The city and ESD 15 officials broke ground in June 2022, Community Impact previously reported. ESD 15 was formed over 15 years ago, and the first station it funded was Station No. 5 along Telge Road, which opened in 2016. “While we were just finishing Station [No.] 5, I saw this area developing and started looking for land over here and found some,” said Randy Parr, Tomball council member and former Tomball fire chief. “[I] did a presentation to the [ESD 15] com- missioners, and they agreed with it. ... We ended up getting the commissioners to go ahead and go along with purchasing the land here, and that was
six years or seven years ago.” The specifics
Sykora said the new station, which cost $7.4 million, was built to house firefighters for the next 50 years. It includes a decontamination area and a laundry room built for firefighters’ gear. “Once [firefighters] come back from a fire, they shower in there before they go inside the station,” Sykora said. “So the goal is to keep any carcinogens that we have on us outside of the station.” The new station is fully staffed with nine fire- fighters, Sykora said. The department intends to expand the station’s staff capacity to 12 firefight- ers over the next three years. “[The new station] covers from Willow Creek almost to the railroad tracks at Main Street in Tomball, goes as far north as the Montgomery County line, and as far south as Medical Complex and Hufsmith-Kohrville,” Sykora said.
MAHAFF E Y R
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Tomball Fire Station No. 4
Cost: $7.4 million Built to house firefighters for 50 years Staffed with 9 firefighters
Responds to around 25 calls a month Reduced response times by 2 minutes SOURCE: TOMBALL FIRE DEPARTMENT/COMMUNITY IMPACT
The takeaway Sykora said the station has reduced response times by two minutes since it opened in October, and it responds to around 25 calls a month. “It’s much busier than we ever expected it to be so far,” Sykora said.
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TOMBALL - MAGNOLIA EDITION
Government
Tomball hosts open house for comprehensive plan
Tomball council votes against term limits Tomball City Council voted 1-4 against approving a proposition that would create term limits during a special meeting Feb. 9. What happened On Feb. 9, Tomball City Council approved sending all propositions to amend the city’s charter except Proposition F—which outlined term limits—to voters in May. They voted on Proposition F separately, voting it down 1-4. Council member Dane Dunagin voted in approval; council mem- bers John Ford, Mark Stoll, Derek Townsend and Randy Parr voted against. The term limits proposed were four con- secutive full terms, or 12 consecutive years, whichever is longest. Council members then would not have been eligible to be elected until they were out of office one full year.
Comprehensive plan timeline
August-October 2023: Background analysis November 2023-May 2024: Plan development June-July 2024: Implementation plan August 2024: Adoption
Dozens of community members attended Tomball’s comprehensive plan open house Jan. 31 at the Tomball Community Center. “The comprehensive plan is the document that, in the next five to 10 years, you are telling your city what you want them to do,” Mayor Lori Klein Quinn said at the open house. “This comes from you. This is your plan.” What happened Residents were invited to share their thoughts and opinions on the city and its future for the new comprehensive plan. Attendees were invited to use Post-its and dot stickers to mark up various posters on different aspects of Tomball, such as downtown, its streets and its land uses. During the open house, Alexis Garcia, a project
SOURCE: FREESE AND NICHOLS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
manager with engineering firm Freese and Nich- ols, gave a presentation on what the plan entails. How we got here Last May, Tomball City Council approved an agreement with Freese and Nichols to spend $450,000 developing updated comprehensive, future land use and major thoroughfare plans, Community Impact previously reported. The city’s last comprehensive plan, adopted in 2019, included information on topics such as the city’s existing conditions, visions and recommen- dations for Tomball and plans for implementation.
Montgomery County ESD 10 completes $2.6 million renovation on Station 183 Montgomery County Emergency Services Dis- trict No. 10, which provides firefighting services in Magnolia, held an open house and ribbon-cutting Feb. 15 for the newly renovated Station 183. In a nutshell MEADOWSWEET DR.
“Everything came out down to the red iron; the slab was modified for additional plumbing; the addition was set on the southern end of the build- ing, and we built everything back,” Grant said. Funded by ESD 10, the $2.6 million renovation was completed in late 2023. “This new facility will make a difference in many people’s lives,” ESD 10 board President Larry Smith said.
Chuck Grant, assistant chief of administration for the Magnolia Fire Department, said via email that the station was completely overhauled.
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
BY JESSICA SHORTEN & LIZZY SPANGLER
Tomball City Council approves alleyway amenities package
Montgomery County approves broadband The Montgomery County Commissioners Court approved a $590,000 project during a Feb. 6 meeting aimed at bringing public Wi-Fi and fiber internet access to Magnolia. The breakdown The project will provide fiber internet and public Wi-Fi at several county locations: • Magnolia Annex • Community Development Center • Montgomery County-Magnolia Horse Arena • Magnolia Little League Park • Magnolia Youth Park Fiber lines will be installed from the Mag- nolia Annex to the Precinct 2 traffic control and signal office and the recycling center.
Tomball alleyway project Phase 1 will see $1.19 million spent to add amenities to several downtown alleyways.
Phase 1
Cost: $429,540
During its Feb. 5 meeting, Tomball City Council approved the Tomball Economic Development Corp.’s project for alleyway amenities. What’s happening The TEDC will spend $1.19 million to fund the amenities package for Phase 1 of the city’s alleyway project, which will make the alleyways more walkable and add a new public restroom downtown. The amenities package includes entry arch gateways; decorative string lights; masonry seatwalls; lighted entry markers; planter pots, soil, flowers and drip irrigation; lighting and electrical. “What this agreement lays out is that the EDC will fund this project, but the city will bid it, and own and maintain those improvements,” TEDC Executive Director Kelly Violette said.
New restrooms
Cost: $363,331
Cost: $395,963
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SOURCE: CITY OF TOMBALL/COMMUNITY IMPACT
���.TomballGermanFest.��� German Food, Carnival, Rock Wall, Street Performers, Rides, 200 Street Vendors, and 4 Music Stages Fun for the Entire Family March 22nd-24th Fri: 6��-10�� | Sat: 10��-10�� | Sun: 10��-6�� FREE ADMISSION, PARKING & SHUTTLE Shuttle parking is in the East lot of HCA Houston Healthcare - Tomball with shuttle running continuously on Saturday & Sunday. 2024 Tomball German Heritage Festival CELEBRATING OUR 23 RD YEAR!
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TOMBALL - MAGNOLIA EDITION
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Transportation
BY LIZZY SPANGLER
FM 1774 lighting project to be completed by September
What else?
The project costs $545,176, with 90% of the construction cost funded by the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program, a federal program aimed at reduction in tra c fatalities and serious injuries on public roads, Flores said. TxDOT is matching 10% of the cost, which is $54,518. “Our crew is ahead of schedule,” Flores said. “The crew will be installing the last few light poles and are waiting on service power from CenterPoint, which is a process that can take a few months.”
other factors. The number of crashes alone is not the sole determinant,” Flores said. “A formula is used to determine whether a project meets the criteria to receive funding and to determine what kind of safety improvement might lessen the incidence of serious injury crashes. This project met the [funding] criteria.” There were 250 crashes on FM 1774 between FM 1488 and FM 149 between 2019-23, according to TxDOT’s Crash Records Information System.
A Texas Department of Transportation project to install 192 streetlights along a 5.05-mile stretch of FM 1774 between FM 1488 and FM 149 is anticipated to be completed in September, Public Information O cer Leo Flores said via email. Construction began in April and is around 98% complete. “This project falls under the Highway Safety Improvement Program, which creates a Safety Improvement Index based on crash data and
FM 1774 crashes between FM 1488 and FM 149
Crashes in daylight Crashes in dark, lighted Crashes in dark,
80
64
Along FM 1774, 192 streetlights are being installed.
1 3
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LIZZY SPANGLER COMMUNITY IMPACT
60
8
50
13
not lighted Crashes at dawn Crashes at dusk
1
43 9
35 8 6
41
5
37
1488
2 3
40
40
249
4
4
2
32
31
Total number of crashes
20
149
1774
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
0
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
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TOMBALL MAGNOLIA EDITION
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Development
BY SHAHERYAR KHAN & LIZZY SPANGLER
High Meadow West now selling homesites High Meadow West, a community located along FM 1486, has begun selling homesites, according to a Jan. 23 news release. The 1,600-acre community will house 1,000 families, according to the news release. Amenities will include a recreation center, walking trails and pickleball courts. “This community is in an amazing location with great schools,” High Meadow Development owner David Frey said via news release.
Construction begins for Kresston community Construction has begun on Kresston, a 1,400- acre community from Johnson Development in Magnolia, according to a Jan. 30 news release. The details Construction has commenced on thoroughfares and residential neighborhoods as part of the first phase of the development, located at the inter- section of Hwy. 249 and FM 1486, Virgil Yoakum, senior vice president and general manager of Kresston, said in the release. The master plan of Kresston will include approx- imately 3,600 homes and: • A mixed-use residential lifestyle • Commercial retail space • Various amenities yet to be announced • An on-site Magnolia ISD school There will be retail, dining and other
249
1486
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"The Aggie Expressway will make it easy for residents to drive to The Woodlands, Houston, Tomball and even College Station for those who might work at Texas A&M."
VIRGIL YOAKUM, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF KRESSTON
conveniences along a mile of frontage along Hwy. 249 and FM 1486, according to the release. What’s next? Lots will be allocated to builders by the end of 2024, with home sales expected to begin in early 2025, according to the release.
1486
BLUEJACK NATIONAL BLVD.
N
512-232-5000 EdServices@austin.utexas.edu highschool.utexas.edu
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TOMBALL - MAGNOLIA EDITION
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Real estate
Unlike in the Tomball and Pinehurst areas, more homes sold in Magnolia ZIP codes 77354 and 77355 in January compared to January 2023. Residential market data
Number of homes sold
January 2023
January 2024
+11.6%
+26.09%
-55%
-21.67%
-16.67%
77354
77354
77355
77362
77375
77377
1774
1488
77362
Median home sales price
77355
77375
January
2023
2024
249
77377
$297,788 $292,848 $455,850 $370,000 $372,750
$309,082 $305,000 $321,500 $330,000 $417,491
77354
99
77355
N
77362
Homes sold by price point
77375
January 2024
77377
1
$1 million+
13
$750,000-$999,999
Average days on market
35
$500,000-$749,999
+31.1%
+112.24%
+27.54%
0%
+4.62%
128
$250,000-$499,999
21
<$249,999
MARKET DATA PROVIDED BY RENEE LESLIE THE RENEE LESLIE GROUP | RE/MAX ELITE PROPERTIES 310 E. MAIN ST., TOMBALL • 281-639-5982 RENEE@RENEELESLIE.COM
77354
77355
77362
77375
77377
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TOMBALL - MAGNOLIA EDITION
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Education
BY EMILY LINCKE
Tomball ISD to overhaul attendance boundaries over next 3 years About 1,823 Tomball ISD elementary students will be attending di erent schools in August due to attendance boundary changes approved by the district’s board of trustees Jan. 9. While new elementary boundaries will be student population growth and three new schools opening at the district’s Juergen Road complex— funded by TISD’s $494.46 million 2021 bond—in upcoming school years, as previously reported by Community Impact .
2026-27 school year. Boundary changes will be implemented in three phases, which also include grade con gurations before the 2026-27 school year for elementary, intermediate and junior high levels as well as for ninth and 10th graders, TISD o cials said. Grade con gurations will align grade levels at TISD’s various schools. The boundary redesign process accounted for
The approved maps incorporate community feed- back and are a revised version of maps previously presented to the TISD community in November, district leaders said.
implemented before the 2024-25 school year, altered intermediate and junior high boundaries will take e ect for the 2025-26 school year, according to TISD. High school boundaries will change ahead of the
Elementary campus boundaries, 2024-25
Elementary schools New elementary zones add West Elementary , opening in August. Changes from 2023-24 include: • The southern portion of Grand Oaks Elementary ’s zone is transferred to West , including the West Hollow Square and Cypress Hill neighborhoods. • Grand Oaks will absorb the southeastern portion of Rosehill Elementary boundaries and the southern portion of Tomball Elementary .
249
Canyon Pointe Creekside Forest Creekview Decker Prairie Grand Oaks Lakewood
Rosehill Timber Creek Tomball Elementary West Elementary Wildwood Willow Creek
2920
99 TOLL
N
The primary map changes compared to the 2023-24 boundaries include: • Students in some neighborhoods generally west of Hwy. 249 and south of Decker Prairie-Rosehill Road— such as Lakes at Cypress Hill and Oaks of Rosehill, currently zoned to Tomball High School —will attend West High School . • Currently zoned to Tomball Memorial High School , neighborhoods including Wildwood at Oakcrest and Hayden Lakes—located south of the Grand Parkway and west of Hwy. 249—will be zoned to West High . Major divergences from the 2023-24 boundaries include: • Tomball Junior High will be ceding a large portion of its southwestern territory, sending students in neighborhoods such as Holly Creek and Rosehurst to Grand Lakes Junior High . • Students currently attending Grand Lakes Junior High in parts of the Villages of Northpointe and Canyon Gate at Northpointe neighborhoods will be zoned to Willow Wood Junior High . Creekside area—which will open in the fall of 2026. The addition will be accompanied by grade recon gurations. Major changes from the current boundaries include: • A large portion of Tomball Intermediate’s central territory will be zoned to West Intermediate , including the Barrister Creek and Pine Country of Tomball neighborhoods. • Southwestern neighborhoods zoned to Tomball Intermediate —including La Paloma and Highmeadow Farms—will also attend West Intermediate .
Tomball Intermediate
Intermediate schools
249
Innovations
Junior high schools No new junior high schools are planned to open in TISD in the coming years; however, the current junior high boundaries were still modi ed during the district’s boundary reset. These boundaries will be implemented before the 2025-26 school year and are subject to potential changes before they are implemented. TISD’s new intermediate school zones—to be implemented for 2025-26—account for the addition of West Intermediate , opening in fall 2025. The boundaries are subject to potential changes. A fth-grade addition to Creekside Park Junior High—located in the Innovations zone—was also approved in mid-December—in place of a proposed intermediate school planned for growth in the
2920
West Intermediate
99 TOLL
Northpointe
Oakcrest
N
Tomball Jr. High
249
Creekside Park
2920
Grand Lakes
99 TOLL
Willow Wood
N
High schools
249
Tomball High
TISD’s high school boundaries will account for the addition of a third high school, Tomball West High School , which is slated to open in the 2026-27 school year. The new Tomball West High school will open with ninth and 10th graders only, TISD leaders said. These boundaries are subject to potential changes before they are implemented.
2920
West High
99 TOLL
Memorial
N
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TOMBALL MAGNOLIA EDITION
Education
4 TISD bond projects move to next steps
Health care program gets $86K grant A program that trains aspiring health care professionals in Tomball ISD has received an $86,000 grant to expand course o erings in the fall, according to a Feb. 14 news release from Lone Star College System. A closer look The Tomball Star Academy Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools pro- gram received a grant from Educate Texas at the Communities Foundation of Texas, according to the release. The grant will be used to expand the program’s course o er- ings to include new pathways, including: • Health information technology • Medical administrative support • Medical administrative services-medical front desk
1 Tomball High School 2 Creekside Park Junior High School 3 West Elementary School
CREEKSIDE GREEN DR.
2
Z I O
1
KUYKENDAHL RD.
Four Tomball ISD construction projects to be funded by the district’s $494.46 million bond— approved by voters in 2021—reached their next phases at the Feb. 13 TISD board meeting. In a nutshell One of the main projects discussed at the Feb. 13 meeting was the renovation of Tomball High School’s Career and Technical Education class- rooms. Trustees unanimously approved—with board Assistant Secretary Michael J. Pratt absent—the $8.38 million general contractor agreement with Millennium Project Solutions. The CTE classrooms will be built inside the school’s former agriculture center, and renderings of the project will be presented at an upcoming meeting, Superintendent Martha Salazar-Zamora said. The renovation will have an overall budget of $10 million, according to meeting documents.
2920
249 TOLL
JUERGEN RD.
99 TOLL
CYPRESS ROSEHILL RD.
3
N
Diving in deeper The board voted on three other projects Feb. 13. • A construction manager at risk was approved for the renovations of Tomball High School’s cafeteria, set to be completed by August. • A construction manager at risk was approved for the fth-grade addition to Creekside Park Junior High, set to be ready by the 2026-27 school year. • $400,000 was added to the contingency budget for the construction of West Elementary, slated to open in August.
BY CASSANDRA JENKINS & EMILY LINCKE
Magnolia ISD passes chaplain policy
MISD approves 2024- 25 school calendar
According to Senate Bill 763, a school chaplain:
• Can be employed by a school district to provide support, services and programs for students as assigned by the board of trustees • Can offer mental health support and behavioral health services • Is not required to have the same certi ication and training as traditional school counselors • Must meet other applicable state requirements
The Magnolia ISD board of trustees accepted a resolution to allow the district to employ or use volunteer chaplains as needed at its Feb. 12 meeting. The bottom line Senate Bill 763 was passed in 2023, requiring school boards to vote before March 1 on whether a district will adopt a policy allowing the chaplains to volunteer or be hired by the district. “This originally started with the idea that there are some school districts that may not be able to nd enough certi ed counselors to meet the needs of kids in the areas of mental health, trauma response and counseling services,” Deputy Superintendent Jason Bullock said. “We don’t have that problem in Magnolia ISD.” Bullock said all the counseling positions across MISD are currently lled by certi ed counselors.
The Magnolia ISD board of trustees approved the 2024-25 school calendar at its
Feb. 12 board meeting. What you need to know
The calendar includes 172 days of instruc- tion, 13 professional development days and 187 teacher days. Important dates include: • Aug. 8: First day of school • Sept. 2: Holiday • Oct. 7-11: Fall break • Nov. 25-29: Thanksgiving break • Dec. 23-Jan. 3, 2025: Christmas break • Jan. 20, 2025: Holiday • March 10-14, 2025: Spring break • April 18, 2025: Holiday • May 23, 2025: Last day of school
SOURCE: TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE COMMUNITY IMPACT
"We aren't marching out and hiring chaplains at this point to do some services before we even de ne what that is. That
would be something we would de ne as a board and administration before we use them." TODD STEPHENS, MAGNOLIA ISD SUPERINTENDENT
TOMBALL PARKWAY 28595 Tomball Pkwy (281) 290-7810 SPRING STUEBNER 6603 Spring Stuebner Rd (281) 288-0239
THE WOODLANDS 10491 Kuykendahl (281) 681-9110 GOSLING ROAD SPRING 24527 Gosling Rd (281) 516-9404
From the cover
Local parents, providers face child care challenges
What’s happening
Child care seats vs. eligible children in the Tomball-Magnolia area, 2022 Number of child care seats
In the Tomball and Magnolia area, three ZIP codes qualify as child care deserts: 77375, 77355 and 77362. To determine child care deserts, Children at Risk o cials used 2022 U.S. Census Bureau data to de ne a child as eligible for care if they were age 5 or younger and both of their parents were employed. Kim Kofron, Children at Risk’s senior director of education, said she believes access to child care has been a problem statewide for decades but was further complicated by the pandemic. Kofron said Texas had around 17,000 early child care centers before the pandemic hit in 2020. While that number had fallen to roughly 12,000 in 2021, she said the number of providers has rebounded to around 14,000. Despite the increase, Kofron said more than 70,000 kids throughout the state are currently on waitlists to receive early child care. Hockley resident Kadie Sellers said she applied to a handful of child care centers around Tomball and Cypress two months before her child was born in January 2023. “I waited until I was in the third trimester of my pregnancy, which I thought was a reasonable amount of time because I was going to be on maternity leave for a few months,” she said. “We nally got a call for a spot in October. [My child] was 9 months old.” Matt Evers—co-owner of several Primrose Schools, including a location in Tomball—said he believes parents should apply at least six months in advance of the date they want their children to attend. He said that wait can increase to as much as two years for infants.
Number of eligible children
1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500
3,776 child care seats overall 7,800 eligible children 2.1 times more eligible children than seats
500
0
77354
77362
77375
77377
77355
High access to child care: 76% or more of eligible children have access to a child care seat Moderate access to child care: 34%-75% of eligible children have access to a child care seat Child care desert: 33% or less of eligible children have access to a child care seat Child care deserts in the Tomball-Magnolia area, 2022 Child care desert The Tomball-Magnolia area is home to three ZIP codes referred to as child care deserts, meaning there are at least three times as many children eligible for early child care as there are seats available.
77354
1774
1488
77362
77355
77375
249
77377
99
N
SOURCES: CHILDREN AT RISK, U.S. CENSUS BUREAU COMMUNITY IMPACT
What they’re saying
“The one thing about child care is that it costs a lot of money to operate the centers. We hope that laws will be passed and things will happen to where there will be funding to help us. In our hearts, we want to take care of the children, but we have to have those funds to be able to expand.” ANNETTE COLLINS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GOD’S GRACE LEARNING CENTER
“We took a hit [in enrollment] during COVID, as so many facilities in the industry did, and it was a challenge climbing back up to those pre-COVID numbers, but we are getting there. As we grow, we are able to open other classrooms and meet the demand.” LEYLEA DUMSTORSS, DIRECTOR, A CHILD’S VIEW
“It’s hard to make child care profitable anywhere you are, but it’s even harder to do that in a low-income area. We do find low- income areas to be more likely to have higher child care deserts than our middle-income and more affluent neighborhoods.” KIM KOFRON, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, CHILDREN AT RISK
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
BY WESLEY GARDNER & CASSANDRA JENKINS
Zooming in
What’s next
Nationwide child care costs
$5,520 lost by families per working parent in reduced earnings due to insufficient child care access and time spent looking for work if they’re fired as a result, totaling roughly $78 billion annually $1,640 lost by businesses per working parent in reduced revenue and in extra hiring costs, totaling roughly $23 billion annually $1,470 lost in tax revenue per working parent due to decreased income tax revenue and decreased sales tax revenue from reduced spending, totaling roughly $21 billion annually
While Kofron said she was disappointed the state Legislature failed to approve an additional $2.29 billion for early child care that was originally included in the state’s budget, she pointed to a handful of bills that were approved aimed at assisting child care providers in Texas. Child care bills approved in 2023 Senate Bill 1145 Allows local tax authorities to give property tax relief to some child care programs House Bill 2729 Lowers hiring qualifications for pre-K teachers at child care centers partnering with local school districts House Bill 1615 Helps child care centers become eligible to partner with local school districts to provide care for pre-K aged students
Kofron said the industry could take a hit with the loss of federal relief funds. According to the nonprofit’s report, the relief funds helped support more than 80% of child care centers in Texas. “Really, what that extra money provided was a bedrock of funding that allowed centers to pay their staff more—to be able to keep tuition lower for families,” Kofron said. “That money is gone now.” Annette Collins, executive director of God’s Grace Learning Center in Tomball, said she used relief funds to raise wages and provide other perks. “Any hourly job is hard to retain staff, so those funds put us in a position where we can pay our staff better,” she said. “That attracts a different type of clientele and staff as well.” Leylea Dumstorss, director of A Child’s View in Magnolia, said operation of the day care has not changed with the loss of federal funds, aside from finding it harder to hire quality staff. “We are paying a little bit better than what the average facilities are, but we are finding as we
SOURCE: COUNCIL FOR A STRONG AMERICA/COMMUNITY IMPACT
expand and grow it is becoming a challenge to hire staff,” she said. “We have the kids; we are just needing the teachers.” Kofron said the funding loss coupled with infla- tion could lead child care providers to raise tuition rates that are already too high for many families. According to a 2023 analysis by nonprofit Council for a Strong America, the nation’s child care crisis costs $122 billion in lost earnings, productivity and revenue from parents, businesses and taxpayers every year.
SOURCE: TEXAS LEGISLATURE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Dentistry for the Whole Family
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TOMBALL - MAGNOLIA EDITION
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