Education
BY JULIANNA WASHBURN
Education edition
2025
Readers, welcome to your annual CI Education Edition! This guide features a variety of education updates from your local districts of Conroe, Montgomery and Willis ISDs. All of the stories featured in this year’s guide were written by our local team of journalists. Additionally, all of the advertisements are from nearby businesses who support our mission to provide free, useful news—show them your gratitude by supporting them. To keep up with education news throughout the month, visit communityimpact.com/newsletter to sign up for our free daily newsletter.
CI Education Edition can guide you through the school year! From Q&As with local school o cials to updates on new policies taking e ect, this year’s Education Edition includes news from your local school districts to help the new school year get o to a smooth start. To stay up to date on school news throughout the year, and to read more local Conroe and Montgomery news, visit communityimpact.com/ news/houston/conroe-montgomery.
Chrissy Leggett General Manager cleggett@ communityimpact.com
Lizzy Spangler Editor lspangler@ communityimpact.com
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MISD CTE director Kristy Starkey sheds light on district’s programs With the school year underway, Community Impact interviewed Kristy Starkey, the new career and technical education director at Montgomery ISD about the role she is stepping into. Starkey became the director in April, before the new CTE facility opened July 30. What made you want to be MISD’s new CTE director, and what experience do you have that will help you in this role? I’m beyond excited to serve as MISD’s next CTE director because CTE quite literally changed my life. As a nontraditional student, I experienced rsthand the power of hands-on, real-world learning and it lit a re in me. ... I also want to give credit where it’s due. The previous director and team built some- thing truly special. I’m honored to pick up the torch
and build on that momentum, expanding opportu- nities, growing programs and continuing to make CTE a game-changer for our students. Why are CTE programs important for students? CTE programs bring learning to life. They connect the dots between classroom instruction and the real world, preparing students for high-wage, high-de- mand careers and postsecondary success. They also help students explore career paths early, which can save time and money down the road. ... These programs are critical for helping students make informed decisions about their futures. MISD’s new CTE and agricultural science centers opened this school year. How excited are you about that and how does that set the tone for these programs going forward? We are absolutely thrilled to open The DEN, short for “discover,” “explore” and “navigate.” This new complex has been years in the making and truly sets the gold standard for CTE and agricultural educa- tion in Texas. These state-of-the-art facilities aren’t just buildings. They are launchpads. They send a powerful message that MISD is all-in on preparing students for life after high school.
Kristy Starkey became the new career and technical education director at Montgomery ISD in April.
Is there anything else you’d like me to know or anything else to add? The DEN is more than just a facility—it’s a vision brought to life. ... We are especially grateful for our community’s support of the 2022 bond, which made this vision a reality. We want our community to feel a deep sense of pride in this investment, and we’re committed to making sure The DEN lives up to its name as the crown jewel of Montgomery ISD.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Scan the QR code to read the full story.
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CONROE MONTGOMERY EDITION
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