Tomball - Magnolia Edition | April 2026

Education

TISD discusses bus seat belt requirement On April 13, Tomball ISD trustees discussed a new requirement for Texas school districts to only use buses that contain three-point seat belts. The mandate stems from Senate Bill 546, and TISD officials said they aren’t sure the district will be able to meet the financial requirements. The cost Originally, there was an exception 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 must calculate the total cost required submit it to the Texas Education Agency by May 29. Gutierrez said that TISD can retrofit buses or purchase new buses to meet the new requirement. Items worth mentioning Gutierrez also noted an issue of liability that was

State board advances K-12 reading list After delaying a vote in January, 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. The gist The Republican-led board signed off on a revised list, proposed by member Keven Ellis, R-Lufkin, in a 9-5 party-line vote April 10, with all Republican members in favor and all Democrats opposed. Ellis’ draft list ranges from nursery rhymes in early grades to classical literature in high school. The list also includes excerpts from the Bible. Board members will have the opportunity to make additional amendments to the list before taking a final vote in June.

$3.24M-$4.9M: cost to retrofit 103 buses $14.42M: cost to purchase 103 buses—$140,000/bus Breakdown of Tomball ISD's bus fleet

Three-point seat belts: 102 Two-point seat belts: 17 No seat belts: 77 Mix of three-point and two-point seat belts: 9

205 school buses

SOURCE: TOMBALL ISD/ COMMUNITY IMPACT

brought up when TISD reached out to vendors for quotes regarding retrofitting buses. TISD would be held responsible for any injuries that could occur as a result of the new seat belts, Gutierrez said. Gutierrez recommended that TISD submit to the TEA that it doesn’t have funds available to comply with the new law.

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