Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Course Catalog topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tomball ISD proposes 17 new junior/high-school courses including mariachi, robotics capstone and dual-credit environmental science
Summary
District academic leadership proposed 17 additions and three removals to the 2026–27 junior- and high-school catalogs: junior-high mariachi and Spanish 2, a one-year general employability skills course, high-school robotics/PLTW capstones, expanded electrical pathway, language upgrades and an environmental science dual-credit course worth eight college credits.
Chief Academic Officer Dr. Michael Webb presented proposed changes to Tomball ISD’s 2026–27 junior-high and high-school catalogs, reporting 17 course additions and three removals across CTE, languages, fine arts and science.
At the junior-high level Webb proposed mariachi 1 and 2, Spanish 2 for biliterate students (about 200 students expected to qualify), and a one-year general employability skills course that consolidates two half‑semester courses; Webb said the employability course will be state‑approved and follow TEKS, and that keyboarding and early technology integration (including virtual-reality components tied to the district Strategic Plan 2030) will be part of the curriculum.
At the high-school level Webb proposed combinations to expand plant and floral science (turf management, landscape design), new robotics-aligned computer science courses (science research and design and a project‑based PLTW capstone), a widened electrical-technology pathway (adding a Level 2 course), expanded Chinese offerings (Chinese 3 and 4), German 5 (AP level), musical theater 1–4 (by audition), and an environmental science dual-credit course offering eight college credits (course plus lab across semesters).
Trustees asked multiple operational questions: whether Spanish 2 would be offered at all junior highs (Webb said likely yes, offering it at seventh or eighth grade depending on demand), whether junior-high courses affect GPA (Webb said junior-high courses yield credit but typically are not weighted for GPA), and how fees for courses would be handled. Webb said there are not yet specific grants for fees but the district will ensure inability to pay $25 does not prevent student participation, similar to existing dual-credit support.
The proposals include no net staffing impacts for several items, Webb said, because existing high-school teachers will serve junior-high sections where feasible. Trustees signaled support but raised equity questions around pass/fail policies for certain language and CTE offerings; district staff said these will be addressed as the catalog is finalized. Final catalog amendments were scheduled for board consideration at the Nov. 11 regular meeting.
