February 21, 2017 — Regular Meeting
Conroe ISD Board Meeting — 2017-02-21
Regular Meeting — Unofficial Notes
Based on auto-generated transcript. Not an official record.
Generated 2026-03-27 21:11 UTC
Unofficial Meeting Notes
Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees
Regular Meeting — February 21, 2017
These are unofficial notes based on an auto-generated transcript and may contain errors or omissions.
Opening
- Meeting called to order at 6:00 PM by President Bush.
- Quorum confirmed; meeting properly noticed under Texas Open Meetings Act.
- Invocation: Mr. Kydd
- Pledges: Mr. Hubert
Special District Recognitions
Oak Ridge High School Cheerleading Team — State & National Champions (UIL 6A)
- Presented by: Tommy Johnson, Principal of Oak Ridge High School
- Head Coach: Sarah Parker (teacher at Oak Ridge since 2006; head cheer coach for 7 years)
- The team won its first-ever state championship and followed up by winning national championships the following weekend, competing against 6A and 5A state winners.
- Coach Parker highlighted the team's achievements beyond competition:
- All seniors have received college acceptance letters
- Many are Honor Society members
- Ranked in the top 10 teams nationally for fundraising for St. Jude Children's Hospital (sixth consecutive year; over $16,000 raised)
- Individual team members were introduced and recognized by the board.
- President Bush congratulated the team on behalf of the board, praising both their competitive achievement and community service.
2017 Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State Musicians
- Presented by: Dr. Horton, Coordinator of Fine Arts
- 24 students from Conroe ISD were named 2017 TMEA All-State musicians.
- Dr. Horton explained the competitive process:
- Begins with auditions across 33 TMEA regions statewide
- Over 68,000 students compete; approximately 1,700 are selected (less than 3%)
- Students advance through region and area competitions before earning All-State designation
- Notable achievement: Brendan Wiley was named first chair clarinet for the entire state of Texas.
- Students represented Conroe High School, Oak Ridge High School, College Park High School, and The Woodlands High School in choir, band, orchestra, and cello.
- Teachers from each campus were recognized and thanked.
- President Bush congratulated the students and teachers, emphasizing the importance of arts education and the growing movement from STEM to STEAM (adding Arts).
Public Comment
Christy Swoboda — Instructional Paraprofessional Pay
- Spoke about low pay for paraprofessionals in CISD.
- As a long-term substitute, she earned $100–$110/day; as a paraprofessional, she now earns less than $90/day.
- Her last paycheck was $673.10; after deductions, take-home was $526.95.
- Noted that if she enrolled in the district health and dental plan, she would clear only $22.95 per pay period.
- Cited a colleague with 29 years of special education paraprofessional experience who earns less than $25,000/year.
- Described the significant responsibilities paraprofessionals carry: RTI (Response to Intervention), data entry, small-group instruction, student testing, and supervision.
- Respectfully requested the board consider an increase in paraprofessional pay, acknowledging the difficult legislative environment.
Action Items
Item 4A — Director of Assessment, Evaluation, Accountability, and School Improvement (Moved Up on Agenda)
- Moved up before the consent agenda at the request of Mr. Luna.
- Dr. Stockton recommended Dr. Tameka Taylor, currently Principal of Travis Intermediate School.
- Motion to approve: Made and seconded.
- Vote: Approved unanimously (no discussion requested before vote).
- Dr. Taylor addressed the board, thanking them for their trust. She recounted her career in CISD since 2005, beginning at Runyon Elementary and serving at Travis Intermediate. She pledged to "leave a legacy, be tenacious, work hard, and embrace the enduring vision" of the district.
- President Bush personally acknowledged Dr. Taylor's impact, noting his own children benefited from her work.
Consent Agenda
- Item M removed from the consent agenda at a board member's request.
- Motion to approve consent agenda minus Item M: Approved unanimously.
Item M — Interlocal Agreement with City of Conroe for Flashing School Speed Limit Signs
- Pulled by Mr. Hubert for questions.
- Cost to CISD: $40,000 for purchase of equipment; the City of Conroe handles installation and ongoing maintenance.
- Dr. Heinz (Chris) explained:
- The city approached the district after the fiscal year started (not budgeted).
- Flashing speed limit signs cost approximately $11,000 per pair (one for each direction).
- These are new installations, not replacements.
- Not every school in the district currently has flashing signs; there is no set criteria — placement depends on traffic studies, speed concerns, and cooperation with local entities (city, county precincts, TxDOT).
- The district plans to return next year to continue expanding coverage.
- Payment due within 30 days of approval; installation timeline not precisely known but expected "fairly quickly."
- City Council has already approved the agreement.
- Vote: Approved unanimously.
Item 5A — Construction Manager at Risk for Austin Elementary School Additions and Renovations
- Presented by Mr. Foster.
- Architect IBI published an RFQ; three companies responded.
- After a two-step evaluation process (qualifications + price/interviews), GTT was selected as best value.
- Estimated project budget: $15 million.
- Board authorized the superintendent to negotiate and execute the contract.
- Vote: Approved unanimously.
Reports and Updates
Item 5B — Capital Improvement Update (Mr. Foster)
| Project | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| High School Robotics Addition | Behind schedule (rain/weather delays) | Interior expected ready by March; furniture delivery during spring break; student use likely after spring break |
| Network Operations Center | On schedule | Cooling units installed; full use expected summer 2017 |
| Life Cycle 2017 | On schedule | Contractor mobilized; first roofing project starting end of February |
| Knox Junior High (10 classroom addition + fieldhouse work) | On schedule | Foundation work completed; opening August 2017 |
| Woodlands Transportation Center | On schedule | Demolition complete, reconstruction underway; opening August 2017 |
| Safety & Security Project | Phase 1 complete (16–18 campuses); Phase 2 bidding next week (~15 additional campuses) | Commissioning cameras and burglar panels |
| Lucille Bradley Elementary (new school) | On schedule | Opening August 2017; finishes going in; permanent power/AC expected within 30–45 days |
| Grand Oaks High School (new school) | On schedule | Opening August 2018; last beam set; building envelope work progressing |
Item 6A — Financial Reports (Darrin Rice)
General Fund:
- Cash and investments: $285 million total
- Pool investments: $160 million
- Other investments (up to 1 year): $73.5 million
- TCG Investment Advisors: $51 million
- Property tax collections running 5% ahead of prior year (~$10 million received sooner), credited to the tax office's efforts including extended hours.
- Projected general fund balance increase: ~$5.1 million (includes ~$3 million payroll reconciliation item from budget process).
Debt Service: Projected increase of ~$882,000.
Child Nutrition: Slight increase of ~$81,000.
Self-Funded Insurance:
- Positive trends: Total revenues of $18.7 million vs. total expenses of $16.2 million = $2.5 million surplus.
- At the same point last year, the fund was running about $500,000 in the negative (ultimately lost $2.5 million over the rest of the year).
- District still hoping to break even for the year; previous two years required supplemental funding.
- Wellness center visits: 2,211 year-to-date.
Investments:
- Total invested: $616 million
- Combined portfolio weighted average maturity (WAM): 61 days
- Combined yield: 91 basis points (vs. benchmark 1-year T-bill at 50 basis points)
Adjournment
- Motion to adjourn: Made and seconded. Approved.