March 21, 2017 — Regular Meeting
Conroe ISD Board Meeting — 2017-03-21
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 — March 21, 2017
Note: These are unofficial notes based on an auto-generated transcript of the board meeting. They may contain inaccuracies due to transcription errors.
Call to Order
- Meeting called to order at 6:00 PM by President Bush.
- Quorum of members present; meeting duly posted per the Texas Open Meetings Act.
- Mr. Kidd led the invocation; Mr. Moore led the Pledge of Allegiance and Texas Pledge.
Awards & Recognition
The Woodlands High School Girls Swimming — 2017 6A State Champions
- Interim Principal Mr. Kolshen introduced Coach Kent Kurchner, named Texas 6A State Coach of the Year.
- Coach Kurchner introduced the state championship swim team members: Diane Staffelt, Lily Nardman, Emily Reese, Lucy Nardman, Adrian Venir, Vivian New, Karsley Fields, Sydney Richal, Hasley Mare, and Assistant Coach Katy Tom.
- The team won the state meet by winning the final event (400 freestyle relay), in which they also set a new state record.
- Plaques presented:
- Team plaque — 2017 6A State Champions
- 200 Medley Relay — State record holders (Lucy Nardman, Karsley Fields, Emily Reese, Diane Staffelt); broke the record twice (prelims and finals)
- 400 Freestyle Relay — State record holders (Lucy Nardman, Emily Reese, Lily Nardman, Peyton Mare)
- Individual awards for Lucy Nardman — State champion and state record breaker in both the 50 Freestyle and 100 Backstroke
Public Comment
- No members of the public registered to address the board.
Item 9 — Naming of Principals (Moved Up on Agenda)
Dr. Stockton presented all four principal recommendations.
9A: Anderson Elementary School Principal
- Recommended: Laura Kionis (currently Assistant Principal at Patterson Elementary)
- Motion: Made and seconded
- Vote: Approved unanimously
- Ms. Kionis addressed the board, thanking her family, mentor Mr. Desina, and colleagues. She reflected on her journey from high school geometry teacher to elementary educator within CISD.
9B: Birnham Woods Elementary School Principal
- Recommended: Madely Buckley (currently Assistant Principal at Birnham Woods)
- Motion: Made and seconded
- Vote: Approved unanimously
- Ms. Buckley thanked family (husband Mike, parents Debbie and Tommy, son Blake) and pledged to continue fostering high academic achievement and meaningful relationships.
9C: Bozman Intermediate School Principal
- Recommended: Amber Debomont (currently Assistant Principal at Bozman Intermediate)
- Motion: Made and seconded
- Vote: Approved unanimously
- Ms. Debomont thanked her husband Troy, family members, and mentors including Dr. Curtis Knowles who originally hired her into CISD. She spoke about instilling in children the belief that "dreams do come true."
9D: Travis Intermediate School Principal
- Recommended: Sharita Smith (currently Assistant Principal at an elementary school)
- Motion: Made and seconded
- Vote: Approved unanimously
- Ms. Smith thanked her family (husband Darius, daughter Taylor, mother Charlotte, mother-in-law Phyllis, and extended family) and acknowledged Principal Mrs. Willman for giving her the opportunity to join CISD two years ago.
Item 3 — Consent Agenda
- No items were requested for removal.
- Motion: Made and seconded to approve consent agenda as presented.
- Vote: Approved unanimously.
Item 4A — Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) Amendment: New Intermediate School (Oakridge-Pheeter Zone, Flex 18)
- Presenter: Mr. Foster
- Marshall Construction selected as construction manager at risk (August 2016).
- GMP negotiated: $25,491,428
- The school will serve grades 5–6.
- Motion: Made and seconded.
- Discussion: A board member asked about grade configuration; confirmed as a 5–6 intermediate school.
- Vote: Approved unanimously.
Item 4B — GMP Amendment: District-Wide Safety & Security Upgrades, Phase 2
- Presenter: Mr. Foster
- Ellis Ware Constructors serving as construction manager at risk (selected March 2016).
- Phase 1 realized some savings; portion of those savings fund Phase 2.
- Phase 2 GMP: $3,914,677
- Phase 2 covers 5 security vestibules and additional camera/security work at 15–16 campuses.
- Discussion:
- Board member asked if this completes all safety/security work district-wide. Answer: No. Additional safety and security scope is being incorporated into other capital improvement projects for efficiency.
- Work is done primarily overnight and does not require waiting for summer.
- Motion: Made and seconded.
- Vote: Approved unanimously.
Capital Improvement Update (Informational)
Presenter: Mr. Foster
| Project | Status |
|---|---|
| College Park Robotics Addition | Weather delays impacted schedule; building now in dry condition; all materials on site; interior finishing progressing rapidly |
| Network Operations Center (Data Center) | On schedule; data center racks nearing installation; electrical infrastructure upgraded over spring break; utility upgrade underway |
| Life Cycle 2017 Projects | Roofing at Glade Elementary and Bush Elementary (overnight work); cafetorium floors replaced at Creighton Elementary and Anderson Elementary; track/softball work at Caney Creek HS |
| Knox Junior High & Woodlands Transportation Center | Knox: 10-classroom science addition foundations complete, slab poured; field house expansion underway. Transportation Center: interior nearing finishes; building expansion foundations drilled. On schedule for August turnover |
| Safety & Security Phase 1 | Complete; ~1,000 cameras at 17 locations being commissioned |
| Lucille Bradley Elementary (Flex 17) | On schedule; opens August 2017; roofing complete; masonry expected done in 30 days; technology installation in April |
| Grand Oaks High School | On schedule; opens August 2018; building structure largely complete; roofing progressing; athletic fields developing; interior systems (mechanical, piping, classrooms) coming together |
Item 5A — Finance Reports
Presenter: Duran Rice
General Fund Balance Sheet
- Cash on hand: $500
- Bank deposits: $345,000
- Investment pool: $208 million
- Short-term investments (<1 year): $73.5 million
- Longer-term investments (TCG): $51.1 million
- Total cash & investments: $333.5 million
Property Tax Collections
- 96.02% collected — ahead of prior year pace
Projected Fund Balance Changes
- General Fund: increase of ~$5.1 million (unchanged from prior month)
- Debt Service: increase of ~$882,000
- Child Nutrition: slight increase of ~$81,000
2015 Bond Referendum Status
- Expended/encumbered: $248.5 million
- Estimate to complete: $268.8 million
- Project forecast: $517.3 million
- Remaining contingency: ~$2.9 million
Self-Funded Insurance
- February: revenues of $3.8M vs. expenses of $3.0M = $769K surplus
- Year-to-date surplus: $3.2 million
- Estimated runoff liability: $4.6 million; approximately $1.4 million short of full funding goal but trending positively
Investments
- Total par value: $602 million
- Pool WAM: 1 day, yielding 88.5 basis points
- Short-term WAM: 133 days, yielding 1.16%
- TCG WAM: 550 days, yielding 1.10%
- Combined portfolio WAM: 60 days, yielding 94 basis points
- Benchmark (90-day T-bill): 50 basis points
Item 6 — Executive Session
- No executive session was held (principal naming items were handled during open session).
Item 8A — Local Policy Manual Update 107
Presenter: Ms. Gladys (Legal Counsel)
- Majority of changes are to legal policies driven by new administrative code regulations and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) implementation.
- Key changes include:
- Sexual misconduct provisions: New requirement that all schools have policies prohibiting employees from aiding another employee/contractor in obtaining a new position if there is reason to believe that person engaged in sexual misconduct with a student or minor.
- DBD — Employee Conflicts of Interest: Clarification that retired teachers/administrators are not prohibited from holding office on city or government boards; updated vendor gift prohibitions.
- AF — District of Innovation: New policy acknowledging CISD's status as a District of Innovation.
- EB — School Year Start Date: Updated to link to the District of Innovation plan on the website, reflecting the district's exemption from the state-mandated start date.
- This was a first reading/informational item. Formal adoption of local policies in Update 107 will be brought back at a future meeting. Staff is still reviewing for any additional changes.
Adjournment
- Motion to adjourn: Made and seconded.
- Meeting adjourned.
These are unofficial notes based on an auto-generated transcript and are intended to provide a general summary of the meeting proceedings. For official minutes, please refer to the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees approved meeting minutes.