February 20, 2018 — Regular Meeting
Conroe ISD Board Meeting — 2018-02-20
Regular Meeting — Unofficial Notes
Based on auto-generated transcript. Not an official record.
Generated 2026-03-27 21:27 UTC
Unofficial Meeting Notes
Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees
Regular Meeting — February 20, 2018
These are unofficial notes based on an auto-generated transcript and may contain errors or omissions.
Opening
- Moment of Silence held in remembrance of:
- Victims of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida
- Mr. Kirk Slan (phonetic), a retired CISD educator who served the district for over 40 years and passed away the prior week
- Invocation delivered by Board President Bush, asking for comfort for grieving families, continued protection of students and staff, and wisdom in decision-making
- Color Guard Presentation by JROTC cadets
Recognitions
TMEA All-State Music Students
Presenter: Bob Horton, Coordinator of Fine Arts
- 32 Conroe ISD students were named Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State musicians
- The All-State selection process begins with over 68,000 students statewide across 33 TMEA regions; fewer than 3% (approximately 1,700) earn All-State designation
- Students represented multiple high schools: Conroe High School, Oak Ridge High School, The Woodlands High School, and The Woodlands College Park High School
- Students were recognized across orchestra, band, and choir categories
- Numerous fine arts teachers were acknowledged for their support
- President Bush offered extended congratulations, emphasizing the board's commitment to fine arts education, the scientific benefits of music study, and encouraging students to continue pursuing music
Public Participation
Speaker: Teresa de Mayo (age 16)
- Identified herself as the Texas state representative for Be Strong Global, an organization focused on bullying prevention
- Addressed the board regarding school safety and bullying, prompted by recent national events and personal experience
- Shared a personal account from October 17, 2017, in which a friend expressed thoughts of committing a school shooting at an CISD school due to being bullied. She recorded the conversation and reported it to her mother, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department, and CISD police
- Stated that law enforcement spoke to the student but she felt insufficient action was taken
- Reported that she and her mother emailed school principals and counselors with videos but received no response; the student reportedly received only a few days of in-school suspension
- Made several requests/pleas to the board:
- Listen more attentively to students reporting concerns
- Arm teachers with resources and knowledge rather than weapons
- Consider metal detectors in schools
- Invest in bullying prevention programs
- Do not dismiss student concerns as trivial
- Shared that an 8th-grade teacher once intervened and prevented her own suicide, emphasizing the importance of caring adults in schools
- President Bush thanked her for her courage and respectful presentation, but noted the board could not discuss or act on the matter as it was not a posted agenda item
Consent Agenda (Item 3)
- No items were requested for removal
- Motion to approve: Made and seconded
- Vote: Approved unanimously (voice vote)
Action Items
Item 4A — Naming of Principal, Schneider Elementary
- Dr. Stockton recommended Crystal Poncho (phonetic) as the new principal of Schneider Elementary
- Ms. Poncho thanked the board, acknowledged mentors (Principal Lindsey Ardoin, Dr. Edith Upshaw, Dr. Christine Butler), and introduced her family
- Vote: Approved unanimously (voice vote)
Item 5A — Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) Amendment: New K-6 School, Oak Ridge Feeder Zone (Flex 19)
Presenter: EZ Foster
- Marshall Construction Company was selected as CM-at-Risk on April 18, 2017
- Negotiated GMP: $24,986,119
- School to be located in the Oak Ridge feeder zone
- Vote: Approved unanimously (voice vote)
Item 5B — Award of RFQ 18-01-01: Two-Way Radios for Transportation Department
Presenter: EZ Foster and team (Bob King, Sam Davila, Sgt. Matt Latelock, Steve Mirror)
- Recommended awarding contract to Motorola Solutions through the HGAC cooperative contract
- Estimated expenditure: $975,967.88
- Five vendors submitted responses meeting specifications; Motorola had the best price among qualifying vendors
- Key goals of the new radio system:
- Enable direct communication with the Police Department during emergencies (no patching)
- Utilize Montgomery County's tower infrastructure for improved, reliable coverage
- Latest digital technology; expandable as district grows
- Monthly tower use fee to county; eliminates district's need to maintain its own towers
- Board discussion: Questions about lowest bid — clarified that two lower bids did not meet specifications. Discussion about coverage reliability across the large district geography, especially referencing Hurricane Harvey communications challenges.
- Vote: Approved unanimously (voice vote)
Item 6A — Award of RFP 17-01-018: Contracted Educational Services, Professional Development & Consulting
Presenter: Darrin Rice
- Recommended awarding contracts to 13 vendors listed on attached tabulation
- Estimated annual expenditure: $8,000 (for this batch)
- To date, 202 vendors out of approximately 350 have been awarded since June 2017
- Total included in previously awarded annual estimate of $1.5 million
- Contracts firm through February 28, 2019, with option to renew annually for four additional one-year terms (through February 2023)
- Vote: Approved unanimously (voice vote)
Information/Reports
Item 5C — Capital Improvement Updates
Presenter: EZ Foster
- Grand Oaks High School: Scheduled to open August 2018; on schedule; ~90% closed in; exterior site work (turn lanes, athletic venues, fire lanes) taking shape; interior finishes progressing (softball turf installed, practice gyms, restroom fixtures)
- Katherine Johnson Clark Intermediate: Scheduled to open August 2018; on schedule; focus on closing in front of building; interior finishes (library, hallway painting) progressing
- Lifecycle 2018 Projects: Work underway at North Maintenance Facility; planning for spring break work at various campuses; summer master planning in progress
- Conroe High School Addition: Building addition on schedule for completion December 2018; central plant largely complete with equipment in place; major mechanical renovation of main campus building to follow
- All projects reported as on schedule
Item 6B — Financial Reports (January)
Presenter: Darrin Rice
- General Fund Cash & Investments: $345.3 million total
- State pool investments: $234 million
- Short-term investments: $59.4 million
- Longer-term investments (TCG): $51.9 million
- General Fund: Projected increase to fund balance of approximately $5 million
- Child Nutrition: Projected increase of approximately $970,000
- 2015 Bond Referendum Status:
- Expended/encumbered: $347.4 million
- Estimate to complete: $166.4 million (includes Flex 19 ~$28M and new junior high)
- Total project forecast: $513.8 million
- Remaining contingency: ~$6.4 million of the $520 million bond program
- Self-Funded Insurance: January showed a monthly loss (attributed to flu season), but year-to-date performance remains positive — revenues of ~$20 million vs. expenses of ~$17 million (surplus of ~$3 million); wellness center participation strong (~$640 supplant figure)
- Investment Portfolio: Total par value $714.9 million; combined yield ~1.52%; benchmark 90-day T-bill at 1.43%
Item 7A — Local Policy Manual Update 110
Presenter: Ms. Gloves (phonetic)
- Small update containing one local policy revision
- Prompted by the legislative session; reorganized the board election section (BE section) for improved usability
- Streamlined language, added information, included details about terms and elections
- Board will be asked to adopt next month; no action taken at this meeting
Closed (Executive) Session
- Board entered closed session at 6:46 PM under Section 551.074 of the Texas Open Meetings Act
- No final actions, decisions, or votes from closed session were reported in the transcript
Summary of Votes
| Item | Description | Outcome |
|------|-------------|---------|
| Item 3 | Consent Agenda | Approved (unanimous voice vote) |
| Item 4A | Principal of Schneider Elementary (Crystal Poncho) | Approved (unanimous voice vote) |
| Item 5A | GMP for Flex 19 (new K-6 school) — $24,986,119 | Approved (unanimous voice vote) |
| Item 5B | Two-way radios (Motorola) — $975,967.88 | Approved (unanimous voice vote) |
| Item 6A | Contracted educational services — 13 vendors | Approved (unanimous voice vote) |
Note: These are unofficial notes generated from an automated transcript. For official minutes, please refer to records published by Conroe ISD.