{
  "id": "2018-02-20_regular",
  "meeting_date": "2018-02-20",
  "meeting_type": "regular",
  "meeting_types": [
    "regular"
  ],
  "title": "Conroe ISD Board Meeting — February 20, 2018",
  "date_display": "February 20, 2018",
  "type_display": "Regular Meeting",
  "types_display": [
    "Regular Meeting"
  ],
  "item_count": 0,
  "has_agenda": false,
  "has_notes": true,
  "pdf_filename": null,
  "packet_url": null,
  "generated_at": "2026-06-18T19:45:20.502983Z",
  "highlights": "",
  "sections": [],
  "agenda_breakdown_md": "",
  "meeting_notes_md": "# Conroe ISD Board Meeting — 2018-02-20\n*Regular Meeting — Unofficial Notes*\n*Based on auto-generated transcript. Not an official record.*\n*Generated 2026-03-27 21:27 UTC*\n\n---\n\n# Unofficial Meeting Notes\n## Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees\n### Regular Meeting — February 20, 2018\n\n---\n\n*These are unofficial notes based on an auto-generated transcript and may contain errors or omissions.*\n\n---\n\n## Opening\n\n- **Moment of Silence** held in remembrance of:\n  - Victims of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida\n  - **Mr. Kirk Slan** (phonetic), a retired CISD educator who served the district for over 40 years and passed away the prior week\n- **Invocation** delivered by Board President Bush, asking for comfort for grieving families, continued protection of students and staff, and wisdom in decision-making\n- **Color Guard Presentation** by JROTC cadets\n\n---\n\n## Recognitions\n\n### TMEA All-State Music Students\n**Presenter:** Bob Horton, Coordinator of Fine Arts\n\n- **32 Conroe ISD students** were named Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State musicians\n- 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\n- Students represented multiple high schools: Conroe High School, Oak Ridge High School, The Woodlands High School, and The Woodlands College Park High School\n- Students were recognized across **orchestra, band, and choir** categories\n- Numerous fine arts teachers were acknowledged for their support\n- **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\n\n---\n\n## Public Participation\n\n### Speaker: Teresa de Mayo (age 16)\n- Identified herself as the Texas state representative for **Be Strong Global**, an organization focused on bullying prevention\n- Addressed the board regarding **school safety and bullying**, prompted by recent national events and personal experience\n- 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\n- Stated that law enforcement spoke to the student but she felt insufficient action was taken\n- 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\n- Made several requests/pleas to the board:\n  - Listen more attentively to students reporting concerns\n  - Arm teachers with **resources and knowledge** rather than weapons\n  - Consider **metal detectors** in schools\n  - Invest in bullying prevention programs\n  - Do not dismiss student concerns as trivial\n- Shared that an 8th-grade teacher once intervened and prevented her own suicide, emphasizing the importance of caring adults in schools\n- **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**\n\n---\n\n## Consent Agenda (Item 3)\n\n- No items were requested for removal\n- **Motion to approve:** Made and seconded\n- **Vote: Approved unanimously (voice vote)**\n\n---\n\n## Action Items\n\n### Item 4A — Naming of Principal, Schneider Elementary\n- **Dr. Stockton** recommended **Crystal Poncho** (phonetic) as the new principal of Schneider Elementary\n- Ms. Poncho thanked the board, acknowledged mentors (Principal Lindsey Ardoin, Dr. Edith Upshaw, Dr. Christine Butler), and introduced her family\n- **Vote: Approved unanimously (voice vote)**\n\n### Item 5A — Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) Amendment: New K-6 School, Oak Ridge Feeder Zone (Flex 19)\n**Presenter:** EZ Foster\n\n- **Marshall Construction Company** was selected as CM-at-Risk on April 18, 2017\n- Negotiated GMP: **$24,986,119**\n- School to be located in the Oak Ridge feeder zone\n- **Vote: Approved unanimously (voice vote)**\n\n### Item 5B — Award of RFQ 18-01-01: Two-Way Radios for Transportation Department\n**Presenter:** EZ Foster and team (Bob King, Sam Davila, Sgt. Matt Latelock, Steve Mirror)\n\n- Recommended awarding contract to **Motorola Solutions** through the HGAC cooperative contract\n- Estimated expenditure: **$975,967.88**\n- Five vendors submitted responses meeting specifications; Motorola had the **best price** among qualifying vendors\n- Key goals of the new radio system:\n  - Enable direct communication with the Police Department during emergencies (no patching)\n  - Utilize Montgomery County's tower infrastructure for improved, reliable coverage\n  - Latest digital technology; expandable as district grows\n  - Monthly tower use fee to county; eliminates district's need to maintain its own towers\n- **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.\n- **Vote: Approved unanimously (voice vote)**\n\n### Item 6A — Award of RFP 17-01-018: Contracted Educational Services, Professional Development & Consulting\n**Presenter:** Darrin Rice\n\n- Recommended awarding contracts to **13 vendors** listed on attached tabulation\n- Estimated annual expenditure: **$8,000** (for this batch)\n- To date, **202 vendors out of approximately 350** have been awarded since June 2017\n- Total included in previously awarded annual estimate of **$1.5 million**\n- Contracts firm through **February 28, 2019**, with option to renew annually for four additional one-year terms (through February 2023)\n- **Vote: Approved unanimously (voice vote)**\n\n---\n\n## Information/Reports\n\n### Item 5C — Capital Improvement Updates\n**Presenter:** EZ Foster\n\n- **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)\n- **Katherine Johnson Clark Intermediate:** Scheduled to open **August 2018**; on schedule; focus on closing in front of building; interior finishes (library, hallway painting) progressing\n- **Lifecycle 2018 Projects:** Work underway at North Maintenance Facility; planning for spring break work at various campuses; summer master planning in progress\n- **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\n- All projects reported as **on schedule**\n\n### Item 6B — Financial Reports (January)\n**Presenter:** Darrin Rice\n\n- **General Fund Cash & Investments:** $345.3 million total\n  - State pool investments: $234 million\n  - Short-term investments: $59.4 million\n  - Longer-term investments (TCG): $51.9 million\n- **General Fund:** Projected increase to fund balance of approximately **$5 million**\n- **Child Nutrition:** Projected increase of approximately **$970,000**\n- **2015 Bond Referendum Status:**\n  - Expended/encumbered: **$347.4 million**\n  - Estimate to complete: **$166.4 million** (includes Flex 19 ~$28M and new junior high)\n  - Total project forecast: **$513.8 million**\n  - Remaining contingency: **~$6.4 million** of the **$520 million** bond program\n- **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)\n- **Investment Portfolio:** Total par value $714.9 million; combined yield ~1.52%; benchmark 90-day T-bill at 1.43%\n\n### Item 7A — Local Policy Manual Update 110\n**Presenter:** Ms. Gloves (phonetic)\n\n- Small update containing **one local policy** revision\n- Prompted by the legislative session; reorganized the board election section (BE section) for improved usability\n- Streamlined language, added information, included details about terms and elections\n- Board will be asked to **adopt next month**; no action taken at this meeting\n\n---\n\n## Closed (Executive) Session\n\n- Board entered closed session at **6:46 PM** under Section 551.074 of the Texas Open Meetings Act\n- No final actions, decisions, or votes from closed session were reported in the transcript\n\n---\n\n## Summary of Votes\n\n| Item | Description | Outcome |\n|------|-------------|---------|\n| Item 3 | Consent Agenda | **Approved** (unanimous voice vote) |\n| Item 4A | Principal of Schneider Elementary (Crystal Poncho) | **Approved** (unanimous voice vote) |\n| Item 5A | GMP for Flex 19 (new K-6 school) — $24,986,119 | **Approved** (unanimous voice vote) |\n| Item 5B | Two-way radios (Motorola) — $975,967.88 | **Approved** (unanimous voice vote) |\n| Item 6A | Contracted educational services — 13 vendors | **Approved** (unanimous voice vote) |\n\n---\n\n*Note: These are unofficial notes generated from an automated transcript. For official minutes, please refer to records published by Conroe ISD.*"
}