November 13, 2018 — Regular Meeting
Conroe ISD Board Meeting — 2018-11-13
Regular Meeting — Unofficial Notes
Based on auto-generated transcript. Not an official record.
Generated 2026-03-27 21:44 UTC
Unofficial Meeting Notes
Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees
Regular Meeting — November 13, 2018
Note: These are unofficial notes based on an auto-generated transcript of the board meeting. They may contain errors or omissions. For official minutes, please consult the district.
Opening (6:00 PM)
- Call to Order: Board President Melanie Bush called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM, confirming a quorum was present and proper notice was posted.
- Invocation: Mr. Moore led the invocation, offering thanks for veterans in honor of Veterans Day week and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday season.
- Presentation of Colors: The Woodlands Air Force Junior ROTC presented colors under the direction of Chief Rick Robinson.
- Pledges: Students from Buckalew and Deretchin Elementary Schools (Ashlynn Reeves, Parker Reeves, and Macy Price) led the U.S. and Texas pledges.
Item 2A: National Merit Scholarship Student Recognitions
Mr. Colschen presented. Over 1.6 million juniors nationwide took the PSAT/NMSQT in October 2017. Tonight's recognition honored Conroe ISD seniors named as National Merit Semi-Finalists (top 1% nationally).
19 semi-finalists were recognized:
Nicole Bealer, Jill Bonet, Christopher Calizzi, Michael Cao, Genevieve Childers, Ankit Chowdhury, Shobha Dasari, Naha Deshmook, Sonia He, Rose Hurdayeargen, Sara Kong, Conner Kountapanya, Michelle Lang, Sithija Manage, Jessica Meyers, Dominique O'Neal, Kelly Shen, Sebastian Vasquez, and Abby Verzwyvelt.
A board member congratulated the students, noting the program has existed since 1955 and that the recognition will remain on their resumes throughout their careers.
Item 2B: 2018 UIL 6A Boys Cross-Country State Champions — The Woodlands High School
Dr. Landry introduced Head Coach Juris Green, who presented the team.
Key highlights:
- This is the program's 21st state title and 40th consecutive trip to the State Meet.
- The team was pre-season ranked 12th in Texas; finished #1 in Texas and #16 nationally.
- All seven runners achieved personal bests at the state meet on November 3rd in Round Rock.
- The team started the season with only one returning varsity runner, four former JV runners, and two sophomores who had never run a 5K.
- No seniors are on the team — all runners will return next year.
Team members recognized: Coach Chris Bales (assistant), Spencer Cardinal (3rd place individually), Ethan Hammer (9th place), Aaron Soltmann, Joshua English, Matias Mononen, Ben Amundson, and Brian Sewell.
Item 2C: The Woodlands High School UIL Class 6A Lone Star Cup Winner
Dr. Landry presented. This recognition was originally attempted months earlier but was delayed due to power issues in the boardroom.
Key highlights:
- The Lone Star Cup rewards the best overall academic, athletic, and music programs in the state.
- The Woodlands' 7th Lone Star Cup — the most of any 6A high school in Texas.
- Second consecutive Lone Star Cup victory.
- 117 total UIL Lone Star Cup points earned in 2017-18.
- Points earned through state championships in girls swimming/diving, boys cross-country, boys track and field; state runner-up in boys swimming/diving; state bronze in girls golf and volleyball; plus points from team tennis, football, basketball, soccer, softball, and baseball.
Coaches recognized: Terri Wade (volleyball), Jeremy Wade (boys swimming/diving), Noel Hansen (girls cross-country/track), Jason Fanning (boys soccer), Tim Bortz (softball), Ron Eastman (baseball), Juris Green (boys cross-country/track), and Coach Dina Graves (girls soccer/assistant AD, who presented).
Item 2D: The Woodlands High School Feeder Zone Recognition
This was the second installment of a new tradition recognizing feeder zones. Board President Bush noted this was especially meaningful as her final board meeting.
Feeder zone principals recognized:
- Jill Price (Buckalew Elementary), Judy Mills (Bush Elementary), Alicia Reeves (Deretchin Elementary), Denae Wilker (Galatas Elementary), Cassie Hertzenberg (Glen Loch Elementary), Shawn Creswell (Coulson Tough Elementary), Paula Klapesky (Mitchell Intermediate), Chris McCord (McCullough Junior High), Dr. Ted Landry (The Woodlands High School), and Jill Malpass Hauser (TWHS Ninth Grade Campus, who introduced the group).
Student/Community Presentations:
1. The Woodlands High School Improv Troupe — Performed improvisational comedy ("Beastie Boys" rhyming game). Coach Matthew Peters noted the group has raised over $130,000 for charities in five years through their performances.
2. Deretchin Elementary Kindness Rocks — Sixth-grade students (Bailey Venar, Ashley Mope, Jane Ackermen, Ada, and Ama) presented on their Kindness Rocks project, where students paint encouraging messages on rocks. They presented each board member with a kindness rock.
3. McCullough Junior High Bicycle Drive — Principal Chris McCord and 8th-grader Grace Creswell (also a CISD Student Leadership Academy member) presented on the CISD Children in Santa's Dreams project. McCullough's niche is donating bicycles — over 200 new bikes were donated last year. Bike drive donations accepted through December 7th, with a bike parade on December 7th at 8:00 AM.
4. PIE (Patrons Influencing Education) Award — Presented to Carol Durkee, who has served on CISD PTA/PTO boards for 22 years across multiple campuses (Bush Elementary, Galatas Elementary, Mitchell Intermediate, McCullough, and The Woodlands High School). Her service included multiple terms as PTO President, numerous committee chairs, and extensive volunteer work. She received the Texas Teacher Association Friend of Education Award (2011-12) and the Interfaith of The Woodlands Five Who Share Education Award (2013). She was presented with a pie as part of the award tradition.
5. Highlander Mascot & Feeder Zone Students led a "Go Highlanders!" cheer to conclude the segment.
Item 2E: Board Member Recognition — Melanie Bush
Dr. Null recognized outgoing Board President Melanie Bush at her final board meeting. He praised her as:
- A champion for all students
- An advocate for employees
- A strong communicator with the public
- Particularly noted for championing mental health departments in the district
Bush noted she was leaving the board for a county position but would remain a parent in the district.
Item 2F: Citizen Participation
Speaker 1: Joshua Jaros
- Described an incident (captured on video viewed over 85,000 times) where he was denied access to have lunch with his children at Birnham Woods Elementary as a divorced father.
- Stated his custody agreement allows school access and argued the Texas Family Code guarantees parental access to school activities without restriction from the other parent.
- Noted that the children's mother later texted she would have given permission and has since filled out a form.
- Reported hearing from other Conroe ISD parents with similar access issues, including a father told he couldn't attend a father-daughter dance because it wasn't his possession time.
- Stated the superintendent called him the next day; her main concern was whether he had hired an attorney.
- Advocated for parental involvement in schools, citing research on the benefits of father involvement and school safety.
Speaker 2: Michael Clifton
- Spoke in support of Mr. Jaros's concerns.
- Argued that the district's denial of parental access conflicts with federal and state law.
- Noted that CISD's own website publications and internal documents appear to be in conflict with each other and with applicable laws on this topic.
- Urged the board to review internal documents and policies, specifically a document titled as a "notice" that he said is not compliant with CISD's own policies.
- Encouraged the district to bring parents more into the fold.
Item 3: Consent Agenda
Motion to approve: Made and seconded.
Vote: Approved unanimously (no items pulled for separate discussion).
Item 4A: 2017-18 SAT/ACT, Advanced Placement, and High School Completion Results
Mr. Colschen presented a comprehensive academic data report.
Graduation Rate:
- Class of 2017: 95.6% (state: 89.7%)
- Class of 2018: 3,957 graduates; 94.8% earned one or more endorsements; 7,638 total endorsements awarded
- Of non-graduates: ~1% receive GED, ~2% return to complete requirements, ~1% classified as dropouts (significantly below state dropout rate)
SAT Results:
- 2,454 SATs administered in 2017-18 (steady increase over the years)
- Evidence-Based Reading/Writing average: 576 (national: 536; state: ~524)
- Math average: 572 (national: 520; state: ~512)
- Composite: 1,148 (nearly 100 points above national, 116 above state)
- CISD saw a 5-point composite gain from 2017 to 2018 while national scores declined
Board discussion: A board member requested future data showing SAT participation as a percentage of eligible students, not just raw numbers, to better account for district growth.
National Merit Semi-Finalists:
- Increased from 16 (2018) to 40 (2019)
- Texas is one of the top 10 most competitive states for semi-finalist designation
ACT Results:
- Participation continues to increase (though SAT remains more popular in Texas)
- Composite and all subject area scores significantly above state and national averages
- College readiness: 74% met English benchmark, 58% math, 62% social studies, 43% science; 42% met all four benchmarks
Advanced Placement:
- 4,812 students took AP exams; nearly 10,000 total exams administered
- Mean score: 2.99 (up from 2.89; above state and national)
- Most popular exams: World History (sophomore) and AP Human Geography (freshman) — demonstrating early AP culture building
- Both AP and dual credit programs are growing simultaneously
Dual Credit:
- Partnership with Lone Star College
- Participation increased by 1,800 students over five years
- 3,917 students took dual credit courses in 2017-18
- English most popular, followed by history, math, and Spanish
- Workforce programs (EMT, CNC) showing strong growth; CISD students outperforming peers from other districts
Industry-Based Certifications:
- 3,643 certifications awarded in 2017-18 (up from 2,190 in 2017)
- Most popular: ChildCare Education Institute (904) and ServSafe Food Handlers (743)
Post-High School Plans:
- 50%+ attend four-year college
- ~30% attend two-year college
- ~14% plan to work full-time
- Smaller percentages: vocational/technical school or military
- Most popular four-year universities: Texas A&M (leading), Sam Houston State, UT Austin, University of Houston (growing)
Item 4B: Texas Accountability Summary and TELPAS Results 2017-18
Dr. Hines presented.
TELPAS:
- Scoring system changed in spring 2018; results cannot be compared year-over-year
- District continues to receive English learners at all grade levels (not just pre-K)
State Accountability (A-F System):
- Overall District Rating: B (89)
- Domain 1 (Student Achievement): 89 (state: 76) — scaled down from what would have been an A due to one campus in improvement required status
- Domain 2 (School Progress): 88 (Part B, relative performance — better of two parts)
- Domain 3 (Closing Performance Gaps): 93% of targets met (85 of 91), up from 86% prior year
Board discussion:
- A board member noted the district would have received an A but was scaled down due to one campus in improvement required status, and that campus's status was affected by continually changing standards.
- Lowest performing race/ethnicity groups targeted: Pacific Islanders (reading growth) and African American, economically disadvantaged, English learner, and special education populations (graduation rate).
- Board member raised concern about measuring campuses on specific ethnicity groups that may have very few or no students of that group on a given campus.
Distinction Designations:
- 38% of available distinctions earned district-wide
- Performance compared favorably to like districts
Item 4C: Approval of 2018-2019 Campus Improvement Plans
Dr. Phillips and Mr. Colschen presented. Plans are developed annually by principals with site-based teams, aligned with the district improvement plan.
Areas addressed: Student achievement, post-secondary success, staff recruitment/development/retention, parent/community engagement, school safety, and technology.
Motion to approve: Made and seconded.
Vote: Approved unanimously.
Item 4D: Approval of 2018-2019 District Improvement Plan
Dr. Hines presented. Required by state law; developed by the superintendent with the district-level planning and decision-making committee.
Motion to approve: Made and seconded.
Vote: Approved unanimously.
Item 5A: 2019-2020 Calendar Information (Informational)
Dr. Hines presented the timeline and parameters for developing the 2019-2020 school calendar.
Timeline:
- District-level planning committee meeting the following day
- Draft calendars expected by end of week or after Thanksgiving break
- Public feedback period during December
- Target: Board recommendation on January 15, 2019
Key Parameters:
- District of Innovation status allows start before the state-mandated date (August 26)
- 187 teacher work days; 75,600 student minutes required (76,440 with two built-in inclement weather days)
- Four early release days (end of each nine-week period) with waiver to count full-day minutes
- Up to three staff development days with minute waiver
Popular Features from Recent Calendars:
- Mid-week start (very popular; avoids starting on Monday)
- Finishing in May (popular; some requesting finish before Memorial Day, though very difficult)
- Full week off for Thanksgiving
- October holiday (made possible by early start)
- Built-in inclement weather days (used last year; avoided make-up days)
Significant Board Discussion — Elections and School Safety:
- A board member formally requested that the committee consider Election Day (March 3, 2020 primary) as a potential student holiday or staff development day.
- 25 CISD schools served as voting sites in 2018.
- Reports of aggressive electioneering within car rider lines (outside the 100-foot boundary but still on school property), including people knocking on car windows with children inside.
- Some parents reportedly didn't drop off their children and drove through car rider lines; others threatened to keep kids home on future election days.
- Discussion about whether enforcement falls on election judges or school police.
- Board acknowledged challenges: a Tuesday holiday creates childcare burdens; unsupervised children at home raises its own safety concerns.
- One suggestion: Align spring break with the March primary week to avoid the issue, though acknowledged it would be an unusually early spring break.
- Dr. Hines noted that November 2020 presidential election is already on the committee's radar for the following year's calendar.
- Multiple board members expressed differing views — some seeing educational value in students witnessing voter participation, others prioritizing safety concerns.
- Dr. Hines confirmed CISD police cover all polling sites on Election Day and campuses have safety plans, but acknowledged the inherent tension of limiting building access all year then opening doors on Election Day.
Item 5D: Capital Improvements Update
Mr. Foster presented construction updates on multiple projects.
| Project | Status | Target Completion |
|---|---|---|
| Suchma Elementary (new school) | On schedule; slab pours, structure, building systems underway despite rain delays | August 2019 |
| Austin Elementary (addition) | On schedule; slab complete, structure going up, building systems being installed | August 2019 |
| Irons Junior High (classroom addition) | Exterior essentially done; interior finishing (carpet, AC turned on); furniture after Thanksgiving, technology to follow | Ready after winter break |
| Stockton Junior High (new school) | Structure and slab going in, parking lots underway | August 2020 |
| Conroe High School (addition/renovation) | Nearing completion; interior finishing; furniture first week of December; technology installation to follow | Ready after winter break |
Board members praised the Conroe High School addition as "beautiful" and "gorgeous."
Item 6A: Financial Reports
Mr. Rice presented October financial statements.
General Fund Cash & Investments:
- Total cash and investments: $154.1 million
- State pools: $41.6M
- Woodforest National Bank: $30.3M
- Short-term investments: $29.7M
- TCG Investment Advisors (longer-term): $52M
Property Tax Collections:
- A large mortgage company payment was received in October (unusual; typically begins in November)
2015 Bond Referendum Status:
- School referendum: $487M + $41.4M board contribution
- Funds expended/encumbered: $487.3M
- Estimated to complete: $37.4M
- Project forecast: $524M
- Contingency remaining: ~$3.7 million (expected to increase as projects close out)
Self-Funded Insurance:
- YTD revenues: $8.3M; expenses: $7.8M; net positive: $475K
- Experiencing unusually high claims — multiple individual claims exceeding $50,000; being monitored
Wellness Centers:
- October: 608 patient visits; 1,120 year-to-date
Investment Portfolio:
- Par value: $365.9M
- Combined yield: 2.25% (matching the 90-day T-bill benchmark for the first time)
- Weighted Average Maturity (WAM): 48 days
- No opportunity to sell longer-term investments due to rising interest rate environment
Closed Session (8:04 PM)
The board entered closed session for matters authorized under:
- Section 551.072 (Real Property)
- Section 551.074 (Personnel Matters)
Reconvene Open Session (8:53 PM)
The board reconvened. No action items were reported from closed session in the transcript.
Summary of Votes
| Item | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Consent Agenda (Item 3) | Approved as presented | Passed unanimously |
| 2018-19 Campus Improvement Plans (Item 4C) | Approved | Passed unanimously |
| 2018-19 District Improvement Plan (Item 4D) | Approved | Passed unanimously |
Notable Items
- Outgoing Board President: Melanie Bush presided over her final meeting; recognized by Dr. Null for championing students, employees, and mental health programs.
- Parental Access Concern: Two citizens raised concerns about divorced parents being denied access to children at school events, citing potential conflicts with Texas Family Code. The board did not take action (item not on agenda) but heard the presentations.
- Election Day/School Safety: Board formally requested the calendar committee examine making Election Day a non-student day, citing safety and electioneering concerns at the 25 schools serving as polling places.
- No seniors on state championship cross-country team — entire roster returns for 2019-20.
- Self-funded insurance experiencing higher-than-typical claims; district monitoring closely.