Conroe ISD Board Meeting — 2019-07-16

Regular Meeting — Unofficial Notes

Based on auto-generated transcript. Not an official record.

Generated 2026-03-27 22:01 UTC

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Unofficial Meeting Notes

Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees — Regular Meeting

July 16, 2019

Note: These are unofficial notes based on an auto-generated transcript of the board meeting. They are intended to help the public understand what occurred and should not be considered official minutes.

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Members Present

• Datren Williams (Board President)
• Scott Moore
• John Husbands
• Dale Kidd
• Skeeter Hubert
• Ray Sanders
• (One additional member implied by quorum but not individually named in roll — six members are explicitly named during the closed session reading)

Superintendent: Dr. Curtis Null

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Opening

• Meeting called to order at 6:00 PM
• Invocation and Pledges of Allegiance (U.S. and Texas) led by Mr. Hubert

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Awards and Recognition

2A — Conroe ISD Education Foundation Update

Presenters: Nelda Blair (Board Chairman/President of the Foundation) and Maris Blair (Executive Director)

• The Foundation distributed close to $200,000 in scholarships, including:

- Student scholarships for continuing education

- Sam Cable "All Means All" Scholarship — first graduating class; 10 of the original 12 ninth-graders stayed with the program through graduation and are heading to college. Students earned $50 per semester for maintaining GPA and attendance requirements. Sam Cable raises all the funds and mentors the students.

- Paraprofessional scholarships for bilingual and special education staff (24 paraprofessionals received support to obtain bachelor's degrees/teacher certification)

- ~$24,000 additional for employee continuing education (128 scholarships for employees pursuing master's/doctorate degrees)

• 87 "Welcome Back" gift cards ($100 each) given to new teachers who are CISD graduates; BBVA Compass waived all processing fees
• Annual breakfast fundraiser raised $219,000, including scholarship donations from the Gerald Irons Sr. Athletic Scholarship, the Nowak Foundation, and the Dick and Mary Cole Special Education Scholarship
• Mr. Sanders encouraged the Foundation to replicate its model in other districts; Nelda Blair noted they have mentored three other districts in starting their own foundations
• Board members expressed strong appreciation for the Foundation's work

2B — Science Fair Winners Recognition

Presenter: Dr. Susan Caffery, Headmaster of the Academy of Science and Technology

• CISD's local science fair is likely the largest in Texas with over 1,700 students registered
• 8 students earned Grand Awards at the Science and Engineering Fair of Houston
• 46 students advanced to the State Science Fair
• 10 students sent to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) — believed to be the most from any Texas district
• ISEF award winners:

- Adham Kassem — 1st place, $3,000 (plant science)

- Prerit Choudhary — 2nd place, $1,500 + $21,000 scholarship

- Kabir Jolly — 2nd place, $1,500

• Students recognized in person: Adham Kassem, Darryl Previlor (both Class of 2019), and an eighth-grade female student who was recognized for her project at the Texas Science and Engineering Fair ("The Effect of Different Spices on the Regeneration of Planarian Model in Cancer Cells")
• Mr. Moore delivered congratulatory remarks on behalf of the board

2C — Ambassador Awards (District Support Staff)

Presenter: Dr. Heinz

Five support staff members were recognized:

1. Shelly Cartwright — Finance Department (19 years of service; accounts payable coordinator)

2. Susan Dowden — Communications/Print Shop (since 1996)

3. Jennifer Diamond — Curriculum & Instruction/Federal Programs (3 years at CISD; 12 years in education)

4. Richard Rodriguez — Technology Department (since 2016; manages 40,000+ Chromebooks and 16,000+ iPads)

5. Judy Wold — Human Resources/Substitute Specialist (at CISD since 2002)

President Williams praised the behind-the-scenes contributions of support staff.

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Citizen Participation (Item 2D)

• No one signed up to address the board.

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Consent Agenda (Item 3)

• Motion to approve: Made and seconded
• Vote: Unanimous — Approved

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Curriculum and Instruction

4A — 2019 Preliminary STAAR (3–8) and End-of-Course (EOC) Results

Presenters: Dr. Phillips and Dr. Heinz

Key points:

• Scores are preliminary; final scores will be released in August after the state removes non-enrolled student data
• CISD outperformed the state in every tested area at the "Approaches" level
• Elementary highlights:

- 3rd grade reading: CISD 5% above state

- 3rd grade math: CISD 84% vs. state 78%

- 4th grade writing: 4-point gain for CISD

- 5th grade science: CISD 84% vs. state 73%

- 6th grade reading: CISD 11 points above state

• Junior High highlights:

- CISD outperformed state by 4–11% across all seven assessments

- Increases from prior year in 6 of 7 areas

- 8th grade science: notable jump (CISD 88% vs. state 79%)

• High School EOC highlights:

- English I: CISD 77% vs. state 63%

- English II: CISD 77% vs. state 67%

- US History: CISD 97% vs. state 93%

• Board member clarified that STAAR testing applies only to public schools, not private or homeschool

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Administration

5A — Senior Priority Pass Program

Presenter: Sarah Blakelock, Director of Communications

• New program for residents age 60+ living within CISD boundaries
• Provides free admission to CISD athletic events (excluding playoffs) and fine arts events (excluding fundraisers)
• Residents apply, show ID to verify address, and receive a card
• Information will be shared via community newsletters, local newspapers, and the CISD website
• Mr. Hubert asked about accommodating a caregiver; Ms. Blakelock indicated they would likely accommodate that
• Board members expressed strong support, noting it's a good way to keep the community engaged

5B — Capital Improvements Update

Presenter: Danny Phillips (on behalf of Mr. Foster)

Suchma Elementary (New):

• Site progressing well; irrigation and landscaping underway
• Interior classrooms, library, kitchen, and gym nearing completion
• Scheduled to open August 14 — on schedule
• Principal moved in the week of the meeting; technology and furniture installation underway
• On budget; time slightly impacted by rain
• Board members noted the new stone elevation design

Austin Elementary (Additions/Renovation):

• Old 1950s section completely removed; roof work completed
• Classrooms with furniture, carpet, millwork, and technology boards being installed
• Detention pond on west side with fencing; designed for parking lot overflow
• Double-stacking car rider lane and bus drop-off redesigned
• Scheduled to open August 14 — on schedule

Stockton Junior High (New):

• Front elevation and building envelope progressing; interior CMU block and MEP work underway
• Football field, track, and photovoltaic (solar) field visible — approximately 115 rows of panels covering ~4 acres, estimated to provide ~80%+ of the school's energy needs, with sell-back capability in summer
• Scheduled to open August 2020 — on schedule

Conroe High School (Additions/Renovation):

• Two-part project: second-floor academic wing nearing completion (carpet, ceilings, millwork)
• Second floor scheduled to open August 14
• First floor renovation (complete demo and rebuild) scheduled for December/January completion

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Business and Finance

6A — Grease Trap Services (RFP 19-05-02)

• Award to Magna-Flow Environmental Inc. for estimated annual expenditure of $120,000
• 3 vendors responded; advertised twice in Conroe Courier
• Vote: Unanimous — Approved

6B — Gasoline, Diesel, and Propane Fuel (RFQ 19-05-01)

• Award to 5 vendors for estimated annual expenditure of $3.5 million
• 63 vendors invited; 12 responded
• Pricing based on Oil Price Information Services differential; 19% net decrease from current bid
• One-year term with two automatic renewals (through July 2022)
• Mr. Moore asked about potential cost benefits of consolidating fuel types with single vendors; Rice acknowledged it wasn't an evaluation criterion but could be explored in the future
• Mr. Hubert asked about the electronic bidding process reach; Rice confirmed vendor participation has increased with the system
• Vote: Unanimous — Approved

6C — Charter Bus and Student Group Travel Services (RFP 19-04-05)

• Award to 16 vendors for estimated annual expenditure of $571,000
• 16 vendors responded
• Key evaluation criteria: price, insurance compliance, and safety ratings (checked monthly via US Department of Transportation reports)
• Policy on charter bus use changed from a 60-mile threshold to case-by-case approval by the appropriate assistant superintendent
• Booster clubs/support organizations must use vendors from the approved list
• Vote: Unanimous — Approved

6D — Preliminary 2019-2020 Proposed Budget Overview

Presenter: Darrin Rice, CFO

Financial Highlights & Rankings:

• CISD continues to receive State Comptroller transparency awards
• Texas Smart Schools (FAST report): CISD is one of only two districts (out of 1,100+) to receive 5 stars for 10 consecutive years
• ERG ranking: CISD ranked 2nd in the state among the 200 largest districts (behind HEB ISD, which is ~24,000 students vs. CISD's ~64,000)

House Bill 3 (HB3) Impact:

• Increases basic allotment from $5,140 to $6,160 per ADA
• Requires full-day pre-K for eligible 4-year-olds (~$5 million estimated first-year cost)
• 30% of HB3 gain must go to compensation; 75% of that 30% for teachers, librarians, counselors, and nurses
• New allotments: dual language, dyslexia (~$2M), dropout recovery, college/career/military readiness (~$1.5M), fast-growth district (~$14.6M), early education (~$4M), safety/security (~$300K)
• Repealed allotments: gifted and talented, high school, staff allotments (~$8M loss, though G&T program still required)
• Golden pennies increase from 6 to 8; CISD currently accesses 4
• 7-cent compression on Tier One M&O rate

Tax Rate & Property Values:

• Current tax rate: $1.28; CISD is 17.6 cents below peer district average
• Certified property values estimated to grow 5.5%, adding ~$1.9 billion (total: ~$37.7 billion)
• Future AV growth above 2.5% will further compress the M&O rate

Enrollment & Attendance:

• Projected enrollment increase: 1,350 students (total: 64,187)
• ADA percentage increased from 94% to 94.3%

Revenue Summary (2019-2020):

• Tax revenue decrease of ~$7.76M due to 7-cent M&O reduction, offset by discontinuing the $10M annual transfer to debt service
• Net tax revenue increase: $2.24M
• State revenue increase: $45.11M (HB3 + enrollment growth)
• Investment income increase: $1M
• TRS in-kind increase: $5M (offset by matching expenditure)
• Total new revenue: $53.35M

Expenditure Summary (2019-2020):

• Salary increases: $14.05M total

- 3.5% raise for teachers, librarians, nurses, counselors

- Additional $500 for teachers with 6+ years of experience

- 3.5% for pay grade AE levels 1–3; 3% for levels 4–10

- 3% for administrative/business; 3.5% for support/auxiliary/hourly employees

- Beginning teacher salary: $55,500

• New positions: 209.4 (153 campus positions + 56.4 support) at ~$11M
• Program increases (pre-K, CTE, bilingual, dyslexia, safety, etc.): $7.29M
• Other expenses (utilities, insurance, fuel): $1.81M
• TRS in-kind offset: $5M
• Capital Maintenance Fund transfer: $10M (new — replaces debt service transfer; could total $50M over 5 years if bond is pursued, saving an estimated $39.9M in interest)
• Potential employee retention stipend line item included (contingent on unknowns)
• Total expenditures: $54.13M

Budget Summary:

• Projected revenue: $555.62M
• Projected expenditures: $549.58M (includes $10M capital maintenance transfer)
• Estimated surplus: $6.04M — recommended to save in general fund for 2020-21 support

Proposed 2019-2020 Tax Rate:

• M&O: $0.97 (9-cent decrease)
• Debt Service: $0.265 (4.5-cent increase; 2 cents from prior tax rate swap)
• Total: $1.235 (4.5-cent overall decrease)

Fund Balance:

• Target: 25% of annual budget (~$137.4M)
• Estimated unassigned fund balance at 8/31/19: $134.1M (24.4%)
• At 20% target: $24.2M available above that threshold

2020-21 Pro Forma (Very Preliminary):

• Assumes 5% AV growth, 1,350 student growth, 2.5% across-the-board raise
• Estimated revenue increase: $9.2M; expenditure increase: $22M
• Potential deficit: $6.76M
• Board has option to raise M&O by 1 cent (accessing additional golden pennies) — requires unanimous board vote, no voter approval needed — would generate ~$7M+

Budget Timeline:

• July 25: Certified property values from appraisal district
• August 6: Public hearing/workshop on budget
• August 20: Public hearing + board adoption of budget and tax rate

Board Discussion:

• Mr. Moore asked about property insurance increase; Rice confirmed it's market-driven (hail losses statewide), not claims-driven
• Board member asked whether the large budget increase would affect transparency/FAST ratings; Rice noted all districts face similar HB3 requirements and expected CISD would remain in good standing
• Confirmed no programs are being cut despite the tax decrease

6E — Fund Balance Transfer Resolution

• Transfer of $17,150,000 from general fund to debt service fund (for 2018-19 fiscal year obligations, including $7.1M for golden penny effect and $10M annual debt service buy-down)
• Transfer of $20,000,000 from general fund to capital projects fund ($10M to seed capital maintenance fund, $8.5M for two future school sites, $1.5M for buses)
• Vote: Unanimous — Approved

6F — Financial Reports (June)

Presenter: Darrin Rice

• General Fund cash and investments: $246.4M
• Property tax collections: 98.5% (vs. 99% prior year; expected to reach 100%)
• 2015 Bond Referendum status: $500.3M expended/encumbered; ~$17.9M to complete; ~$10.3M contingency remaining (expected to increase as projects close). Board has contributed $41M+ beyond the original $487M bond.
• Self-funded insurance: Revenues $41.5M vs. expenses $39.5M (~$2M surplus); 5,280 clinic participants (avg. 528/month)
• Investment portfolio: $401.6M par value; combined yield 2.466% vs. benchmark (90-day T-bill) at 2.075%

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Closed Session — Complaint Hearing (Item 7)

• Board entered closed session at 7:27 PM under Texas Government Code §551.071, §551.074, and §551.0821
• Heard complaint appeal of Mr. and Mrs. S against staff at Deretchin Elementary School
• Board reconvened in open session at 8:43 PM
• Motion to uphold decisions of Level One and Level Two hearing officers
• Vote: Unanimous — Upheld
• Written notice to be sent to the complainants

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Other Business

9B — Local Policy Manual Update 113 & Revisions to Policy DFBB

• Ms. Godfrey presented; adoption scheduled for next month's agenda
• Noted the next policy update will contain over 1,000 pages due to the 86th legislative session

9C — Settlement Agreement Approval

• Board entered closed session at 8:46 PM (§551.071, §551.074, §551.0821) to discuss settlement
• Reconvened in open session at 9:08 PM
• Motion to approve settlement agreement in civil action number 4:17-CV-03011
• Vote: Unanimous — Approved

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Additional Board Discussion

• A board member noted the meeting camera does not capture all board members and requested the camera system be upgraded or adjusted. Dr. Null and Ms. Godfrey acknowledged and committed to addressing the issue.

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Adjournment

• Motion to adjourn — Approved
• Meeting adjourned following the last action item.