February 4, 2020 — Regular Meeting
Conroe ISD Board Meeting — 2020-02-04
Regular Meeting — Unofficial Notes
Based on auto-generated transcript. Not an official record.
Generated 2026-03-27 22:18 UTC
Unofficial Meeting Notes
Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees
Regular Meeting (Workshop) — February 4, 2020
These are unofficial notes based on an auto-generated transcript and may contain errors or omissions.
Public Comment
No members of the public signed up to speak.
Compensation / Pay Plan Presentation (TASB HR Services)
Presenters: Jennifer Barton and Amy Campbell (TASB HR Services), with acknowledgment of Board Member Ray Sanders' participation in the process.
Market Competitiveness Findings
- Conroe ISD remains competitive with the local Houston-area market across most employee groups.
- Teacher pay at Year 0 (starting salary): $55,500 — exactly even with the local market median.
- Years 5 and 10: Slightly below market at 98% and 99% respectively (gaps of $1,322 and $701).
- Years 15 and 20: Even with market.
- Board members noted that these figures reflect base salary only, not total compensation (insurance/benefits), which would further close the gap.
- The Year-over-year market shifts were largely driven by House Bill 3 volatility, which required some districts to give large raises to experienced teachers.
Teaching Area Stipends
- Masters degree: $1,000–$1,800 (at or above market median)
- Secondary math and science: No stipend currently offered; Dr. Sharples noted it's becoming increasingly challenging to fill these positions as the hiring season progresses.
- Special education self-contained: $2,000 (at market median)
- Bilingual: $4,500 (above market)
Non-Exempt / Hourly Workers
- Starting rates are at or above market across the board.
- Targeted efforts have been made for special education aides and bus drivers.
Other Exempt Groups (Administrators, etc.)
- Administrative education group: Very competitive.
- All groups generally competitive due to consistent annual pay increases.
Police Department Pay
- Police pay structure was noted at 86% of market for employee pay.
- Internal equity is currently strong, but the department faces significant recruiting challenges:
- 11 vacant officer positions currently
- Losing candidates to other agencies by $8,000–$10,000 in total compensation
- Experience credit policy is outdated (1 year credit for 5 years of experience, unchanged for ~18 years; most agencies now give 1-for-1)
- No certification pay (intermediate, advanced, master) currently offered, unlike competing agencies
- Applicant pool has dwindled overall for law enforcement
- Chief and staff are developing a survey/proposal on certification pay and experience credit adjustments, expected within approximately one month.
Recommended Pay Models
Model 1:
| Group | General Increase |
|-------|-----------------|
| Teachers | 2.5% |
| Other Exempt | 2.0% |
| Non-Exempt | 3.0% |
| Bus Drivers | $0.75/hr (3.8%) |
| Overall with adjustments | 2.9% |
Model 2:
| Group | General Increase |
|-------|-----------------|
| Teachers | 3.0% |
| Other Exempt | 2.5% |
| Non-Exempt | 3.5% |
| Bus Drivers | $1.00/hr (5.0%) |
| Overall with adjustments | 3.5% |
Both models include 0.4% in targeted adjustments for:
- Teachers at years 2–15 (incremental, not full correction at once)
- 1% above minimum for employees falling below pay grade minimum
- Placement scale improvements: reduced from 15 years to 12 years to midpoint for most support/auxiliary; 10 years to midpoint for instructional support (aides) and police
- 2% above teacher daily rate for educator career pathway positions (counselors, APs, principals)
Budget was built on Model 2.
Significant Board Discussion on Compensation Philosophy
- Multiple board members expressed strong support for paying employees well but emphasized fiscal responsibility and not exceeding 100% of market.
- Board Member John argued that Conroe ISD's desirability as an employer means it shouldn't need to pay above market; noted total compensation (including superior benefits) makes the district more competitive than salary alone suggests.
- Board Member Datren questioned whether the $500–$1,300 gaps were truly causing teacher attrition and urged a more holistic perspective.
- Dr. Null cautioned that parts of the district (those adjacent to higher-paying districts) struggle to recruit teachers and the district cannot adopt a "land of plenty" attitude across the board.
- Amy Campbell (TASB) noted that Active Care insurance volatility could affect competitiveness, as some districts are standing up alternative insurance programs.
- Several board members expressed that administrators should receive the same percentage increase as teachers (not less), citing the demands of their roles and the lean central office staff.
- Board Member John specifically advocated for 3% across the board, possibly 3.5%, noting CPI inflation is 2.1–2.6%.
- Board expressed interest in seeing a third model with more uniform percentages across employee groups.
Preliminary Budget 2020–2021
Presenter: Darrin Rice, Chief Financial Officer
Key Budget Assumptions
- Enrollment growth: 1,400 new students (total projected: 66,198)
- Current enrollment as of meeting date: 64,916
- Significant board discussion about whether pre-K expansion would add students beyond the 1,400 projection; Dr. Null and staff noted projections are based on existing pilot data and are intentionally conservative
- Property value growth: 5.5% estimated ($2.1 billion increase; total: $40.2 billion)
- Opening Stockton Junior High School and adding 12th grade at Grand Oaks High School
Fund Balance
- Ended FY2019 at ~$140 million
- Board transferred $32 million out: $12M for technology/2019 bond; $20M to establish capital maintenance fund
- Unassigned fund balance: $134.7 million (24.5% of budget) — within target range of 20–25%
Tax Rate
- Conroe ISD remains the second lowest tax rate in the greater Houston area at $1.23
- 15 cents below peer district average
- Proposed 2020–21 tax rate: $1.2135 (decrease of 1.65 cents on M&O; debt service unchanged at $0.26)
- House Bill 3 now limits tax revenue growth to 2.5% annually regardless of actual property value growth
- State will calculate the district's maximum compressed rate for the first time this year
Revenue & Expenditure Summary
Revenue:
| Item | Amount |
|------|--------|
| Beginning Revenue | $555.62M |
| Local Revenue (5.5% AV growth) | $13.83M |
| Net State Funding (1,400 students) | $8.76M |
| TRS In-Kind | $3.5M |
| Total Revenue | $581.71M |
Expenditures:
| Item | Amount |
|------|--------|
| Beginning Expenditures (amended) | $552.33M |
| Salary Increases (Model 2) | $12.0M |
| Substitute Pay Increase ($5/day) | $0.3M |
| Additional Personnel for Growth | $12.0M |
| Other Expenses (utilities, fuel, etc.) | $1.5M |
| TRS In-Kind Offset | ($3.5M) |
| Total Estimated Increase | $24.3M |
| Remaining for Intermediate/Elementary Staffing & Retention Stipend | ~$5.08M |
Intermediate and Elementary Staffing Needs
- Dr. Null identified intermediates as having the highest student-to-staff ratios and struggling both academically and with climate/culture.
- Consideration being given to adjusting staffing formula (currently 26:1) and/or adding specialized positions (e.g., student support teachers for testing, 504).
- Elementary schools with only one AP and one counselor also need relief, particularly those with specialized programs (504, bilingual/ESL).
- ~$5 million placeholder; any remaining funds could be directed to an employee retention stipend.
- A budget amendment of $2.75M will be brought to the board for the current year to cover 600+ additional students above projections.
Capital Maintenance Fund
- Built-in annual contribution of $10 million
- Has been used to purchase land and buses
Academic / Policy Updates
Effective Schools Framework (ESF)
Presenter: Dr. Taylor
- State model for school improvement with five levers: strong school leadership, effective teachers, positive school culture, high-quality curriculum, and effective instruction.
- Used at Sam Houston Elementary last year with reported success.
- Will serve as the foundation for the new school improvement team/department.
- Campuses identified as needing improvement undergo a diagnostic; this does not replace existing accountability systems but supplements them.
House Bill 3906 — Assessment Changes
Presenter: Dr. Taylor
- One of the largest assessment bills passed; key changes include:
- Assessments may be given over multiple days and at multiple checkpoints during the year
- Stand-alone 4th and 7th grade writing assessments eliminated by 2021–22; writing integrated into grades 3–8
- By 2023: only 75% multiple choice; remainder short answer/fill-in-the-blank
- Full transition to electronic STAAR by 2022–23
- iPads were recently added as acceptable testing devices (previously laptops only)
- District is piloting new devices (larger screens, touchscreen) as Chromebooks are not touchscreen
- Board expressed concern about reliability of electronic testing systems, referencing past state-level platform crashes
House Bill 3 — Board-Adopted Goals and Plans
Presenter: Dr. Upshaw
Required Goals (minimum 3):
1. 3rd Grade Reading — 60% of all students at "Meets" standard by 2030
2. 3rd Grade Math — 60% of all students at "Meets" standard by 2030
3. CCMR (College, Career, Military Readiness) — 60% of seniors graduating ready; district currently at 71% (up 6 points from prior year)
- Goals must include disaggregated data by subgroups (economically disadvantaged, Hispanic, African American, etc.)
- Board may adopt additional goals for bilingual/ESL populations
- 3rd grade assessments can be taken in Spanish (through 5th grade)
- District has updated its bilingual model from early English acquisition to a more comprehensive bilingual/bi-literate approach serving the full population
- Targeted professional development required for K–3 teachers in reading
Reading Academies:
- Every K–3 teacher, reading intervention teacher, instructional coach, and campus administrator must complete reading academies (~1,500+ teachers)
- Conroe ISD has been approved as its own authorized provider
- Model includes job-embedded coaching, not just "sit and get" training
- Curriculum details still being developed; emphasis on phonemic awareness
- Staff plans to return in spring with baseline data and recommended goals for board consideration
Class Ranking Discussion
Presenter: Gregg Colschen
- Current practice: Students are ranked multiple times from sophomore year through senior year; more often than board policy requires.
- Seven Texas districts (including Westlake, Friendswood, Katy ISD schools) have moved to only ranking the top 10% (as required by law for automatic admission) and providing quartile information for others.
- Survey of 15 universities confirmed that class rank is not a major admissions factor outside of Texas automatic admission rules; schools emphasize holistic review.
- Campus profiles sent with transcripts help universities understand each school's context.
Board Discussion:
- Board members generally expressed interest in exploring the elimination of individual class ranking beyond the top 10%.
- Concerns raised about reducing competition and "coddling" students, but also strong recognition of student stress.
- Dr. Null recommended forming a committee of administrators, parents, and others to study the issue further and bring back a recommendation.
- Board Member Datren used the analogy of a relay race: "Stay in your lane, run as fast as you can."
- Consensus: The board supports further study of the class ranking policy, with a committee to be formed. No policy change was proposed or voted on at this time.
Additional Days School Year (House Bill 3)
Presenter: Dr. Phillips
Three options presented for elementary schools:
1. Option 1: Optional summer learning — maintain 180-day calendar, add up to 30 summer days with half-day ADA funding (similar to current summer school but with state funding)
2. Option 2: Year-round calendar — space 180 days over full year with intermittent breaks for targeted remediation
3. Option 3: Full year redesign — up to 210-day calendar with reduced daily instruction time, more recess/enrichment
- Historical context: Conroe ISD tried year-round schooling previously; it was expensive, confusing, and phased out.
- Dr. Hines and staff shared examples of nearby districts with different calendars (weeks off in October/February) but noted community feedback consistently supports the traditional calendar.
- Consensus: Option 1 is the preferred path — aligns with current model and adds state funding for summer programming. No further action needed from the board.
Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA)
Presenter: Mrs. Green
- New House Bill 3 provision for recruiting/retaining effective teachers, especially at high-need and rural campuses.
- Districts must create a local designation system with three tiers: Recognized, Exemplary, and Master.
- State funding of $3,000–$32,000 per designated teacher depending on designation level and campus demographics (poverty level, rural status).
- 90% of allotment must go to teacher compensation on the designated teacher's campus; 10% for administration.
- Plans must be approved by TEA and Texas Tech University.
- Designations follow teachers for 5 years and become part of certification — even if they move to a different district.
Board Discussion:
- Significant concerns raised about:
- Subjectivity in teacher evaluation and potential for bias
- Principal-teacher dynamics affecting ratings
- Irony of removing student class rankings while implementing teacher performance rankings
- Risk that state funding could be eliminated in future legislative sessions
- Potential for competitive disadvantage if district doesn't participate
- Conroe ISD has chosen Cohort D (last group) to allow time to learn from other districts' models.
- Board and staff agreed that not participating is not viable — surrounding districts will participate, and designated teachers' ratings transfer between districts.
- Dr. Null emphasized this will be a competitive policy and the district needs to prepare even though details are still emerging.
Items Noted / Deferred
- Police certification pay and experience credit proposal: Expected from Chief and CFO within approximately one month
- Intermediate/elementary staffing model: Still being developed; placeholder of ~$5M in budget
- Board-adopted goals for reading, math, CCMR: Staff to return in spring with recommended goals and baseline data
- Class ranking study: Committee to be formed; recommendation to come back to the board at a future date
- Teacher Incentive Allotment plan: Very early stages; Conroe ISD joining Cohort D (latest timeline)
- Budget amendment for current year (~$2.75M) to be brought to the board
No Formal Votes Taken
This was a workshop session; no action items were voted on. The meeting served as an informational and feedback session for the board.
Meeting adjourned at approximately the end of the workshop session.