{
  "id": "2021-12-14_regular",
  "meeting_date": "2021-12-14",
  "meeting_type": "regular",
  "meeting_types": [
    "regular"
  ],
  "title": "Conroe ISD Board Meeting — December 14, 2021",
  "date_display": "December 14, 2021",
  "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": "2026-06-18T19:45:20.897058Z",
  "highlights": "",
  "sections": [],
  "agenda_breakdown_md": "",
  "meeting_notes_md": "# Conroe ISD Board Meeting — 2021-12-14\n*Regular Meeting — Unofficial Notes*\n*Based on auto-generated transcript. Not an official record.*\n*Generated 2026-03-28 14:11 UTC*\n\n---\n\n# Unofficial Meeting Notes\n## Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees\n### Regular Meeting — December 14, 2021\n\n> **Note:** These are unofficial notes based on an auto-generated transcript and may contain errors or omissions. Please consult official board minutes for the authoritative record.\n\n---\n\n## Opening\n- Meeting called to order at **6:00 p.m.** with a quorum present.\n- **Invocation** by Scott Moore, who offered a prayer acknowledging the holiday season and asking for guidance in the board's decisions.\n- **Pledge of Allegiance** led by Stacy Chase (U.S. and Texas pledges).\n\n---\n\n## Superintendent's Holiday Message (Dr. Noel)\n- Wished everyone a Merry Christmas and happy holidays.\n- Shared a heartwarming story about CISD Police Officer **Jonathan Guerra** at Milam Elementary, who purchased a book for a student at the Scholastic Book Fair when the child didn't have enough money, and told the boy to keep his remaining money to take home to his mother.\n- Highlighted the **Children and Santa's Dreams Toy Drive**, noting that over **600 families** were impacted and **1,500 children** will receive Christmas gifts thanks to CISD police and community contributions.\n\n---\n\n## Item 2A: Special Board Recognition — Destination Imagination Global Champions\n\nPresented by **Chris Reichelt**. Conroe ISD had **53 teams** participate in Destination Imagination during 2020–2021; **three teams** won first place at the virtual DI Global Competition:\n\n1. **The Timekeepers** — Academy of Science and Technology\n   - Won 1st place (secondary level Fine Arts challenge) for the **second year in a row**\n   - Also won the **Renaissance Award** for exceptional creative artistry, workmanship, and storytelling\n   - Coaches: Cindy Kim and John Anderson White\n   - Members: Abram Allen, Neyman Aurora, Marley Bartholomew, Jonathan Kim, Rihanna Patel\n\n2. **The D.I. Janes** — The Woodlands College Park High School\n   - Won 1st place (secondary level Engineering challenge)\n   - Coaches: Rochelle Socon and Kelly Jones\n   - Members: Emily Jonic, Nanette Socon, Michaela Barnes\n\n3. **The Chicks with Kicks** — Tom Cox Intermediate\n   - Won 1st place (middle level Technical Fast Flex challenge)\n   - Coaches: Marilyn Weisenhunt and Stephanie Hilbridge\n   - Members: Marie Weisenhunt, Riley Brashers, Natalie Hilbridge, Abigail Sorosick\n\n- Reichelt personally thanked the board for continued support of the DI program, noting it gives students who may not perform on athletic fields a chance to shine academically.\n- Board member **Mr. Williams** congratulated the students, calling them \"some of the best and brightest of CISD\" and encouraging their entrepreneurial and innovative spirit.\n\n---\n\n## Item 2B: Special Board Recognition — 2021 Lone Star State School Counselor of the Year\n\nPresented by **Denis Sapola** (Coordinator) and **Tiffany Rodriguez** (Caney Creek HS Lead Counselor / LSCA President).\n\n- **Caney Creek High School** received the **Lone Star State School Counselor Association (LSCA) Gold Award** for 2021 and is now in consideration for the national **ASCA RAMP Award**.\n\n- **Ashley Wright**, School Counselor at **Lucille J. Bradley Elementary School**, was named:\n  - **2021 Texas School Counselor of the Year** by LSCA\n  - One of the **top five national finalists** for the **ASCA 2022 School Counselor of the Year** (selected from all 50+ state winners)\n  - She will be honored at an in-person celebration in **Washington, D.C. on February 3, 2022**.\n\n- Ms. Wright addressed the board, expressing gratitude and passion for school counseling, advocating for continued investment in guidance and counseling departments and programs.\n\n---\n\n## Item 3: Citizen Participation\n\n### Speaker 1: Diane Daniels\n- Wished the board Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.\n- Acknowledged the positive work of CISD teachers and testing achievements.\n- Expressed concern about the **$64 million in ESSA funding**, stating \"nothing comes free\" and there are likely strings attached.\n- Suggested the district consider **returning the money** if the conditions attached conflict with what parents want.\n- Asked the board to listen to parents and be transparent about how the funding will be used.\n\n### Speaker 2: Anthony Natuno\n- Returned to discuss an issue he raised over a year ago about **classroom composition and student accommodations**.\n- Argued that the **22:1 student-teacher ratio** (the \"bright line test\") does not account for the number and type of accommodations (IEPs, 504 plans) teachers must provide in individual classrooms.\n- Used a visual aid to show how some classrooms have 4–5 students requiring accommodations while adjacent classrooms have fewer, creating unequal stress on teachers and risk to students.\n- Stated the district is **still not monitoring classroom accommodation loads** and urged the board to consider this in student placement.\n\n### Speaker 3: Lorena Perez-McGill\n- Parent of a 5th grader at Wilkerson Intermediate and a junior at College Park High School.\n- Thanked board members and administrators who understand their roles are to **serve all students**.\n- Referenced the previous month's meeting where speakers expressed displeasure about perceived indoctrination and expressed negative views about homosexuality and transgenderism.\n- Thanked the board for serving all students **regardless of race, creed, gender, or sexual orientation**.\n- Wished happy holidays and Merry Christmas.\n\n---\n\n## Item 4: Consent Agenda\n- No items were pulled for separate discussion.\n- **Motion:** To approve the consent agenda as presented.\n- **Vote: Approved unanimously.**\n\n---\n\n## Item 5A: Planning & Construction — Guaranteed Maximum Price for Campus Renovations 2022\n\nPresented by **Mr. Foster**.\n\n- Annual project replacing building systems that have reached end of service life (described as an \"invasive maintenance program\").\n- **GTT General Contractors** serves as construction manager at risk (selected February 23, 2021; has served in this role for several years).\n- Design architect: **DLR Group**.\n- **Guaranteed Maximum Price: $5,689,000**\n- **Motion:** To approve.\n- **Vote: Approved unanimously.**\n\n---\n\n## Item 5B: Capital Improvement Updates (Informational)\n\nMr. Foster provided updates on multiple projects:\n\n| Project | Status | Key Details |\n|---|---|---|\n| **Creighton Elementary** (overhaul) | On schedule; completion Summer 2022 | Working on exterior masonry for kitchen/serving line expansion; major kitchen remodel planned for end of school year |\n| **Moorhead Junior High** (new campus, adjacent to Caney Creek HS) | On schedule; opening August 2023 | Structural steel on site; bar joists being installed; building systems progressing through fine arts, CTE, and academic wings |\n| **Conroe High School** (major renovation/reorganization) | On schedule; completion through 2025 | CTE building slab ready to go vertical; athletic venue foundations progressing; new football stadium for JV/soccer underway; structural steel for CTE arriving later in December |\n| **New Jet Center** (north end zone, Woodforest Bank Stadium) | Completion February 2022; district use in spring semester | Windows being installed; interior finishing (ceiling grid, light fixtures) nearing completion |\n| **Gordon Reed Elementary** (new campus, Conroe HS feeder zone, west side) | On schedule; opening August 2022 | Exterior masonry progressing; interior painting with spirit colors underway |\n| **Oak Ridge High School** (overhaul + south county CTE campus) | On schedule; through August 2023 | Underground utility work; major fiber connection completed over recent weekend; foundation and vertical progress expected soon |\n| **Wilkerson Intermediate** (PE classroom addition) | Working toward January opening | Supply chain challenges; contractor on 7-day work schedule; gym expected for PE use in spring semester; kitchen renovations and final connections to follow in spring |\n| **Conroe High School 9th Grade Classroom Addition** | On schedule; opening August 2022 | Exterior masonry nearing completion; roof cap sheet next; interior walls and building systems progressing; exterior courtyard for student dining turned over mid-project for spring use |\n\n- **Notable comment:** Dr. Noel noted that UIL membership numbers show **Conroe High School is now the 4th largest high school in Texas**, growing by approximately **200 students per year**, underscoring the need for these additions. He thanked voters who passed the bond.\n\n---\n\n## Item 6A: Business & Purchasing — CSP 21-1003 Internal Connections, Gordon Reed Elementary (E-Rate)\n\nPresented by **Mr. Streeps**.\n\n- Award of internal connections technology project for new Gordon Reed Elementary to **Datavox Inc.**\n- **Estimated expenditure: $550,000**\n- E-Rate project (federal program); Form 470 filed with USAC; advertised on CIC purchasing website and twice in the Conroe Courier.\n- Scope includes: wireless access points, routers, switches, racks, phones, UPS, cabling and components.\n- Three qualifying bids received; evaluated by technology department and reviewed by purchasing.\n- Pricing effective through **September 30, 2023**; work may begin **April 1, 2022**.\n- Funding from **Capital Projects Fund**.\n- **Motion:** To approve as presented.\n- **Vote: Approved unanimously.**\n\n---\n\n## Item 7A: Financial Reports\n\nPresented by **Ms. Garza**.\n\n### General Fund (as of November 30):\n- Total assets: **$603.8 million**\n- Year-to-date revenue: **$130.8 million**\n- Year-to-date expenses: **$94.9 million**\n\n### Debt Service Fund:\n- Total assets: **$132.6 million**\n\n### Child Nutrition:\n- Total assets: **$6.8 million**\n\n### Tax Collections:\n- Currently at **8.1%** of the **$507 million** levy (first update of fiscal year; bulk expected in December and January).\n\n### Self-Funded Insurance:\n- November: Revenue $4.5M, Expenses $5.8M — **deficit of $1.3 million** for the month.\n- Believed to be related to **elective surgeries postponed during COVID** now being completed.\n- Fund balance: **$7.3 million**\n- Insurance consultant **Gallagher** reviewing claims to verify the cause.\n- **Board discussion:** A board member asked about sustainability; Ms. Garza noted that when the plan was set, the board intentionally kept rates low and included a **5% COVID adjustment**, choosing to absorb the hit in the fund balance rather than pass costs to employees. December was trending toward a surplus. The expected COVID-related overage for the year was projected at **$2.5–3 million**.\n\n### Investments:\n- Par value: **$441.6 million**\n- Pool yield: **0.073%**\n- Longer-term investments (TCG): weighted average maturity 583 days, yielding **0.828%**\n- Combined portfolio: **0.186%**\n- Benchmark (90-day T-bill): **0.045%**\n\n### Wellness Centers:\n- Averaging **358 visits** for the year.\n\n---\n\n## Executive Session\n- Board entered **closed session at 6:53 p.m.** under Texas Government Code Sections 551.071 (legal), 551.072 (real property), and 551.074 (personnel).\n- Board returned to **open session at 7:17 p.m.**\n\n---\n\n## Item 10: Legal — Purchase of Property in Caney Creek HS Feeder Zone\n- Board considered purchase of **approximately 1.46 acres** in the Caney Creek High School feeder zone.\n- Contract nearly finalized; board asked to approve the purchase and **delegate final signing authority and negotiations to Dr. Noel**.\n- **Motion:** To approve.\n- **Vote: Approved unanimously.**\n\n---\n\n## Adjournment\n- Meeting adjourned at approximately **7:17+ p.m.**\n\n---\n\n## Summary of All Votes\n\n| Item | Description | Result |\n|---|---|---|\n| Consent Agenda | Approval as presented | **Unanimous** |\n| GMP — Campus Renovations 2022 ($5,689,000) | Approve and authorize superintendent | **Unanimous** |\n| CSP 21-1003 — Gordon Reed Elementary E-Rate ($550,000) | Award to Datavox Inc. | **Unanimous** |\n| Property Purchase — ~1.46 acres, Caney Creek feeder zone | Approve and delegate authority to Dr. Noel | **Unanimous** |\n\n---\n\n*These are unofficial notes prepared from an auto-generated transcript. They are not official minutes of the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees.*"
}