April 18, 2023 — Regular Meeting

Name: April 18, 2023 — Regular Meeting
Start: 2023-04-18

Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees — Regular Meeting

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Conroe ISD Board Meeting — 2023-04-18

Regular Meeting — Unofficial Notes

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

Generated 2026-03-28 15:29 UTC

Unofficial Meeting Notes

Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees

Regular Meeting – April 18, 2023

These are unofficial notes based on an auto-generated transcript and may contain errors or omissions.

Opening

Meeting called to order at 6:01 PM with a quorum present
Invocation by Trustee Dayton Williams; Pledge of Allegiance led by Trustee Teresa Wegman

Recognition: Special Olympics Powerlifting State Champions (Item 2A)

Dr. Kendra Wiggins, Director of Special Education, presented information on the Conroe Stars Special Olympics program
The Conroe Stars program dates back to 1969, the first year of Special Olympics in Texas
The district has 250 athletes across 29 campuses competing in over 10 competitions
17 athletes who qualified for the state powerlifting competition at the Winter Games (February 17-19, Bee Cave, TX) were recognized
Athletes represented multiple high schools including The Woodlands, Grand Oaks, Oak Ridge, Caney Creek, and Conroe High School
Coaches recognized included Gwen Fears, Bob Peterson, Alicia Jenkins, Brian Inman, and David Kite (lead coach)
The coaching group collectively has over 100 years of teaching experience

Citizen Participation (Item 3)

20 speakers registered. Key themes included school safety/discipline, library books, and other concerns:

Playground Accessibility

Bernita Corder (30-year CISD teacher): Advocated for accessible playgrounds for students with mobility issues, noting current playgrounds have wood chips and steps that prevent wheelchair/walker access, limiting social-emotional learning opportunities for students with disabilities.

Student Discipline & Safety

Courtney McNow: Shared examples of behavioral issues her son experienced (knife threat in 1st grade, inappropriate content on Chromebooks in 5th grade) that didn't involve books. Suggested banning phones during the school day at secondary level as a practical safety measure.
James Baylor (parent, York Junior High): Praised recent steps at York (extra staff, new principal) but urged sustained effort on discipline. Stated the code of discipline is not being adequately applied, teachers are discouraged from giving referrals, suspensions are too short, and one-sided attacks are mislabeled as "mutual combat."
Erica Lewis: Described her family's experience with bullying spanning years. Said when they reported bullying they were advised to "move neighborhoods." Stated the district has lost its school quality edge, with her family's schools dropping from 10s to 6s and 7s. Called for stronger consequences for bullies.
Elaine McClure: Argued the proposed bond package (est. $1.6-2 billion) allocates only 2-3% toward safety and security ($25-50 million), calling it unacceptable. Advocated for armed security at every campus full-time and removal of gun-free zone signs.

Library Books / Censorship

Rachel Walker: Suggested those concerned about library books should instead volunteer, join PTOs, pay off lunch balances, and support Title 1 schools.
Whitney Skidmore (Grand Oaks HS freshman): Spoke against book bans, arguing books help youth expand viewpoints on important topics. Acknowledged some books may have graphic content but argued most challenged books don't glorify negative situations.
Sierra Jaycox: Expressed concern about book banning, arguing parents have the right to decide for their own children but not for other families. Stated "age-appropriate" and "I approve" are not synonyms.
Amber Sullivan: Criticized the process by which a parent reportedly took a book from a high school library and brought it directly to board member Missy Odenweller, bypassing all school staff. Noted the librarian had been battling breast cancer for three years.
Georgiana Lewis (Oak Ridge HS student): As a queer student, expressed concern about censorship of LGBTQ-representative books. Argued that Texas's lack of mandatory sex education makes access to these books more important.
Nicole Gilroy (high school English teacher): Urged the board to uphold the reconsideration committee's decision to keep Ramona Blue in high school libraries, noting its themes of pregnancy, poverty, and going to college.
April Prim: Expressed concern about the financial cost of book challenges (legal fees) and the effect on teacher retention. Asked the board to make clear that these challenges drain district resources.
Carolyn Nene: Claimed 11 of the 55 books reported as removed (per board president Hubert's testimony to a state senate committee) remain in the Grand Oaks library. Requested the board investigate.
Luis Pedraza: Argued the district doesn't fully know the extent of potentially inappropriate books in the system and planned to file an information request.
[Speaker name unclear]: Read the Texas Penal Code 43.24 and Education Code 28.004, arguing Ramona Blue violates standards requiring promotion of abstinence.
Amy Butler: Thanked CISD for supporting Destination Imagination. Urged the board to keep Ramona Blue and uphold the committee's decision.
[Speaker - poem]: Delivered a poem supporting teachers, librarians, and opposing book bans.
[Speaker - evidence-based]: Argued that claims about abstinence-only education effectiveness, corporal punishment effectiveness, and library books causing destructive behavior all lack sufficient evidence. Urged critical thinking.
Linda Long: Argued against having "pornography books" available to children and urged raising standards for decency.

Diversity Concern

Lamont Robinson: As a diversity professional, raised concerns about board member Odenweller's campaign logo (a Bible with a cross and flames), stating it evokes the burning cross symbol. Reported that when he contacted Odenweller, she justified the logo rather than showing empathy. Recommended the logo be changed immediately.

Special Education Program Relocation

Melissa Beauchè: Emotionally addressed a same-day notification that the PASS autism support program would be relocated to a different campus with less than five weeks' notice. Described making major life decisions (housing, employment) to keep her child at the home campus. Urged the district not to alienate special education families.

Student Restraint Policy

Brandon Lowry: Raised concerns that district policy allows staff to physically restrain students without prior training and without notifying parents. Described an incident where his child was restrained (picked up, dropped, dragged) by a staff member, discovered only through a scratch and security camera footage.

Other

Alexander Harris: Argued that teaching of Big Bang Theory and evolution constitutes promotion of "the religion of atheism" and should be moved to social studies curriculum under world religions.
Anne-Marie Kennedy: Advocated for social-emotional learning to combat bullying, urging the board to set the tone for kindness and empathy.

Consent Agenda (Item 4)

Vote: Approved unanimously (by show of hands)

Human Resources Appointments (Item 5)

5A: Principal, Gordon Reed Elementary

Melissa Skiba appointed — returning to CISD after stepping away to focus on family; previously principal at B.B. Rice Elementary
Vote: Approved unanimously

5B: Principal, Clark Intermediate School

Kenneth Shields appointed — previously Associate Principal at Grand Oaks High School; replacing Lindsay Arduan (moving to York)
Vote: Approved unanimously

5C: Director of Elementary Education

Dr. Tara Vandermark appointed — 26-year CISD veteran; served as principal at multiple levels (elementary, intermediate, K-6); opened Suchma Elementary
Vote: Approved unanimously

5D: Executive Director of School Improvement, Assessment & Accountability

Jeff Fuller appointed — 28-year educator (26 in CISD); held roles from teacher to director; took on dual roles mid-year
Vote: Approved unanimously

5E: Director of Payroll

Rachel Jimenez appointed — 20-year CISD employee who rose from payroll specialist; replacing retiring Becky Davis
Vote: Approved unanimously

Board President Hubert commended the district's succession planning and leadership development pipeline.

Recess taken; reconvened at 7:44 PM.

Administration Items (Item 6)

6A: YMCA Donation Acceptance

Dr. Shelley Winkler presented a proposal to accept donated items from the YMCA of Greater Houston
The YMCA operates after-school programs at 24 CISD elementary campuses (sliding-scale tuition)
A YMCA grant produced surplus funds for 16 campuses; items to be purchased include playground enhancements, cafeteria tables, sporting equipment, and technology
Total donation value: $780,000 — items will be owned by CISD and available to all students, not just YMCA program participants
No matching funds required from the district
Board requested a complete list of allowable items and campus selections
Discussion included whether Title 1 schools received equitable allocation (some Title 1 schools received funds in different ways through the grant)
Vote: Approved unanimously

6B: District-Wide Intruder Detection Audit Update

Mr. McCord reported: 12 audits since March 21 (9 in March, 3 in April)
11 audits had no findings; 1 campus had a finding on one portion — an in-service will be requested at the Safety and Security committee meeting
Informational item; no vote required

6C: Texas Library Association (TLA) Annual Conference

Dr. Upshaw presented information on the TLA conference (Austin, beginning April 19)
Librarians require 200 professional learning hours every 5 years for certification
TLA is the largest library association in the U.S. (6,000+ members, 4,000-5,000 conference attendees)
Last year 5 CISD librarians attended; this year 7 are attending using district funds (campus activity funds)
Over 300 sessions offered at the conference

Significant discussion/debate:

Trustee Odenweller raised concerns about certain breakout sessions (e.g., "how teachers, authors, and librarians can fight book bans"), noting a previous year's keynote by Ibram X. Kendi and drag queen story hour sessions. She argued taxpayer dollars should not fund attendance at an organization with such content and cited an alternative organization (Innovative Teachers of Texas/ITT) approved by TEA.
Multiple trustees pushed back, arguing librarians are professionals with master's degrees who can select appropriate sessions from 300+ offerings, and that the district's values are communicated to them.
Trustee Williams called the discussion an example of the board "overstepping" and called it a "waste of taxpayers' time."
Dr. Upshaw confirmed librarians were already traveling to the conference.
Trustee Odenweller moved that CISD not use taxpayer dollars for TLA conference attendance.
Vote on Odenweller's motion: FAILED (specific count not stated in transcript; appeared to fail by majority)

6D: Student Discipline Presentation

Dr. Hines and staff delivered a comprehensive presentation on student discipline covering:

Code of Conduct (Chapter 37, Texas Education Code):

Defines misconduct and resulting administrative actions
Administrators must consider: self-defense, intent, disciplinary history, disability, foster care status, and homelessness
Currently 152 foster care students (251 at various times during the year) and 733 homeless students

Behavior Supports (MTSS):

Multi-tiered system including PBIS, Foundations (school-wide), and CHAMPS (classroom management)
Staff: 1 coordinator, 11 coaches, 13 behavior coaches, 12 positive behavioral liaisons (mostly Title 1 funded)
New teachers trained in CHAMPS; additional training available

Discipline Placements:

Options: after-school detention, Saturday detention, ISS, OSS (limited to 3 days), DAEP (5/10/15 day placements), and expulsion to JJAEP
JJAEP currently at capacity with 46 students (capacity: 115, but shared with all county districts) — same size facility since 2003 when enrollment was 37,835 (now 71,448)
District uses short-term DAEP placements, which leads to higher discretionary expulsion numbers compared to peers

Data Highlights (through mid-April):

96,000+ discipline referrals this year
Numbers tracking to exceed prior year (expected with growth)
Crisis referrals increasing: 832 (2020-21) → 1,000+ (2021-22) → 665 through end of March 2023
Threat assessments: already surpassed 550 this year (up significantly from prior years)

Challenges identified:

Rapid district growth; campus crowding (exponential relationship between density and conflict)
Post-COVID socialization gaps in younger students (3,000+ Pre-K referrals, mostly tardiness)
13.5% student mobility rate
DAEP and JJAEP capacity limitations
Staffing shortages
Social media consuming significant administrator time
Inability to share private student information with concerned families
Disproportionate discipline rates for students of color, economically disadvantaged, and special education students (acknowledged; better than state averages but "still got ways to go")

Planned Additions for Next Year (in addition to existing positions):

241.5 teachers (including DAEP and 18 behavior teachers)
29 instructional coaches
15 assistant principals (bulk at elementary)
9 counselors
2 student support coaches (foster care focus)
3 social service liaisons
Support team for high-needs Pre-K to grade 2 campuses
For special education: 5 LSSPs, 5 diagnosticians, 10 ARD facilitators, 1 behavior specialist, 1 coordinator
9 additional SDC units and 9 PASS units (total: 49 behavior units district-wide)
Feasibility study on long-term DAEP option (to reduce discretionary expulsions)

Board Discussion:

Trustees emphasized the need for more support for teachers and expressed concern that current approaches aren't sufficient
Discussion about the importance of targeting repeat offenders (15 students can account for 125+ of 400 referrals on a campus)
Dr. Noel noted the proposed bond includes potential refurbishment of Washington campus, which could expand JJAEP/DAEP capacity
The district has requested more JJAEP seats from the county

Regarding student restraint policy (raised during public comment):

Dr. Hines confirmed staff are not required to be trained before restraining a student (situational necessity) but must be trained within 30 days after
Parents ARE notified when their child is restrained (contradicting the public commenter's claim about policy)
Training is primarily focused on verbal de-escalation (approximately 75% of training content)

Board President Hubert publicly commended Captain Blake Lock and the police team for their professional handling of a recent incident at Grand Oaks High School.

Construction & Facilities (Item 7)

7A: Construction Manager at Risk — New Elementary/Intermediate School (Woodlands Feeder Zone)

Pre-construction services for proposed 2023 bond project
9 respondents to RFQ; narrowed to top 5
Marshall Construction recommended as best value (not lowest bidder, but very small margin)
GMP would return to board for approval before construction begins
Vote: Approved unanimously

7B: Construction Manager at Risk — New 7-8-9 Campus (Grand Oaks Feeder Zone)

8 respondents; narrowed to 5
Ellisor Constructors recommended (low bidder in this category)
Vote: Approved unanimously

7C: Construction Manager at Risk — New Conroe Area High School

Site adjacent to Stockton Junior High (district-owned, master-planned property)
5 respondents; all invited to step 2
Tellepsen General Contractors recommended
Vote: Approved unanimously

7D: Resolution — Exchange of Real Property at Snyder Elementary

Adjacent landowner (BCS Burnham Woods LLC) proposed a property exchange:

- CISD conveys 2.49 acres (landlocked backyard with utility easements) for developer's detention facility

- Developer gives CISD 0.69 acres + construction of new driveway extension (reducing traffic on Burnham Woods Drive) + 6-foot privacy fence with slats around entire school backyard

- Approximate equal value: ~$540,000 each side

CISD will ensure construction is completed before transferring deed
Deed requires board president's signature (will return to board)
Fence will completely separate school property from retention/detention pond
Vote: Approved unanimously

Construction Update (Informational)

Safety & Security Project (2019 Bond): On schedule, teams working overnights/weekends; through end of calendar year 2024

New Campuses:

Moorhead Junior High: On schedule, opening August 2023
Hines Elementary: On schedule, opening August 2023
Bartlett Elementary: Foundations underway, opening August 2024

Renovation Projects:

Conroe High School (CTE): Wrapping up, through December 2025
Oak Ridge High School (CTE): On schedule, August 2023
Caney Creek High School (6A upgrades): On schedule, August 2023
Toltec Intermediate (HVAC): Summer work, ready for August 2023
Giesinger Elementary (HVAC): Summer work, ready for August 2023
Veterans Memorial/Old Moorhead: Rebrand and driveway expansion, August 2023

Auxiliary Facilities:

Maintenance & Child Nutrition building: June 2023
East County Transportation: December 2023
North County Transportation: December 2023

All projects reported on schedule.

Employee Group Health Plan 2023-2024 (Item 8A)

Self-funded plan administered by Blue Cross Blue Shield
Blue Cross Blue Shield also becoming pharmacy benefits manager
No increase in employee premiums — same level of benefits as 2022-23
Networks: Blue Premier, Blue Essentials, Blue Choice
Total projected cost: $53 million (CISD funds 60%, employee premiums 40%)
District advisor receives fees only for advice, no other financial arrangements
Vote: Approved unanimously

Financial Report (Item 8B)

Presented by Miss Garza for month ended March 31
General Fund: Total assets $424M; YTD revenue $529.7M; YTD expenditures $325.8M
Debt Service Fund: $60.7M
Child Nutrition: $17M
Self-Funded Insurance: $0.8M; revenue $31M vs. expenses $28.4M (surplus of ~$2.6M heading into summer)
2019 Bond: ~$54M estimated to complete
Investments: Total par value $748.4M; portfolio yielding 4.62% — first time in 14 months exceeding the benchmark (4.58%) by 4 basis points
Informational item; no vote required

Legal Items (Item 9)

9A: Revision of Board Policy BBB (Board Member Elections)

Policy revision to align the written policy with what was posted on the district website under "School Board Elections"
The discrepancy had existed since 2016
A trustee noted that had the original (different) policy been in effect in 2014, President Hubert would not have qualified — underscoring the importance of attention to policy details
Vote: Approved (specific count not stated; appeared unanimous)

9B: Level 3 Appeal — Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy

Dr. Noel presided as hearing officer to allow President Hubert to participate as a board member.

Background:

Dr. Alex Harris submitted a reconsideration request on November 30, 2022, asking that Ramona Blue be removed from district libraries
The reconsideration committee determined the book met selection criteria and should remain in high school libraries (junior high copies to be sent to high schools)
Dr. Jared Lambert (Level 2 hearing officer) upheld the committee's decision
Dr. Harris appealed to the Board of Trustees

Dr. Harris's Arguments:

The book is aligned with National Sexuality Education Standards (NSECS/SIECUS), which he characterized as a "dark force" indoctrinating children
Texas Education Code §28.004 (promoting abstinence) should apply to library books
The book's message encourages students to explore sexual identity rather than focus on academics
Referenced Texas Penal Code §43.24 (harmful material to minors)

Dr. Lambert's Arguments:

The book does not meet the three-pronged legal standard for "harmful material" under Texas Penal Code §43.24 (must appeal to prurient interest AND be patently offensive AND be utterly without redeeming social value — all three required)
Texas Education Code §28.004 relates to health advisory councils, not self-selected library books
SIECUS standards are not endorsed by any state/federal education department and are not part of Texas curriculum
Ramona Blue is "a story of struggle, survival, and hope" with significant redeeming social value
Read the concluding prayer/blessing from the novel as illustrative of its message

Board Discussion:

Trustee Nelson: Found positive elements but concerned about condoning multiple sex partners for underage minors and underage drinking while pregnant; expressed personal discomfort
Trustee Hubert: Noted Dr. Harris himself described the obscenity as "moderate" and "not graphic"; cited the book's level 3/5 rating as suggestive, not prohibitive; praised the story's message of helping someone see beyond their circumstances
Trustee Chase: Found significant redeeming qualities; noted the representation value; observed Dr. Harris provided no new evidence to change the committee's finding; referenced Harris's own characterization of sex as "moderate" and "not blatant"
Trustee Wegman: Argued the book doesn't make readers want to live that life; highlighted positive family themes
Trustee Williams: Cautioned against equating character participation in activities with "condoning"; noted all books contain imperfect elements
Trustee Odenweller: Acknowledged positives but expressed concern about mature content and that parents wouldn't be notified of checkout; struggled with the book
Trustee Dungan: Saw past unrelatable content to the overwhelmingly positive story

Motion to uphold the reconsideration committee's decision (keeping Ramona Blue in high school libraries):

Vote: 5-2, APPROVED (book remains in high school libraries)
Dr. Harris to receive written notice of the board's action

Executive Session

Board entered closed session at 10:30 PM under Texas Government Code §§551.071, .072, .074, .076, and .089
Returned to open session at 11:14 PM
No action taken from executive session

Future Agenda Requests (Item 12)

Campus capacity update requested
Resolution opposing school vouchers requested — a trustee noted many other districts are passing similar resolutions to protect public school funding
Next meeting: May 16, 2023

Adjournment

Motion to adjourn approved; meeting adjourned at approximately 11:15 PM

These notes are unofficial and based on an auto-generated transcript. They may contain inaccuracies in names, figures, or other details. For official minutes, please consult the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees.