June 6, 2023 — Regular Meeting

Name: June 6, 2023 — Regular Meeting
Start: 2023-06-06

Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees — Regular Meeting

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Conroe ISD Board Meeting — 2023-06-06

Regular Meeting — Unofficial Notes

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

Generated 2026-03-28 15:44 UTC

Unofficial Meeting Notes

Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees

Regular Meeting & Workshop – June 6, 2023

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

REGULAR MEETING (6:00 PM)

Opening

Meeting called to order at 6:00 PM by President Hubert with a quorum present
Invocation led by President Hubert; Pledge of Allegiance led by Melissa Duncan

Item 2A – Special Recognition

UIL 6A Academic State Champion – Nixon Gorka, The Woodlands High School

Nixon Gorka recognized as the UIL 6A State Champion in Current Issues and Events
The event requires a 40-question objective test on any news topic since August 15th, plus an essay on an unknown topic (this year's prompt: Texas education and pending legislation)
Nixon also participated in Literary Criticism
She will attend the University of Oklahoma as a history major
Dr. Landry and UIL Academic Coordinator Laura Lanzibom presented the recognition
Both of Nixon's parents are Conroe ISD educators; the family is relocating to Athens, Texas
Dr. Noel acknowledged the parents' contributions as educators in the district

Citizen Participation

No citizens signed up to speak

Consent Agenda (Item 4)

Motion to approve consent agenda as submitted
Vote: Approved unanimously

Item 5A – Name Principal of San Jacinto Elementary

Dr. Noel recommended Dr. Latori Jacobs as the new principal of San Jacinto Elementary
Dr. Jacobs has served as assistant principal and was noted for her impact at the campus
She replaces Mrs. Allman who transferred to Suchma
Vote: Approved unanimously
Dr. Jacobs thanked multiple mentors including Dr. Taylor, Dr. Medford, Mrs. Haymark, Mrs. Allman, and Dr. Winkler

Item 5B – Name Principal of Glenlock Elementary

Cassie Hertzenberg acknowledged for transferring from Glenlock to Wilkinson Elementary
Dr. Noel recommended Mrs. Chris Smith (current assistant principal at Glenlock) as the new principal
Glenlock received an "A" rating; Chris Smith credited as integral to that success
Vote: Approved unanimously
Mrs. Smith noted her 22 years in Conroe ISD

Item 5C – Name Headmaster of Academy of Science and Technology

Dr. Noel recommended Dr. Debra Criel as the new Headmaster of the Academy of Science and Technology at College Park High School
She has served as the college and career counselor since 2006
She succeeds Dr. Susan Caffrey; the Academy has maintained sustained excellence for 18 years under Dr. Murrell's leadership as principal
Vote: Approved unanimously

Executive Session (Item 6)

Board entered closed session at 6:26 PM pursuant to Sections 551.071 and 551.074 of the Texas Open Meetings Act
Board returned to open session at 7:52 PM

Item 13A – Superintendent Evaluation and Contract

Motion: Extend the superintendent's contract for an additional year and make other amendments as discussed in executive session
Vote: Approved unanimously

Adjournment of Regular Meeting

Meeting adjourned; transitioned immediately to Workshop

WORKSHOP SESSION (Approximately 8:00 PM)

Citizen Participation

No citizens signed up to speak

Item 1 – Budget Overview (Presented by Darren Garza, Karen Garza, Rick Reeves)

Awards & Transparency

CISD continues to receive recognition from multiple organizations:

- State Comptroller's Transparency Program stars (first district in state in 2016)

- Texas Smart Schools: One of only 2 ISDs out of 1,200+ to receive highest 5-star rating for all 13 years

- ASBO and GFOA awards for excellence in financial reporting

- TASBO Purchasing Award of Merit (4th consecutive year)

- TASBO Excellence in Financial Management Award (one of only 23 districts statewide)

Legislative Update

HB 3 (School Safety): Provides $10/ADA for safety (increase of $0.28/ADA) plus $15,000 per campus (~$1 million additional). However, requires an armed security officer at each campus, estimated to cost $3 million — a net loss of approximately $2 million
Special Session: Governor called special session for property tax relief and border security. Both House and Senate bills on property tax died — House bill died in Senate; Senate bill refused by House
Key concern: Tax compression means no new money for school district general fund
School district funding may not be addressed until September
Teachers noted as potentially the only government employees not receiving any raise this session

Budget Objectives for 2023-2024

Opening three new campuses: Heinz Elementary, Moorhead Junior High, and Veterans Memorial Intermediate
Provide competitive compensation (pending legislative action)
Provide safe learning environment
Absorb approximately 225 ESSER-funded positions (~$16 million) into the general fund
No funding mechanism exists for employee raises or inflation adjustment

Fund Balance

District goal: Maintain 20-25% unassigned fund balance
Projected unassigned fund balance at end of August: ~$130 million (just above 20%)
Approximately $6.2 million available for discretionary use
Reasons for maintaining 20%+: bond rating agencies require ~90 days of funding; state has historically delayed payments; required for TEA First Report calculations; provides disaster/insurance backstop
Fund balance is earning interest income

Property Insurance Crisis

District received non-renewal notice from Affiliated Insurance (the only carrier that has bid in recent cycles)
Current premium: ~$3.2 million
Other districts experiencing massive increases (Pasadena: $5+ million increase)
District insures approximately $1.5 billion in buildings; replacement cost estimated at potentially $10 billion
Deductible currently $100,000 per building per occurrence — likely to increase significantly
Self-insurance discussed as a possibility but not yet formally explored
Budget currently includes ~20% insurance increase; actual increase may exceed that

Enrollment & Attendance

Estimated 2023-24 enrollment: 73,394 (increase of ~2,600 students)
Average daily attendance rate: 92.5%
Actual 2022-23 enrollment on last day: 71,133
Revenue is based on ADA (not enrollment), creating significant budget risk
Discussion about potential shift to enrollment-based funding — talked about in legislature for first time but no action taken
Consistent growth of ~3,000 students/year for last three years

Property Values & Tax Rates

Certified property values estimated to increase 10% in 2023, adding $5.2 billion (total: $57.3 billion)
This provides NO net new revenue to general fund — as local revenue increases, state funding decreases dollar-for-dollar
This dynamic has contributed to the state's $33 billion surplus
CISD tax rate: $1.1146 (second lowest in Greater Houston area)

- M&O: $0.8546

- Debt Service: $0.26

Tax rate has decreased $0.1654 since 2018-19
Current law (HB 3) would compress M&O by 5.5 cents to $1.0597
Additional compression of 10-20 cents anticipated from special session legislation
No New Revenue Rate discussion: Adopting this rate would trigger a $156 million loss (equivalent to ~2,200 teachers) — not viable for school districts
Golden Pennies: 5 of 8 accessed (~$11.2M each); Copper Pennies: 0 of 9 accessed (~$4.3M each)

Preliminary Budget

Total estimated revenue: $672.68 million (increase of $49.38M)
Total estimated expenditures: $672.68 million (balanced budget)
Key expenditure items:

- Personnel for growth: $35.68 million (556.3 new FTEs)

- Elementary class sizes reduced from 23:1 to 22:1

- ESSER positions absorbed: $16 million

- New special education positions: $5 million

- Additional instructional coaches for reading and math

- Reading Academy/summer school/teacher pipeline: $2.1 million

- Inflation adjustment (10% supply budget increase): $3.5 million

- Portable buildings: $3 million

- Software licenses: $1 million

- Utilities, fuel, insurance, supplies: $2.3 million

- Salary increases: BLANK (awaiting legislative action)

NOT yet included: ~$2 million for armed security officers (HB 3 requirement); potential insurance premium increase beyond 20%

Armed Security Officers (HB 3 Requirement)

District needs approximately 33 additional officers by September 1 deadline
District standard: certified police officers (higher than minimum HB 3 requirement)
Chief of Police provided assessment — district unlikely to meet 9/1 deadline
Competition for officers will intensify across all law enforcement agencies
Board will receive Chief's assessment

Retention Stipend Discussion

Board discussed providing a retention stipend while awaiting legislative action on raises
~$9 million in ESSER funds available for retention stipend
Dr. Noel recommended a $1,000 stipend (two payments of $500 — potentially October and November/December)
Applied to all employees (not just teachers) — flat rate intentionally benefits lowest-wage employees most
ESSER III funds expire at end of 2023-24
Additional potential: If bond passes, $36 million currently assigned to land purchases in fund balance would be repaid with bond funds, potentially available for future stipends (would require budget amendment)
No legal prohibition on using ESSER funds for retention stipends confirmed

Budget Timeline

July 12: District-Level Planning & Decision Making Committee meeting
July 18: Budget update to board
August 1: First public hearing
August 15: Second public hearing + budget and tax rate adoption

Item 2 – Pay Plan Presentation (Amy Campbell, TASB HR Services)

Market Analysis

11th consecutive year TASB has worked with CISD
Analysis includes peer districts plus non-school market sources (for law enforcement, custodians, technology positions)
Teachers: Generally within 1% of market median at all experience levels; furthest below market at 5 and 10 years (~$575 below)
Average teacher salary is highest above market — indicates experienced, stable teacher workforce
Stipends: Master's degree above market; bilingual even with market; special ed slightly above; secondary math/science teachers have no stipend (half of peer districts offer one — noted as growing trend)
Exempt (salaried) staff: Within a few percentage points of market
Non-exempt (hourly) staff: At or slightly above market

Pay Increase Scenarios

Two models presented: 2% and 3% (of market average teacher salary/midpoint)
Additional experience adjustments proposed:

- 15-19 years: +$500

- 20-24 years: +$750

- 25-29 years: +$1,000

- 30+ years: +$1,250

Cost of experience adjustments alone: ~$1.2-1.3 million

Cost Estimates:

|-------|---------------------|-------------|-------|

| 2% | ~$14M+ | ~$2M+ | ~$16M+ |

| 3% | ~$18M+ | ~$1.3M+ | ~$19M+ |

(Exact figures from presentation; includes new positions)

Significant Board Discussion on Pay Communication

"Midpoint" terminology causes confusion — most teachers (especially experienced ones) are below or above the structural midpoint
Board members expressed concern that saying "3% raise" when it's 3% of midpoint (not 3% of individual salary) is misleading, especially for veteran teachers
Recommendation adopted in discussion: For teachers, communicate raises as a flat dollar amount (e.g., "$1,900 raise" or "$2,900 with experience adjustment") rather than a percentage
Board member Williams raised concern that the current method compounds the gap for experienced teachers over time
Amy Campbell confirmed this approach would be clearer and is consistent with how peer districts operate
Board member requested additional analysis showing:

- Net percentage increase with adjustments for each experience level

- Comparison to projected market position after raises

- Number of employees in each pay plan category

Other Pay Plan Notes

Employee health insurance premiums: No increase (premiums staying the same)
Board expressed interest in seeing a 4-5% model if funding allows
No action taken — awaiting legislative funding decisions
Districts that have pre-approved raises may face difficulties: if state mandates raises "on top of" existing raises, those districts could face deficit budgets

Item 3 – Bond Planning Committee Update (Dr. Noel)

Process

Large community committee with diverse representation
All materials publicly available on district website (full transparency)
Items required 66% committee vote for inclusion in bond package
Community feedback being collected; "Coffees with Curtis" events being scheduled
Committee will finalize recommendations July 17; presentation to board in August (date TBD — all 7 board members desired present)
Bond committee members will present directly to the board (not staff)

Draft Bond Package — Five Propositions

Proposition A — Core Capacity & Infrastructure (~majority of $1.99B)

New Schools (8) — Adding ~13,000 seats:

Conroe area high school (3,800 students; relieves Conroe HS and northern Caney Creek)
Caney Creek 9th Grade Campus (242 corridor)
Conroe area junior high
Grand Oaks area 7-8/9 "comma campus" (designed to convert to 9th grade campus in future bond)
Woodlands feeder elementary (north of 1488/Old Conroe Road area)
242 Corridor elementary (cross-feeder; relieves Caney Creek and Suchma feeders)
Conroe area intermediate
Grand Oaks area elementary

Additions (3 overcrowded schools):

McCullough: +500 seats
Haley & Ford: additional seats
Total: ~700 additional seats

Major Renovations: The Woodlands HS, Knox, Oak Ridge 9, San Jacinto, Creighton

Master Plans (building function changes): Oak Ridge HS (Phase 2 only; Phase 3 deferred to future bond), Washington HS — 2,600 seats impacted

Also included: Infrastructure (mechanicals, plumbing, HVAC at older schools), safety upgrades (door locks, glass film, fencing — all campuses), land for bond schools and potentially future bonds, transportation (new buses + facility expansion), technology infrastructure

Proposition B — Technology Devices: $40 million

Required by law to be standalone proposition
Chromebooks, iPads, etc.
District is behind on replacement cycle after 2019 bond failure cut all tech devices

Proposition C — AG Barns & Elementary Gyms

AG Barns: Expansion of Otwell (Oak Ridge/Grand Oaks); improvements to Boothe Road (Woodlands/College Park); new barn at fairgrounds (Conroe, Caney Creek, new HS)

- Highest-voted item by committee: 95% approval

Elementary Gyms: Two options under consideration

- Option 1: 8 gyms (half of schools without)

- Option 2: 16 gyms (all schools without) — committee leaning toward Option 2

- Woodlands area particularly impacted by lack of gyms

Proposition D — Pool/Natatorium

Two options under consideration:

- Option 1: Outdoor covered 50-meter pool at existing natatorium + locker room expansion

- Option 2: Indoor 25-yard pool at new Conroe HS (less water, not competition-capable, but reduces travel for Conroe/Caney Creek students)

Current single pool is completely booked; UIL added water polo
Committee to select one option before presenting to board

Proposition E — Artificial Turf for Baseball/Softball (UNDECIDED)

5 schools currently without; 1 with
Committee has not decided whether to include
Some concern about having 5 propositions potentially confusing voters

Financial Impact

Maximum total: $1.99 billion
Estimated tax rate impact: 2 cents
With anticipated 15+ cent tax rate compression, net effect would still be a tax rate decrease
Impact on average home ($308,000): approximately $5/month ($61/year)

Comparison to Neighboring Districts

Every Montgomery County district has passed a bond in the last 9 months
Per-student comparisons show CISD's package is conservative:

- Splendora: equivalent to CISD doing $3.7B

- Montgomery: equivalent to $2.5B

- New Caney (May 2023, passed ~65%): equivalent to $2.9B

Even with 2-cent increase, CISD would remain second-lowest tax rate in Greater Houston

Initial Community Feedback (Conroe Chamber luncheon, 46 respondents)

Support for bond at 2-cent impact: 96% yes
Gyms preference: 89% said do all 16
Pool option: 55% preferred Option 1 (at natatorium) — notable given this was a Conroe audience
Include artificial turf proposition: 63% said yes

Workshop Adjournment

Workshop adjourned at approximately 10:00 PM

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Superintendent contract extended one additional year — unanimous vote

2. Three new principals named unanimously: Dr. Latori Jacobs (San Jacinto Elementary), Mrs. Chris Smith (Glenlock Elementary), Dr. Debra Criel (AST Headmaster)

3. Budget is balanced at $672.68M but contains no salary increases pending legislative action

4. Property insurance crisis: Non-renewal from only carrier; significant premium increase expected

5. Retention stipend of $1,000 (two $500 payments) being considered using remaining ESSER funds (~October/November)

6. Armed security officer mandate will cost ~$3M with only ~$1M in state funding; 33 officers needed; unlikely to meet 9/1 deadline

7. Pay raises on hold until legislature acts; board directed staff to communicate teacher raises as dollar amounts, not percentages

8. $1.99 billion bond package drafted with 5 propositions; estimated 2-cent tax rate impact; bond committee to present final recommendation in August for potential November ballot

9. AG barns were the highest-voted bond item (95% of committee)

10. Several bond items still undecided: number of elementary gyms (8 vs. 16), pool location, and whether to include artificial turf proposition