December 3, 2024 — Special Meeting
Conroe ISD Board Meeting — 2024-12-03
Special Meeting — Unofficial Notes
Based on auto-generated transcript. Not an official record.
Generated 2026-03-28 17:42 UTC
Unofficial Meeting Notes
Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees
Special Meeting — December 3, 2024
These are unofficial notes based on an auto-generated transcript and may contain errors or omissions.
Opening
- Meeting called to order at 6:02 PM
- Quorum confirmed; meeting properly noticed under Texas Open Meetings Act
- Prayer by Trustee Melissa Dungan; pledges led by Trustee Tiffany Nelson
Citizens Participation
Six members of the public spoke on posted agenda items:
1. Alex Harris — Called for an independent financial audit of the district with no prior ties to CISD to identify waste. Requested removal of "gender fluid materials," enforcement of biological sex-based pronouns, parent notification for gender confusion, cost-cutting, and discipline improvements.
2. Lynn Greaves — Cited 2024 Trevor Project data on transgender youth suicide rates. Argued that policies mandating biological sex pronouns and restricting restroom access could increase suicide risk among trans students. Urged the board to let its actions match its anti-suicide campaigns.
3. Marie Kennedy — Advocated for more play, movement, and physical activity to support reading readiness and overcome retained primitive reflexes. Expressed concern about the BlueBonnet curriculum, stating it applies only to some Christians and could lead to social ostracism of non-Christian students.
4. Diane Daniels — Congratulated new board members. Encouraged focus on "back to basics" of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Called for more teacher aides, less administrative paperwork for teachers, and teaching for learning rather than standardized tests or AI.
5. Susan Scruggs — Congratulated new board members. Expressed support for agenda item regarding removal of materials related to chemical/surgical gender procedures. Referenced policies in Spring Branch, Katy, and Keller ISDs. Encouraged the board to establish a vision statement and goals.
6. Carolyn Nene — Proposed quarterly town hall meetings for community dialogue and transparency, allowing parents and community members to ask questions and receive answers.
7. Aaron Miller — Praised Dr. Null's leadership through growth, COVID, and board challenges. Cited Dr. Null's recognition as "Most Admired CEO" by Houston Business Journal and CISD's Forbes ranking as 37th among best large employers. Urged the board to support Dr. Null and keep the district top-rated. Quoted the district's motto: "All means all."
8. Tina Orbal — Criticized the district's direction as too liberal, citing concerns about bathroom policies and "sexual books in elementary school." Called for urgent changes.
Action Items (Agenda Item 3)
Items 3A, 3B, and 3C (Consider and Award RFPs) — REMOVED from the agenda. President Odin Weller announced that Dr. Null requested removal of these items so a more robust vetting process could take place. Trustees agreed.
Discussion Items (Agenda Item 4) — Board Work Session Format
President Odin Weller explained a new approach: Board work sessions will serve as spaces for collaborative dialogue, deeper discussion, and input from various perspectives, while regular board meetings (third Tuesday of each month) remain focused on formal decision-making.
4A: Preliminary 2025–2026 Budget Overview
Presenter: Karen Garza, Chief Financial Officer
District Financial Awards
- Texas Association of School Business Officials: Purchasing Award of Merit and Excellence in Financial Management
- National awards from ASBO and GFOA for annual comprehensive financial report (20+ consecutive years)
- 22nd consecutive year of highest School FIRST rating
- Four transparency stars from the Texas Comptroller's Office — CISD is one of only a handful of districts statewide to hold all four
Budget Development Process
- Revenue analysis considers: incoming funds, fund balance ("savings account"), and legislative changes
- Expenditure analysis driven by projected enrollment, campus allocations, support department allocations, and large categories (insurance, fuel, utilities)
- Goal: maintain fund balance between 20–25% of annual expenditures (~$142–$177M target); projected unassigned fund balance at ~$183M
2024–2025 Budget Context
- Adopted budget assumptions: 74,000 students; 92.5% ADA; 8.36% property value growth; tax rate of $0.9496
- Actual enrollment at October snapshot: ~73,000 (approximately 1,000 below projection)
- However, students enrolling require more specialized services (special education, bilingual), generating higher weighted funding that offsets the enrollment shortfall
- Special education growth: 110% over 7 years in CISD (vs. 72% statewide over 10 years)
Tax Rate and Revenue Structure
- Total tax rate: $0.9496 (M&O: ~$0.67; Debt Service: ~$0.28)
- CISD has the lowest tax rate among displayed peer districts
- CISD accesses only 5 of 8 available Tier 2 "golden pennies" — peer districts like Katy (11) and Humble (14) access significantly more
- Each golden penny = ~$12 million in funding; each copper penny = ~$4.6 million
- If CISD had 11 Tier 2 pennies: entitlement would grow by ~$50 million, turning the $1.8M deficit into a $38.4M surplus
Key Board Discussion on Tier 2 Pennies:
- Under current law, accessing additional pennies requires a voter-approved tax rate election (VATRE)
- The legislature could potentially authorize board-approved access to a 6th penny without voter approval
- Trustee Odin Weller stated she values asking voters for buy-in; noted that even with a VATRE, tax compression could still result in a net tax rate decrease
Per-Student Spending Comparison
- CISD: ~$9,123 per student
- Humble ISD: ~$9,863; Katy ISD: over $10,000
- Dr. Null noted CISD spends disproportionately on transportation due to 348 square miles of geography
- CISD has the lowest percentage spent on general administration among peers
- Higher facilities maintenance costs attributed to CISD being more reactive (vs. proactive) with bond programs compared to peer districts
Adopted 2024–2025 Budget
- Total revenue: $700.07M; Total expenditures: $711.9M
- Deficit: $11.9M (less than 2% of budget)
- Deficit resulted from a 2.5% employee raise approved November 2023, funded through $30M returned to the general fund from the bond program — known to be sustainable for only a couple of years without new state revenue
ADA (Average Daily Attendance) Discussion
- Pre-COVID: ~94.5%; Current: ~92.5%
- Each 1% = $5 million in funding; ~$10M less since COVID
- Causes discussed: post-COVID behavioral changes, security threats, parent travel during school days
- A committee led by Dr. Taylor is studying attendance practices district-wide, with goal of developing recommendations including community/parent engagement
- Board members expressed strong interest in setting percentage improvement goals and running awareness campaigns
Senate Bill 12 — Over-65 Hold Harmless Correction (Major Development)
Special Guests: Tammy McCrae (Montgomery County Tax Assessor-Collector), Robbie Harbach (Line Barger, Property Study Appeals), Sheri Hunter (Interim Chief Appraiser, Montgomery County)
- SB 12 (87th Legislature) required recalculation of over-65 homestead tax ceilings to reflect compression since HB 3
- Districts were to be "held harmless" for lost local revenue
- The State Comptroller's office misinterpreted the law, only capturing one year of compression losses instead of the full multi-year compression
- CFO Karen Garza identified the discrepancy through persistent questioning over two years
- The Comptroller acknowledged the error and issued corrected Form 50-253 with updated instructions
- This affects every school district in the state of Texas
- Conservative estimate for CISD: ~$10 million for tax year 2023 and ~$7.5 million recurring for tax year 2024 and beyond (~$17.5M total back pay)
- The Comptroller's property tax division director credited Garza for uncovering the statewide issue
- Line Barger has begun the audit process; timeline for final amounts expected by spring 2025
- Separate from this, Line Barger's previous audit work recovered $25.9M in value reductions and $735,000 in additional funding for the district
2025–2026 Preliminary Budget
- Enrollment projection: ~74,500 students
- ADA: 92.5%; Property value growth: 5% (conservative)
- Tax rate projected at $0.9447 (likely to decrease further by 3–5 cents)
- With $7.5M recurring hold-harmless revenue added and expenditure adjustments, preliminary deficit reduced from ~$15M to $3.8M
- Garza expressed confidence the budget can be balanced even without additional state funding
- Recommended "hold steady" approach: staff normally in spring, adjust based on legislative outcomes
Legislative Session (89th) Preview
- Begins January 14, 2025; ends June 2
- School finance action typically not until May
- A $100 increase in basic allotment = ~$9M for CISD
- Inflation-adjusted allotment ($7,500) = ~$120M additional
- One golden penny = $12M; 1% ADA increase = $5M
Raise Scenarios Discussed (Preliminary)
| Raise % | Teachers/Librarians | All Staff Total |
|---------|-------------------|-----------------|
| 1% | ~$4.8M | ~$6.2M |
| 2% | ~$9.6M | ~$12.4M |
| 3% | ~$14.4M | ~$18.6M |
- Retention stipend scenarios also presented (one-time vs. recurring cost implications discussed)
- Board noted raises affect TRS retirement contributions; stipends do not
- No raise is included in the current preliminary budget
Disaster Pennies
- Hurricane Beryl qualifies CISD for disaster penny access (~$2.5M in storm expenses)
- Board-approved (no voter approval needed); one year only
- Would slightly reduce the amount of tax rate decrease rather than increase rates
- Board expressed interest but emphasized transparency to taxpayers about the rationale
Classroom Supplies Discussion
- Trustee Odin Weller raised concerns about teachers spending personal money on classroom supplies
- Dr. Medford explained supplies are allocated per-student to each campus; principals manage distribution
- Acknowledged teachers often choose to spend their own money due to high expectations
- Board expressed desire to better understand and potentially increase supply funding to reduce teacher out-of-pocket spending
4B: Bus Transportation Challenges Regarding Rezoning
Presenter: Mr. McCord, with support from Martin Merl (Executive Director of Operations) and Juan Melindes
Key Points:
- Adding Iser and Campo Elementary Schools will result in a net reduction of 4 bus routes (~4,128 fewer runs annually over 172 school days)
- More schools = students living closer to schools = more walkers/bikers, fewer buses needed per campus
Specific Rezoning Situation — Bonnie Branch & Linux Hill:
- ~20 students (4th and 5th graders) in the Bonnie Branch/Linux Hill area currently feed into Galatas Elementary and Mitchell Intermediate
- Depending on board's rezoning decision, these students could be rezoned to Coulson Tough (K-6)
- Precedent set in 2022: emergency rezone from Bush Elementary/Mitchell to Derring; cohort students allowed to transfer and received one year of transportation
- Proposal: offer same one-year transportation option for affected students (~6-10 students would likely use it)
- Students would ride existing bus routes (not require new dedicated routes)
- Drive time difference between options: negligible (12 vs. 7 minutes; 8 vs. 6 minutes)
Mitchell Intermediate Capacity:
- Currently at 109-110% capacity
- Limited options for portables (basketball court or distant location)
- Mitchell will continue growing; relief needed
Board Discussion:
- Trustee Horton raised concerns about students arriving home late, buses crossing busy roads, and parents being far from schools (30+ minute drives impacting conference attendance, ADA)
- Trustee Semmler expressed concern about rezoning maps showing routes that cut across the district inefficiently
- Board noted narrower roads, longer distances, and safety concerns in East County areas
- Staff highlighted improvements: adjusted start/end times, Smart Tag app (10,000+ parents enrolled), security supervision for early bus arrivals
- Over 10,000 parents use the Smart Tag bus tracking app
4C: Comprehensive Goals for the District and Superintendent
Discussion per Texas Education Code §11.1511(b)(2)
President Odin Weller outlined the board's statutory duties:
- Adopt a vision statement and comprehensive goals
- Establish performance goals for academic and fiscal indicators
- Ensure superintendent accountability for performance results
Dr. Null noted it has been over 20 years since the district conducted a formal strategic planning process. Previous attempts were delayed by bond planning, COVID, and rapid growth. He identified the current window as appropriate for strategic planning.
Dr. Medford's Presentation — Current Goal Framework:
- District goals are based on the Effective Schools Framework (TEA research-based model), established in 2021
- Five current overarching goals:
1. Student Achievement & Post-Secondary Readiness
2. School Leadership & Fiscal Responsibility
3. Recruit & Retain Quality Staff
4. Safe & Collaborative School Culture
5. Effective Instruction
- Goals are implemented through the District Improvement Plan (DIP) — a 100+ page living document with objectives, strategies, and progress monitoring (December, March, June)
- Over 60 people contribute to the DIP; reviewed by District Level Planning & Decision-Making Committee
- All 71 campus improvement plans align with district goals
Board Discussion on Goals:
- Trustee Dawson shared Cy-Fair ISD's board monitoring system as a model; suggested:
- Combining Goals 1 and 5 (student achievement and effective instruction)
- Separating leadership from fiscal responsibility
- Adding goals for operations and financial management/human capital
- Updating board local policy to reflect adopted goals
- Trustee May asked whether goals are ambitious enough (e.g., reading proficiency target of 52% to 56%)
- Dr. Null acknowledged the gap: "We're a B district. I want to get us to an A district."
- Board expressed desire for up to 50% of board meeting time focused on student learning outcomes
- Dr. Null proposed using the weekly Board Gram to share progress data, with public summaries at work sessions
- Literacy/reading identified as a critical priority; HB 3 reading goals due for revision in 2025
- Board members emphasized not adding more testing/assessments to monitor progress — use existing quarterly assessments
- Trustee Odin Weller cautioned against simply throwing money at problems; emphasized targeted investment
Strategic Planning Process:
- Board expressed interest in hiring a third-party facilitator for a formal strategic planning process
- Dr. Null will research consultants used by other districts and bring options back
- Process would involve board direction-setting, community committees, parent meetings — estimated ~12 months
- CISD is one of the few large districts without a current strategic plan
- Board agreed to send individual goal priorities to Dr. Null for compilation (consistent with TOMA requirements)
- No formal vote taken — discussion only; goals to continue developing at future work sessions
4D: Student Welfare, Parental Authority, and Gender Fluidity Policy (FA Local)
Presenter: President Odin Weller
Odin Weller outlined her rationale for the discussion item, which she first attempted to bring forward in May and June 2024 but was voted down by the previous board majority:
Areas identified as lacking policy/procedures:
1. Bathroom/locker room use based on biological sex
2. Pronoun requests and parental notification
3. Classroom content related to gender topics
4. Travel housing arrangements
5. Parent notification for signs of gender confusion
Key Points from Discussion:
- Odin Weller stated these concerns were the most common topic raised by constituents during the election cycle (alongside academic outcomes and discipline)
- Stated the goal is providing a safe learning environment without engaging in social transitioning, which staff are not equipped/trained for
- Referenced policies from Katie, Spring Branch, Keller, and other ISDs already provided to trustees
Board Member Positions:
- Trustee Semmler supported being proactive; noted Katy ISD's policy as a good starting point
- Trustee Dawson confirmed the public's strong concern on this issue from her campaign experience
- Trustee Horton expressed concern about not burdening teachers with additional paperwork; suggested designating trained counselors as points of contact; emphasized need for a reporting/tracking mechanism
- Dr. Null stated: "We've never had a single incident" (negative incident involving a trans student) and that situations have been handled individually at the campus level; acknowledged the board's desire for a policy
- Odin Weller confirmed that biological males have been registered and known as female students in the district; stated a parent reported their daughter was traumatized when a male entered the girls' bathroom (though no harmful action occurred)
Legal Considerations:
- Board attorney (Miss Gadis) noted Katy ISD's policy was under OCR investigation, but the Biden-era Title IX changes being struck down likely moots that
- TASB update expected in January for FFH (legal policy only — notes removal)
- Board agreed to wait for the January TASB update before finalizing
- Miss Gadis offered to draft a starting-point comprehensive policy for board review
Outcome: Discussion only — no action taken. Board agreed to continue developing the policy with:
- A draft to be prepared for review
- Target of January work session for further discussion
- Outside legal counsel to review before finalization
- Emphasis on a single comprehensive policy rather than scattered provisions
Items NOT Discussed
- No executive session was held
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn made and seconded.
Meeting adjourned at 9:55 PM.
Key Takeaways
1. RFP items (3A, 3B, 3C) pulled from agenda for additional vetting
2. Major budget development: ~$17.5M in additional state funding expected due to a statewide Comptroller error discovered by CISD's CFO Karen Garza
3. Preliminary 2025-26 budget deficit: $3.8M (down from ~$15M projected), with confidence it can be balanced without new state funding
4. No employee raise currently in the preliminary budget; dependent on legislative outcomes
5. Rezoning transportation impact is minimal; net reduction of 4 bus routes with new schools
6. Board beginning formal goal-setting process for first time in 20+ years; strategic planning process to be researched
7. Gender fluidity policy development initiated with broad board support; draft expected for January discussion
8. Board adopting new work session format for deeper, collaborative discussions separate from formal decision-making meetings