June 24, 2025 — Special Meeting
Conroe ISD Board Meeting — 2025-06-24
Special Meeting — Unofficial Notes
Based on auto-generated transcript. Not an official record.
Generated 2026-03-28 18:46 UTC
Unofficial Meeting Notes
Conroe ISD Board of Trustees — Special Meeting
June 24, 2025
Note: These are unofficial notes based on an auto-generated transcript. They are intended to help the public understand what occurred during the meeting and should not be considered official minutes.
Meeting Called to Order
- Time: 9:34 a.m.
- Presiding: Board President Odin Weller
- Quorum confirmed. Trustee Horton participated remotely via streaming. Trustees Dawson and Horton were noted as being out of town.
- Opening: Trustee May led prayer; Trustee Simler led the Pledge of Allegiance and Texas Pledge.
- The agenda order was modified: Items 1 and 2 first, then Items 5 and 6 (personnel), then Item 4 (legal).
Public Comment
One speaker:
- Michelle Knuckles — Requested the board consider allowing homeschool and private school students to try out for UIL sports and activities. She cited the 2021 Tim Tebow law giving districts the option, noted that homeschool families pay property taxes and save the district money, and stated that several Texas districts have already adopted such policies with positive results.
Human Resources Report (Item 5)
Dr. Landry recommended approval of the HR report (resignations and appointments) as presented in the board packet.
Vote: Approved 6-0 (Trustees Dawson absent; Horton voted remotely)
Personnel Appointments (Item 6)
Assistant Superintendent of Middle Schools — Dr. Paula [last name not stated in transcript]
Dr. Landry recommended Dr. Paula, a 27-year intermediate principal in CISD, to replace Dr. Stickler (who returned to Katy Creek).
Vote: Approved 6-0
Dr. Paula gave remarks thanking mentors, colleagues, and family, noting her commitment to continuing CISD's traditions of excellence.
Principal — Oak Ridge High School 9th Grade Campus: Mrs. Wendy Spears
Dr. Landry recommended Mrs. Spears, citing her experience at both junior high and high school levels and her dedication to personal and campus growth.
Vote: Approved 6-0
Mrs. Spears gave remarks noting her 20-year career in CISD as a Highlander (The Woodlands) and her excitement to join the War Eagle family at Oak Ridge.
Principal — Grand Oaks High School: Dr. Frederick Black Jr.
Dr. Landry recommended Dr. Black, an external hire who comes highly recommended from his former districts, describing him as passionate with a proven track record.
Vote: Approved 6-0
Dr. Black gave remarks thanking his family, particularly his mother (a 36-year math teacher who still substitutes at age 79), and expressed his commitment to learning the "Conroe ISD way" and leading Grand Oaks with energy, empathy, and excellence.
Preliminary 2025-2026 Budget Overview (Item 6A) & Compensation Plan (Item 6B)
Non-action/informational items presented concurrently
Presenters: Karen Garza (Chief Financial Officer), Amy Campbell (Director of HR Services, TASB), Paula Green (Executive Director of HR)
Legislative Context — House Bill 2 (HB2)
- 89th Texas Legislative Session ended June 2, 2025; over 9,000 bills filed, ~1,300 passed.
- HB2 allocated $4.2 billion for school funding:
- $3.4B for teacher pay; $800M for support staff
- $2.6B to address funding gaps (new "Allotment for Basic Costs" at $106/enrolled student)
- $850M for special education
- $1.7B for targeted programs (CTE, teacher prep, early learning)
- Total: $8.5 billion in additional public school funding this biennium
- New allotments created:
- Teacher Retention Allotment: $2,500/teacher (3-4 years experience), $5,000/teacher (5+ years) — permanent, protected funding
- Staff Support Retention Allotment: $45 × adjusted ADA for non-classroom employees
- School Safety Allotment: increased to $33,540/campus + $20/ADA (up from $10,000/campus)
- Special Ed FIE Reimbursement: $1,000 per individual evaluation
- Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) expanded with new "Acknowledged" category; 50% teacher participation goal (up from 30%); changes effective 2026-27
- ROC now eligible for CTE allotment funding
- Dyslexia allotment definition expanded
Property Tax Relief
- SB 4: Increases homestead exemption from $100K to $140K (pending voter approval November 2025)
- SB 23: Increases over-65 homestead exemption from $10K to $60K (pending voter approval)
- State will hold the district harmless on M&O for lost value from these exemptions
- Tax rate projected to remain at $0.9496 (unchanged from current year)
Impact on CISD Revenue
| Source | Amount |
|--------|--------|
| Property tax revenue | -$11M (due to increased exemptions) |
| HB2 state funding | +$41M |
| Other state funding increases (hold harmless) | +$27M |
| TIA pass-through | +$1.8M |
| Interest earnings | -$1.5M |
| TRS on behalf (pass-through) | +$4M |
| Total estimated revenue increase | ~$61M |
HB2 funding breakdown for CISD:
- Basic allotment increase: $5M
- Teacher Retention Allotment: $19.6M
- Staff Support Retention Allotment: $2.7M
- Allotment for Basic Costs: $7.8M
- School Safety: $1.9M
- Special Ed FIE: $2.5M
- Other: $1.5M
- Total new HB2 revenue: ~$41M
Key Budget Concern — Debt Service
Miss Garza flagged that the state will only hold the district harmless for bond debt issued and paid as of September 1, 2025. With $780M in voter-approved bonds yet to be issued, the increased homestead exemptions could require a debt service tax rate increase in future years. This was described as an unforeseen consequence of the state changing rules mid-bond program.
Tax Rate Compression — Methodology Change
The state changed how it calculates the local property value survey. Districts will now report year-over-year values using the new exemption amounts (not apples-to-apples comparisons), resulting in a projected net decrease in property values for CISD. This means no additional compression will occur, which is why the tax rate is projected to remain flat rather than decrease as discussed in April.
Compensation Plan Recommendations
Key priorities:
1. Teacher raises (HB2-funded)
2. Parity for teacher-adjacent positions (librarians, instructional coaches, counselors)
3. Higher pay for special education paraprofessionals in high-needs settings (+$1,000 stipend increase)
4. Prioritize hourly/lowest-paid employees (operations, paras, campus secretaries)
5. New pay structure for technology employees
6. Groundwork for every-other-year raise cycle aligned to HB2 funding
Proposed increases:
| Pay Group | General Increase |
|-----------|-----------------|
| Teachers (5+ years) | 7% |
| Teachers (0-4 years) | 4% |
| Admin Support, Instructional Support | 6% |
| Admin Education, Admin Business, Technology, Police | 4% |
- Starting teacher pay: $64,000 (up from ~$61,300)
- Teachers with 0-2 years receive $2,700 increase (4%, locally funded)
- Teachers with 3-4 years: $2,500 (state-funded) + local adjustments
- Teachers with 5+ years: $5,000 (state-funded)
- Total compensation plan cost: $33.1M (~$22M supported by state allotments)
- Educator career pathway adjustments ensure counselors and other teacher-adjacent staff receive comparable increases
- High-need special ed teaching stipend increase: $280,000
- Total budget impact: 6.4%
Every-other-year raise cycle: Administration recommended frontloading raises in 2025-26, with the understanding that 2026-27 would maintain raises but not provide new ones. A retention stipend from fund balance was suggested for the off-year.
Market comparison findings (TASB data):
- CISD teacher pay is $1,400-$2,100 below local market median at various experience levels
- All peer districts receiving same HB2 pass-through amounts, so the gap may persist
- District structures are generally competitive; individual pay lags due to two years without raises
- CISD doing more for non-teacher positions than most peers
Significant Board Discussion on Teacher Pay
- Multiple trustees expressed concern about closing the gap with market for experienced teachers
- Trustee Duncan asked about using local funds to increase pay beyond state-mandated amounts for 5+ year teachers
- President Odin Weller emphasized the importance of incentivizing veteran teachers to stay in the classroom, noting only ~$7,000 salary growth from year 1 to year 25 on the current scale; referenced Lynn Cartwright (40-year classroom teacher recently honored with a school naming)
- Trustee Horton (remote) asked if the board would see cost estimates for additional local teacher pay increases before July
- Miss Garza noted any additional increase for experienced teachers would create a ripple effect requiring adjustments for counselors, APs, and other educator career pathway positions
- Board consensus: These discussions must be finalized before the July 15 meeting, with a practical deadline of July 8 for any changes due to the July 4th office closure and board book posting requirements
- Amy Campbell (TASB) noted all HB2 salary increases are TRS-creditable compensation
Proposed Personnel Additions
- 142 new positions proposed; 95 are for special education ($5.6M)
- Total new staff cost: ~$8M
- 13.5 campus-level positions ($656,500) — lower than typical due to budgeting 500 fewer students than prior year
- New positions include support for Campbell and Iler (new campuses)
- Questioned items:
- Bluebonnet support positions (assistant director + reading specialist) — President Odin Weller questioned whether TEA grant support was fully leveraged; Dr. Winkler confirmed Region 6 support for one campus (Renan Elementary) was accepted
- Purchasing clerk for new campus ordering — justified by five new campuses opening over next two years
Budget Summary
| | Amount |
|---|---|
| Projected Revenue | $761M |
| Projected Expenditures | $761M |
| Budget Status | Balanced |
Fund Balance
- Projected ending fund balance (2024-25): $173M (22.7%)
- Target: 20% = $152.2M
- Available capacity above target: ~$20.8M
- $3.5M needed for self-funded insurance plan transfer
- Insurance shortfall concern: Current year shortfall ~$8.5M (described as anomaly)
- Retention stipend scenarios for 2026-27 were presented using excess fund balance
Software Audit
President Odin Weller asked about software subscription audits. Miss Garza confirmed Dr. Lambert's team is tracking software usage and looking for duplications. An example of turnitin.com vs. No Red Ink (~$250K cost difference) was cited.
Budget Timeline
- July 9: District-level planning committee update
- July 15: Board meeting update; pay plan approval sought
- August 5: First public hearing (budget & tax rate)
- August 19: Second public hearing + budget/tax rate adoption
HB3 Goals — Early Childhood & College/Career/Military Readiness (Item 6 continued)
Non-action/informational
Presenters: Dr. Taylor, Lauren Helford (Accountability & Data Coordinator), Tally Stout (CTE Director)
Background
- Under HB3 (2019), boards must adopt 5-year goals for third grade reading, third grade math, and CCMR
- Goals align with Closing the Gaps domain student groups
- New student groups added since 2023 accountability refresh: highly mobile, foster, homeless, migrant, emergent bilingual current, high focus
- Minimum group size reduced from 25 to 10 students
- Some data now from confidential sources; will be made FERPA-compliant before public release
Proposed 5-Year Goals (2025-2030)
| Measure | 2025 Baseline | 2030 Target |
|---------|--------------|-------------|
| 3rd Grade Reading (Meets+) | 59% | 67% |
| 3rd Grade Math (Meets+) | 57% | 65% |
| CCMR (Graduates) | 76% | 88% |
- The Student Achievement Subcommittee (Odin Weller, May, Dawson) worked with staff to set these goals
- President Odin Weller acknowledged goals are "lofty" but emphasized the board's intentional push for higher targets
- ~55 students = 1 percentage point at a typical grade level (~5,500 students per grade)
- No TEA penalties for not meeting HB3 goals; goals are tied to superintendent evaluation
- Math goals described as more challenging since no new math curriculum is in place yet (unlike Bluebonnet for reading); current math curriculum (SAS Envision) adopted in 2012
- Board members who were not on the subcommittee had not received all background materials on math curriculum options; staff committed to sharing those materials
Progress Measures
- PreK: Circle Literacy (phonological awareness) and Circle Math assessments
- K-3: NWA MAP growth projections (50% national norm baseline, targeting 55% by 2030)
- CCMR: TSI criteria (targeting 60% meeting college readiness), industry-based certifications/completers, economically disadvantaged graduate CCMR rates
CCMR Context
- Class of 2025: 5,621 graduates; 2,013 (35.8%) economically disadvantaged
- CCMR data is lagging (2025 accountability = Class of 2024 data)
- District on track to meet 2025 and 2026 CCMR targets
DIP Alignment Discussion
- Trustee May raised concern that the District Improvement Plan showed goals that had already been achieved, which doesn't make sense to the public
- Staff agreed to denote in the DIP when yearly targets are met while continuing strategy implementation
- Formal adoption of HB3 goals planned for July 15 board meeting
Reporting Calendar
Progress updates to the board proposed at regular intervals aligned with testing windows throughout the school year, with an annual report in February.
Legal: Senate Bill 401 — Homeschool Student UIL Participation (Item 4)
Non-action/informational
Presenter: Dr. Povich (Chief of Schools/Operations)
Legislative History
- 2021 (HB 547): Districts could opt in to allow homeschool students in UIL activities; students must participate at their zoned school; ~30 districts participated statewide, none in Houston area
- 2023 (HB 3078): Added $1,500/student/activity funding; ~46 districts participated, still none in Houston area; only 6A school found: Hutto ISD
- 2025 (SB 401): Opt-out model — all districts are automatically included unless they opt out by September 1, 2025 (August 1 in subsequent years)
- New provision: If a student's local district opts out, the student may participate at the nearest district that has not opted out
- This creates significant risk for CISD if surrounding districts opt out
Concerns Raised by Administration
- 6A programs already extremely competitive; limited roster spots
- Additional eligibility monitoring burden on coaches/directors
- Cannot regulate academic standards, attendance, or private coaching for homeschool students
- Logistics (transportation, parking, building access for non-enrolled students)
- District would not receive full funding for homeschool participants
- CISD Virtual Academy already provides an alternative pathway for students wanting UIL participation
- Texas High School Coaches Association opposes homeschool UIL participation (lack of regulatory oversight, uneven playing field, unfair competitive advantage)
- No surrounding districts have historically participated; preliminary conversations indicate none plan to opt in
- TAPPS (private school league) does not allow homeschool participation
Board Discussion
- Trustee Simler raised concerns about ESAs potentially increasing the number of homeschool students and the risk of CISD being the only participating district in the area; expressed concern about enrolled students losing spots to outside students
- Trustee Horton (remote) agreed it would be unfair to enrolled students
- Trustee May agreed with concerns about ESA impact
- Dr. Landry emphasized potential negative impacts on enrolled students' opportunities, noting limited varsity spots, marching positions, and lead roles; raised staffing concerns since coaches are primarily teachers
- President Odin Weller emphasized the importance of school identity and being "all in" at one institution
- All trustees present expressed opposition to allowing homeschool participation (support for opting out)
- No formal vote taken — this was an informational/discussion item; formal action expected at a future meeting
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn: Made and seconded.
Meeting adjourned at approximately 1:00 p.m.
These notes are unofficial and based on an automated transcript. For official minutes, please refer to the board-approved minutes available from Conroe ISD.