Conroe ISD

District news Jan. 15, the CISD board of trustees voted to call for a May 2019 bond election with district officials proposing an $807 million bond package. CISD, MISD and WISD voters approved bond packages in 2015 for the amounts of $487 million, $256.75 million and $109.5 million, respectively. 1. Houston Elementary The prekindergarten through fourth grade school earned a 54 out of 100 in its 2017-18 Texas Education Agency accountability rating, designating this campus as Improvement Required for the third year in a row. A 2015 law allows the state to shut down or take over schools earning this rating for five straight years, but the CISD board of trustees approved a campus turnaround plan in January 2018 expected to show results by the 2019-20 school year. Substance abuse prevention In 2019, CISD plans to partner with Lone Star Family Health Center to launch a substance abuse disorder prevention effort funded by a federal grant, said Ashley Hamlin, LSFHC communications and outreach manager. Hamlin said it will be a districtwide initiative focusing on addressing substance abuse in schools. Program details will be released as it becomes available.

Montgomery ISD

2. Montgomery High School Montgomery ISD Superintendent Beau Rees presented Montgomery High School Principal Brandi Hendrix with a certificate of recognition for MISD being named to the 9th Annual AP District Honor Roll this school year, recognizing increased access to AP classes for underrepresented students while simultaneously maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning AP exam scores of 3 or higher.

Willis ISD

3. Willis High School Mid-January, Willis ISD opened the doors to its $14.7 million, 33,275-square-foot performing arts center at Willis High School. The center features 1,050 auditorium seats, a main lobby with a concession area and a glass staircase. It was the last project in WISD’s 2015 $109.5 million bond package. The first show to take place in the center will be WHS's production of "Little Shop of Horrors" in February, said WISD Director of Communications Jamie Fails.

Private schools

4. Sacred Heart Catholic School The private Christian school completed construction of its Sacred Heart Church in early November as part of Phase 2 of the school’s master plan. The existing church will be renovated into a parish fellowship hall in the future, which will be the third of four phases. 5. Montgomery Christian Academy The preschool through fifth grade academy plans to construct new classrooms in 2019 and potentially a gym, along with expanding to the sixth grade in a move intended to eventually expand the school all the way through 12th grade.