Voters can expect to see Conroe ISD’s $807 million bond proposal on the May 2019 election ballot, following the board of trustees Jan. 15 approval of a bond election. The bond package is $20 million lower than the 2018 District Facilities Planning Committee's initial bond proposal of $827 million, which was recommended to trustees on Dec. 18. “Through the efforts of our [FPC] team and the feedback received at the board’s workshop, we made adjustments to the committee’s recommendation,” Superintendent Curtis Null said at the board meeting. “We have reduced the allocations to a few specific line items and removed the practice pool from the package. We believe these items can be budgeted using fund balance[s] or future savings.” Null said at the bond referendum is necessary to address CISD’s growing student population and districtwide needs. According to data from Population and Survey Analysts demographics study, CISD has grown by more than 15,000 students over the past decade, and it estimated the district would reach 76,000 students by 2028. Trustees approved the bond package on a 6-1 vote, with trustee Dale Inman abstaining. The $807 million school bond will be on the May 4 general election ballot. The bond package includes constructing new schools in the Conroe, Grand Oaks and Caney Creek high school feeder zones as well as improvements to existing campuses, future land purchases and safety and security upgrades, to name a few. Additionally, CISD Director of Communications Sarah Blakelock said in an email that although timelines for proposed projects have not been finalized, construction on the bond projects could begin as early as this if the bond is approved by voters. As for the bond’s potential property tax rate implications, Null said CISD officials project a 1-cent property tax rate increase for the 2019-20 year, with a maximum of a 3-cent increase over the life of the bond. The existing tax rate is $1.28 per $100 home valuation.

Other agenda items from the Jan. 15 meeting: