What's happening
In the new release, city officials asserted that “under Conroe’s current water service moratorium, it is not permissible to provide utility service to a commercial tract outside of the city limits unless a developer agreement has been executed,” which includes schools. Officials also claim the district opted not to enter a developer agreement at the appropriate time.
“Nor did [WISD] formally exit its prior water service territory until late July 2025. These were known requirements,” the release states. “The city is prohibited by law from providing water in a CCN [service territory coordination] that belongs to another entity. Until a week ago when the CCN was obtained by the city, water service was not possible. WISD ignored the CCN issue until the 11th hour.”
The city said a draft agreement was sent to the district in July, and it has not yet received a response. According to the release, the WISD board of trustees declined to approve a developer agreement presented by the city during its Aug. 1 meeting, instead authorizing its superintendent to negotiate.
Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough posted via Facebook Aug. 4 that the county is actively working with WISD and “will continue working around the clock to ensure that Calfee Middle School is safe, fully inspected and ready for students as soon as possible.”
Explained
In the same Facebook post, Keough said he believes Conroe city officials have overstepped.
“Mayor Duke Coon has been working to help resolve this issue and support a path forward, but even he has had a difficult time getting a resolution,” Keough said. “The fault here lies with city administration, who accepted fees and issued a building permit for a project they had no jurisdiction over.”
In response to jurisdiction questions, city officials said via the Aug. 4 release that “at no point did the city act unilaterally in entering Montgomery County’s jurisdiction. In fact, after Mayor Pro Tem [Howard] Wood’s directive to staff, during the early planning stages, Montgomery County formally authorized Willis [ISD] to coordinate with the city of Conroe for water and sewer services via a written letter.”
However, in an Aug. 5 Facebook post at 2:45 p.m., Keough alleges that city staff lied about the letter from Montgomery County authorizing the city to proceed with permitting.
“That letter does not exist,” Keough said in the post.
Coon responded Aug. 5 via Facebook, encouraging all involved parties to come to the table to resolve the matter.
Some context
WISD Director of Communications Sarah Blakelock said in an email that the district has worked for more than two years to secure water service and permitting for the Calfee Middle School site.
“This situation is complicated by the fact that the school sits in an area historically serviced by Aqua Texas and not under Conroe’s jurisdiction until recently,” Blakelock said. “We have coordinated relentlessly across multiple agencies—city, county and private—to navigate these complexities, seeking collaboration and clarity. Over the past months, a sense of urgency has further driven our need for resolution as the clock ticks toward the first day of school.”
Blakelock said the district pursued annexation through the city and coordinated with both the city and county to secure service, claiming that “Willis ISD has actively pursued the necessary steps to secure water service and permitting” for the new campus.
In the city’s Aug. 4 release, Conroe officials claimed that since 2022, city staff have helped by “providing extensive guidance on how to legally obtain water service and ensure project compliance,” which included discussions about annexation, developer agreements and service territory coordination.
In their own words
Community Impact reached out to the city of Conroe, Coon, Conroe City Council members and Keough for additional comments and requested documents—including the proposed development agreement between WISD and Conroe—and any communication from the city on the school’s certificate of occupancy, but did not hear back before publication.
In a written response to Community Impact, Wood said his children attend WISD schools and live in Conroe, and that new developments such as The Woodland Hills are increasing the number of Conroe families zoned to the district.
Wood, elected in 2022, was not in office when the Calfee Middle School project began, but initiated meetings after hearing about water supply concerns from staff in April 2024.
"The Calfee project was already in motion before I was elected," Wood said. "In April 2024, after staff mentioned the city was facing some water supply challenges, I asked Public Works Director Norman McGuire to meet with Willis ISD elected officials and staff. The goal was to inform them early and open the door to collaboration—not to make any promises or cut corners."
In response to claims from Conroe city officials in the Aug. 4 release that he pressured staff to move the project forward improperly, Wood said the City Council unanimously approved annexation of the school site in December 2024.
“If nothing happened for eight months, that’s not the result of pressure—that’s just poor follow-through,” Wood said. “In the private sector, that kind of delay would get someone fired. The idea that I ‘pressured’ staff years ago and they’re just now reacting doesn’t make sense. It sounds like an excuse.”
Regarding Keough’s claim that the city collected fees from WISD despite lacking jurisdiction, Wood said he has not seen documentation.
“Staff hasn’t provided me—or other council members, as far as I know—with a full explanation or clear timeline,” he said. “If the city collected fees, it shouldn’t have; we need to take responsibility and fix it. What concerns me more is that this isn’t the first time city staff have had trouble working effectively with other public agencies.”
Wood said he was unaware that Calfee Middle School or nearby MP Clark Elementary were outside city limits until he inquired about tree clearing at Clark. Wood also said those jurisdictional surprises point to deeper communication issues, and city staff need to be “more proactive” when coordinating with council and regional partners.
Wood said he does not have enough information to say whether or not he has confidence in the city’s executive team, which is made up of City Administrator Gary Scott; Norman McGuire, the city’s assistant city administrator and public works director; and Nancy Mikeska, deputy city administrator and director of community development.
"I need more data to understand how we as a community got here, how we get the school open to help our children and families, and we don’t repeat this," Wood said. "Whether leadership changes happen will be up to the full council, depending on facts, that may become a conversation."
What’s next
Calfee Middle School is still scheduled to open Aug. 13, Blakelock said. District officials said they are continuing to work with all agencies involved to resolve the issue.
“We are committed to bringing this matter to resolution in a timely manner. Our families and taxpayers deserve nothing less,” Blakelock said.
The district has called a special meeting for Aug. 8 to consider hiring outside legal counsel, according to an agenda posted on the district’s website.
“We regret that the challenges of the bureaucratic process are being played out in this manner as opposed to celebrating a new state-of-the-art campus,” Blakelock said.
Conroe City Council’s next meetings are scheduled for Aug. 13-14.
"This isn’t about politics. It’s about accountability to our citizens and their families. Ineffective communication has real consequences, and it needs to change," Wood said. "My focus is on getting the school open, doing what is best for our citizens and doing what’s right."
Reporter Angela Bonilla contributed to this report. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
