Conroe ISD’s 2018 District Facilities Planning Committee recommended an $827M bond proposal to the Conroe ISD board of trustees during the Dec. 19 board meeting.

The proposed bond was unanimously recommended by the 26-member committee and includes a variety of projects to address growth and sustainability, safety and security and districtwide needs, with emphasis on improvements at Conroe and Oak Ridge high schools.

“We are very fortunate in Conroe ISD to be in superb financial shape and because of that, and the confidence in our leadership, the 2018 Facility Planning Committee unanimously recommends a bond proposal with contingency and inflation accounted for in the amount of $827,476,195,” Committee Member Cody Bartlett said.

In the last 10 years, voters approved two bonds, which enabled the district to build 12 new schools, construct major renovations and additions at existing schools and invest in safety, security and technology.

The most recent bond, which was passed in 2015 as a four-year plan, began the renovations at Conroe High School. Bartlett said this proposed bond hopes to complete that process.

“With the passage of the 2015 bond, construction began to update and renovate Conroe High School with the intent to continue on the next bond issue,” he said. “We have allocated funding in this proposal to finish that master plan. When renovations are complete, Conroe High School will all be under one roof. This project solves many issues and will breathe new life into the district’s original high school and the Conroe community.”

Additionally, the committee recommended a complete overhaul of Oak Ridge High School—a nearly 40-year-old campus.

“The auditorium and gym will be evaluated for potential improvements as funds allow and we’ll also include new window systems for the campus,” Barlett said. “In addition, we recommend a CTE conversion at ORHS adding space for robotics programs, automotive technology and engineering design programs.”

According to data from Population and Survey Analysts demographics study, Conroe ISD has grown by more than 15,000 students over the past decade and expects to reach 76,000 students by 2028.

To accommodate that growth and address districtwide needs, the proposed bond includes the following additional projects:

• One new elementary school in the Grand Oaks High School feeder zone
• One new elementary school in the Conroe High School feeder zone
• One new elementary school in the Caney Creek feeder zone
• One new junior high school in the Caney Creek feeder zone, allowing the conversion of Moorhead Junior High into an intermediate school.
• Additions and upgrades to the following campuses: The Woodlands College Park High School, the Woodlands High School, Caney Creek High School, Conroe High School Ninth Grade Campus and York Junior High school
• Land purchases for future campuses
• A new outdoor practice pool located next to CISD’s natatorium
• A new north county agricultural CTE complex located adjacent to the Montgomery County Fairgrounds for use by Conroe and Caney Creek high schools
• Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and H-VAC upgrades at Creighton and Glen Loch elementary schools
• The addition of gyms at Collins and Wilkerson intermediate schools
• A new gym at Runyan Elementary School
• Reconstruction of tennis courts at Knox Junior High School
• Athletic field conversions
• Annual expenditure for life cycle and sustainability issues
• Annual expenditure to upgrade safety and security at campuses including vestibules, cameras, locks, windows and fencing
• Additions, upgrades and expansions at auxiliary facilities including transportation centers, maintenance and custodial facilities and a new professional development center
• Repurposing of existing auxiliary facilities including the Jet Center, Hauke High School and Washington Junior High School
• Annual expenditures for network and infrastructure to upgrade technology
• New school buses

The proposed bond will come back to the board of trustees for consideration on Jan. 15. If the board pursues the bond, the $827M item could go to voters in May or November 2019.

Other news:
Following an executive session, the Conroe ISD board of trustees reorganized following the results of the Nov. 6 election. The new positions are as follows:

President: Datren Williams
1st Vice President: Skeeter Hubert
2nd Vice President: Scott Moore
Secretary: Ray Sanders
Assistant Secretary: Scott Kidd
Past President: John Husbands
Trustee: Dale Inman

To view the Dec. 18 board meeting agenda, click here.