The number of schools overcapacity in Conroe ISD will likely increase when school begins in August, Assistant Superintendent of Operations Chris McCord told the board of trustees at a May 16 meeting.
Current situation
In March, the CISD Bond Planning Committee began meeting to consider needs ahead of the possible bond referendum that could head to voters in November. According to previous Community Impact coverage, 67 schools in the district are operating at an average capacity of 102% with projections indicating it could grow from 71,000 students to 100,000 students or more by 2033.
McCord said enrollment in the district is projected to reach over 73,000 in 2023. The influx in students will cause concern at certain campuses in the district that are already over the threshold, he said. Those schools and their capacity levels include:
- Grand Oaks High School: 109%
- Conroe High School: 99%
- York Junior High School: 102%
- Stockton Jr. High School: 99%
- Suchma Elementary School: 113%
- Bozman Intermediate School: 106%
- Creighton Elementary School: 146%
- Deretchin Elementary School: 125%
- Bush Elementary School: 111%
During the presentation, McCord cited several reasons for capacity impacting available space in schools.
- Rate of change in student growth
- Loss of ability to locate flexible programs at campuses with room availability
- Increase of students being served in social education programs that exceed overall growth
- Extra programs on campuses
McCord said the district has previously responded to capacity issues by adding portable classrooms to campuses, rezoning, moving programs or using class size waivers. In March, CISD approved the purchase of 70 portable buildings for the 2023-24 school year.
According to a Community Impact report from the March board meeting, CISD already has a total of 196 portable buildings with 161 of those classrooms acting as single portables and 35 doubles.
“We, and I, are concerned about reaching a place where we no longer have space to physically put a portable building on that site,” McCord said.
Some schools that will receive portable classrooms and the number of classrooms they will receive in August include:
- Grand Oaks High School: 10
- York Junior High School: 9
- Stockton Jr. High School: 3
- Peet Junior High School: 2
- Creighton Elementary School: 16
- Bradley Elementary School: 10
- Deretchin & Hailey elementary schools: 9
- Suchma Elementary School: 16
The CISD board also discussed the idea of requiring students to wear identification badges starting in 2023-24. McCord said while all students are given badges, it is not a requirement to wear them. Board members discussed the benefits and drawbacks at the meeting; however, no action was taken.
