During a special meeting June 6, Superintendent Curtis Null said new campuses in The Woodlands area are expected to help relieve overcrowding at schools that include York Junior High School, Grand Oaks High School and Suchma Elementary School, which are all over 100% capacity as of the 2022-23 school year.
CISD’s bond includes four separate propositions. Null said propositions A and B include the district’s main necessities while propositions C and D cover additional needs.
If the entire $1.995 billion bond package is approved, Null said the estimated tax impact would be $0.02 per $100 valuation.
According to a presentation Aug. 1, the average home value in CISD is $350,000, which would result in an estimated additional $4.17 per month in property taxes or about $50 annually.
The bond
Harry Vein, a co-spokesperson for the district’s bond planning committee, said the bond started with a five-step process that began by assessing facilities and studying demographics for the region’s growth.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer this bond proposal so as a community we can move forward together and celebrate what is happening here in Montgomery County,” he said.
Proposition A, which makes up 91% of the $1.99 billion package, includes funding for eight new schools, five major campus renovations, three additions and two master plans. A master plan changes the way a school works by rebuilding a portion of the building, Null said. With the addition of land acquisition, safety, infrastructure and transportation, Proposition A totals $1.82 billion.
Of the eight new proposed campuses, four schools would be built in The Woodlands area, including Grand Oaks campuses for seventh through eighth and ninth grades as well as elementary schools in The Woodlands High School feeder zone, the Grand Oaks feeder zone and the Hwy. 242 corridor, which Null said gives relief to both the Caney Creek feeder and Suchma Elementary. He said the campus will likely serve as a cross feeder elementary campus.
The Woodlands High School and Oak Ridge ninth-grade campuses, with capacities of 3,200 and 1,250 students, respectively, would also see major renovations.
Vein said the district has gone from growing steadily by 1,500 students a year to 3,000-4,000 students a year.
“If you’re in the driver’s seat and you’re moving forward, look at those new numbers,” he said. “That’s going to be more of what we are looking at over and over again.”
According to state Senate Bill 30, which was signed into law in 2019, school districts are required to provide one proposition for general purposes and separate propositions for special purposes to be voted on individually.
The remaining $175.77 million in the package would go toward three other propositions.
Proposition B includes new technology devices for $40 million, which was left out of the 2019 bond. Proposition C would provide $112.88 million to add elementary gyms to all 16 campuses without one—10 of which are located in The Woodlands area—as well as build a new agriculture barn for the Conroe and Caney Creek feeder zones. Proposition D would fund a new 50-meter outdoor pool with expansion and upgrades to the current natatorium.
The need
Chane Reagan, a co-spokesperson for the bond planning committee, said the district is behind in building schools, which is why the committee made new campuses and capacity expansion the main priority.
In 2023, the district opened three schools built with funds from the $653.5 million bond package approved in 2019, including Hines Elementary School in the Grand Oaks feeder zone.
“When you look at the growth that our county and our district has, we’re behind,” Reagan said. “In 2027, we are going to have 84,000-90,000 students here in Conroe ISD. We are nowhere near being able to handle that capacity.”
According to a presentation in April by CISD Superintendent of Operations Chris McCord, 67 of 73 CISD campuses were operating at an average capacity of 102% in the 2022-23 school year with enrollment projected to increase to at least 100,000 students by 2033.
Stacey Chase, a member of the board of trustees, said she believes safety is being compromised due to schools being over capacity.
“The three main things that this school is responsible for using tax dollars on is the safety of our students and staff and improving student outcomes,” she said. “Being overcapacity has negatively impacted all of those things.”
Community response
At an Aug. 1 meeting, several people expressed opinions for and against the 2023 bond. Holly Moore, who did not identify whether she is a parent in the district, said she is in favor of the bond package.
“I think it’s important to remember that maybe it’s not our personal house, our feeder zone or ZIP code that’s affected, but all of our kids deserve the best,” Moore said.
However, Stephanie Cox, a mother of a CISD graduate and a member of the bond committee, said she will be voting against the bond this November.
“I ask [the board] to consider the entirety of the bond package is not what the citizens of the district are needing or asking for,” she said. “Given the committee’s skewed makeup ... I believe it should be voted down.”
Cox said she believes the bond committee was made entirely of educators and constituents from CISD, swaying the vote in favor of the district.
According to previous Community Impact coverage, 56.04% of voters in 2019 approved Proposition A as part of the last bond package. Proposition A included starting Phase 2 of Conroe High School, building four new elementary schools and one junior high. Proposition B, which included artificial turf as the only other item, failed by over 5,000 votes.
Financial impact
The board of trustees voted unanimously Aug. 1 in favor of calling the school bond election.
It is larger than bond packages proposed by other area districts in 2022 and 2023, according to CISD. Compared to districts with similar enrollment numbers, only Klein ISD’s 2022 bond came close. With an enrollment of 53,294, KISD passed a $1.1 billion bond in May 2022.
However, Null said the district expects to lower the tax rate this year. The district anticipates a $0.1525 decrease for the 2023-24 tax year to bring the rate to $0.9621, according to the district.
“We’re going to lower their tax rate no matter what,” Null said.
To learn more about the bond, visit www.conroeisd.net/bond-planning-committee.
Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect that The Woodlands High School and Oak Ridge ninth-grade campuses, with capacities of 3,200 and 1,250 students, respectively, would also see major renovations. The statement previously read those schools would be expanded by that number of seats.
