1) CISD’s new intermediate school was officially named after former educator Katherine Johnson Clark during the meeting. The new school in the Oak Ridge High School feeder zone is on track to open in August 2018.
Two other names considered during the board’s discussion were Herbert Lamp, a former educator and Conroe High School graduate, and Annette Gordon-Reed, a Pulitzer Prize winner and Conroe High School graduate.
“Here’s the good news—we have three schools to name in the next couple of years.” CISD Superintendent Don Stockton said.
2) After some discussion, the board voted to remove items regarding property reappraisal from Tuesday's meeting agenda as a result of Hurricane Harvey. Board President Melanie Bush and Board Member Ray Sanders were not in favor of removing the item however, Board Member Datren Williams said he felt the items would be better in the hands of the state rather than the district.
Authorities with the Montgomery County Central Appraisal District and the tax assessor collector were in attendance during the meeting.
“Having heard from the state comptroller myself, he stated that it was up to the local taxing entities whether or not we reappraise,” Bush said.
3) Stockton read to a second grade class from Rice Elementary School during the board meeting to kick off the district’s annual Read for a Better Life initiative. The initiative encourages parents to spend time reading to their children each day.
“We believe when children read, they learn,” Stockton said. “When they learn they grow. When they grow, they have opportunities in life. This is a night that we encourage all of our parents and community members to spend 30 minutes a day reading with children because that truly will change the world.”
4) A targeted improvement plan was presented for Houston Elementary, which was the only CISD campus to receive a rating of ‘Improvement Required’ from the Texas Education Agency’s 2016-17 scores.
Debbie Phillips, assistant superintendent of elementary education, presented three main goals Houston Elementary has adopted to improve its ratings in the future:
- Goal 1: 40 percent of all eligible students will exceed progress on the 2018 reading STAAR assessment.
- Goal 2: 65 percent of all eligible students will approach grade level standards for the 2018 STAAR writing assessment.
- Goal 3: 40 percent of all eligible students will exceed progress on the 2018 STAAR math assessment.
5) The board voted in favor of approving the waiver for missed school days during Hurricane Harvey, and the board approved a resolution for the payment of employees during the hurricane.
6) The Woodlands High School’s athletics staff was recognized for winning the UIL Lone Star Cup for the sixth time during Tuesday’s meeting. Awards are given to six high schools in Texas—one in each of the UIL classifications—based on overall achievement in a variety of sanctioned academic, athletic and music championships.
