Conroe ISD voters will determine the fate of a $1.9 billion bond referendum in November that will add eight new schools and fund major renovations at five district campuses.
CISD trustees agreed Tuesday during a special called meeting to place the bond on the Nov. 7 ballot. The bond, the largest in the district’s history, will require a 2-cent tax rate increase, according to district officials. The district’s current tax rate is $1.11 per $100 valuation.
Superintendent Curtis Null said the bond process started months ago after a demographic study showed the district’s growth was pushing capacity at campuses past 100 percent and that growth would continue for years ahead.
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For over a decade, CISD has grown by an average of 1,500 students per year. However, in 2022 and 2023, the district grew by more than 6,200 students. Enrollment for the upcoming year is expected to top 73,000 students.
“We created a bond planning committee to go to work and look at the needs of the district and determine if they wanted to come back to you with a recommendation,” Null said of the 148-member committee formed in January.
Bond Committee members Harry Vein and Chane Reagan presented the bond package to trustees that started with a look at facilities and capital needs.
“Our eyes were opened by the differences that exist throughout our district,” Vein said regarding the overcrowding at schools including Grand Oaks High School which opened to students in August 2018.
Trustee Stacey Chase said overcrowding is the biggest issue facing the district.
“I think overcapacity is the biggest risk and issue that the district is facing,” Chase said. “There are three main things that I think about are the fiscal use and responsibility of tax dollars, the safety of our students and staff and improving student outcome. Over capacity has negatively impacted all of those things.
“I’m glad to see a majority of the (bond) going to address that issue.”
The bond will include four propositions.
Proposition A, the largest at $1.82 billion, contains funding for the construction of eight new schools, additions at three campuses, major renovations at five campuses, and master plans at two high schools.
The new schools and additions will add 13,700 classroom seats, while the renovations and master plans will impact nearly 10,000 students. The proposition also includes funding for safety, building infrastructure, technology infrastructure, land, and transportation.
Proposition B, totaling $40 million, will fund the purchase of technology devices, such as tablets and laptops to replace aging devices used in the classroom for instruction and state-mandated testing.
Proposition C totals $113 million and includes the construction of 16 physical education classrooms/gyms at the elementary schools that do not have them. There also is funding for a new agriculture barn in north Montgomery County to be shared by students at Conroe and Caney Creek High Schools. The proposition also includes renovations to the two existing ag barns that serve College Park, Grand Oaks, Oak Ridge, and The Woodlands High Schools.
Proposition D, which totals $22.9 million, will fund a 50-meter, outdoor pool with an open-air cover next to the current Laura Wilkinson Natatorium. It will also fund mechanical systems refurbishment along with locker room and restroom expansions at the natatorium.
