Education
BY ANGELA BONILLA & EMILY LINCKE
Conroe ISD trustees approve renovation costs Conroe ISD trustees approved the guaranteed maximum prices for several 2023 bond projects during an Oct. 15 meeting. What you need to know Improvements slated in The Woodlands area
Lone Star College approves tax rate
Homeowners living within the Lone Star College System’s boundaries will be charged the same tax rate for fiscal year 2024-25 that they were for the previous fiscal year after the college system’s board of trustees approved a flat tax rate on Oct. 3. The action taken On Oct. 3, LSCS’s board of trustees unanimously approved a FY 2024-25 tax rate of $0.1076 per $100 valuation, with trustee David Vogt absent. The median tax rate among college systems statewide is $0.1461.
Ford Elementary • Projects: Gymnasium, adding classrooms, driveway expansion • Timeline: October 2024-November 2025 Hailey Elementary • Projects: Gym and classroom additions, electrical work • Timeline: October 2024-November 2025 Buckalew Elementary • Projects: Gym addition, roof, generator, electrical work • Timeline: October 2024-November 2025 Knox Junior High • Projects: Interior renovations, floors, paint, generator • Timeline: December 2024-November 2025
The board approved the guaranteed maximum price for the following ongoing projects presented by Assistant Superintendent Chris McCord. Tellepsen Builders are the contractors for all of the projects except for Knox Junior High School, which will be done by Satterfield & Pontikes Construction. • $43.8 million for Ford and Creighton Elementary schools • $39.72 million for Hailey and Buckalew Elemen- tary schools • $23.81 million for the Knox Junior High School renovation What else? W. Robert Eissler Elementary School and Mittie J. Campbell Elementary School are set to open in August 2025. Ballot error found for Lone Star College Two Lone Star College System board of trustee positions were mistakenly placed on all Harris County Nov. 5 ballots within the system’s boundaries, county elections officials confirmed Oct. 10. Long story short LSCS staff submitted November’s board of trustee races as at-large positions when they should have been district-specific, Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said. The ballot proofs were then verified by LSCS staff on Sept. 7. Due to the error, Hudspeth said candidates for LSCS districts 1 and 2 were listed on ballots for LSCS voters living outside of the candidate’s specific districts. Looking ahead According to an Oct. 7 news release posted on the college system’s website, LSCS offi- cials will seek court guidance on “a possible new election” if the department’s data can’t help college leaders figure out the winner.
Average tax bill Average home value in Lone Star College System*: $285,000 2024-25 tax rate: $0.1076 (per $100 valuation) Tax bill: $306.66
SOURCE: CONROE ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
*AS OF 2022
SOURCE: LONE STAR COLLEGE SYSTEM/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Tomball ISD targets student test scores, tech education with plan In the 2024-25 school year, Tomball ISD leaders hope to improve student test scores and career and technical education enrollment while decreas- ing discipline incidents. The efforts are part of the annual district improvement plan, which was approved by the board of trustees Oct. 15. The specifics According to an Oct. 14 presentation from Chief Academic Officer Michael Webb, highlights of the goals for 2024-25 include decreasing student discipline removals; raising administrator skills concerning feedback and coaching; and improving staff retention. “We’re not done,” board Vice President Justin Unser said. “We’re going to continue to try to raise the bar.” More details In response to a question from Unser, Webb said the most ambitious goals in the plan include
TISD improvement goals
12.9% decrease in student discipline removals from classrooms
5.5% improvement in student enrollment in career and technical education programs
5% increase in Advanced Placement, or AP, test scores
3% improvement in staff retention—which sits at 91%—and teacher survey feedback
SOURCE: TOMBALL ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
some of the testing goals and opening up to honest teacher feedback. “I think all of them are attainable, but we do see stretch with math, Spanish and of course AP,” Webb said.
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION
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