Education
BY ANGELA BONILLA & EMILY LINCKE
WISD calls for $115.4M bond election on Nov. 5 At an Aug. 19 meeting, the Willis ISD board of trustees approved calling for a $115.4 million bond to appear on the ballot in the Nov. 5 election. What you need to know The board unanimously approved the adoption of the order after having discussions with the com- munity, Superintendent Kimberley James said. According to the board, the Nov. 5 bond package includes the three propositions that voters did not approve in May. Proposition A is for a student activity center; Proposition B is for an athletic complex and stadium with community room; and Proposition C is for an aquatic center. “This being a presidential election year, we see it [as having] a greater voter turnout,” Willis ISD board President Kyle Hoegemeyer said at the Aug. 19 meeting.
MISD rolls out new cellphone use policy Montgomery ISD students will be required to keep cellphones off during the school day while on campus due to a new policy. The big picture Students can bring their cellphone to campus, but they will need to be turned off and remain “away for the day in backpacks, lockers or vehicles,” per an Aug. 1 news release. Under previous policy, student cellphones were considered “an extension of the classroom” and could be used to complete classwork, an MISD spokesperson said. In emergency or urgent situations, parents and guardians should contact school offices where staff will relay messages to students and allow students to contact parents if needed, per the release.
Montgomery ISD’s tax rate heads to ballot A $0.0425 increase to Montgomery ISD’s annual tax rate will go before voters on Nov. 5 after trust- ees decided to place the initiative on the ballot. In a nutshell MISD faces a $4.3 million shortfall for the fiscal year 2024-25 general fund budget, as previously reported by Community Impact . “We’re not living frivolously. ... We have tight- ened our belt to the point that we need to consider all of these options,” board President Matt Fuller
Willis ISD's $115.4M bond WISD trustees called for a bond for an athletic stadium and activity and aquatic centers.
Explaining the VATRE
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Proposed tax rate: $1.0912 per $100 valuation
Proposition A: $27,000,000
Proposition B: $68,800,000
Proposition C: $19,600,000
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Average homeowner impact: $9 per month on a $350,000 house
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MISD’s Creekside Elementary opens Montgomery ISD students were welcomed to the district’s seventh elementary school— Creekside Elementary—for the first time on Aug. 15. Major takeaways A ribbon cutting for Creekside Elemen- tary—which cost an estimated $43.49 million to build and was funded by MISD’s $326.9 mil- lion 2022 bond—was held Aug. 14. Students began the 2024-25 school year the next day.
No increase in taxes for voters age 65 and older
Total: $115.4 million
If approved, the $5.5 million in additional funding generated would go toward:
SOURCE: WILLIS ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
The background Prior to this, a bond election was held in May where Proposition A, for a ninth-grade expansion and transportation center for $102.7 million, was the only measure approved by WISD voters out of the original four. Next steps The last day to register to vote is Oct. 7 and early voting begins Oct. 21. Election Day is Nov. 5.
Recruit and retain staff: 80%
said Aug. 19. The context
Superintendent Mark Ruffin said the shortfall can be attributed to a lack of funding increases made for public schools during the 88th legislative session; unfunded mandates; inflation increasing district costs and rising special education costs.
Student programs: 10% Safety and security: 10%
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
CONROE 1304 W Davis (936) 539-8787 NORTH CONROE 18434 Hwy 105 W (936) 582-5410
MONTGOMERY PLAZA 1420 N Loop 336 W (936) 441-7161
WILLIS 9618 FM 1097 (936) 228-0385
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