The Woodlands | April 2023

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EDUCATION Portable building needs underline issues with school capacity

BY CASSANDRA JENKINS

GROWTH OUTPACING FACILITIES Conroe ISD is adding 70 portable classrooms for 2023-24, but its needs could grow to 436 classrooms by 2027-28 if no new permanent buildings are added, ocials said.

The Conroe ISD board of trustees approved approximately $1.3 million for purchase of 70 portable class- rooms for the 2023-24 school year at a March 21 board meeting. The purchase comes as the CISD community holds a series of bond planning committee meetings this spring and summer to examine facility needs. According to a presentation given at the March 21 meeting, the need for new portable buildings grew from 24 buildings during the 2021-22 school year to 37 buildings in 2022-23 before reaching 70 for the upcoming 2023-24 school year. If no additional permanent buildings are added, the presentation stated the number of additional portable classrooms needed through the 2027-28 school year is projected to reach 436. High school campuses will need 107 classrooms; junior high campuses will need 57; intermediate campuses will need 36; and elemen- tary campuses will need 236 portable classrooms, according to the pre- sentation. Some portable buildings contain two classrooms, ocials said. Before school starts in the fall, Assistant Superintendent of Opera- tions Chris McCord said elementary campuses will add 61 of the 70 portable classrooms; Cox Intermedi- ate will get two portable classrooms; Stockton Junior High will receive three; and Grand Oaks High School will receive four. Superintendent Curtis Null said the need for portables is due to budgeting, not a lack of planning. “There are always people who will look at this and say, ‘Why didn’t

Key:

Elementary

Intermediate

Junior high

High school

Current portable classrooms

2022-23 school year: 230

148 16 31

Additional portable classroom needs projected New classrooms for the 2023-24 school year*: 70 2 3 61 4

by 2027-28 school year: 436

236 36

107

* PORTABLE BUILDINGS MAY CONTAIN ONE OR TWO CLASSROOMS.

SOUTH COUNTY LOCATIONS In the 2023-24 academic year, 15 new portable classrooms are planned at 13 Conroe ISD schools in The Woodlands area.

1488

242

2978

RESEARCH FOREST DR.

ROBINSON RD.

GOSLING RD.

KUYKENDAHL RD.

Number of new portable classrooms at schools in The Woodlands area School locations

RAYFORD RD.

SOURCE: CONROE ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT

you plan better?’” he said during the meeting. “In the 2019 bond, we came to the bond committee with $1.8 billion worth of needs, ... and they cut it to $807 million ... then we cut it to $654 million. We cut a lot of what would have been new buildings.” Double classroom portable buildings cost $135,820 per 24-by-26-foot build- ing, according to McCord, and the total cost for a double portable is approx- imately $300,000 including fencing, furniture, technology, electrical and other costs, he said. McCord said the cost for portable buildings is taken out of the district’s maintenance and operations budget. Null said that is the part of the budget that pays for district costs of living. McCord said many of the por- tables are located on elementary school campuses and replace

playground facilities. “When I put portables on a play- ground, I restrict the amount of space kids can play,” he said. As of the 2022-23 school year, the district is already at 102% of maxi- mum capacity overall, according to information from CISD. To address projected growth, the district formed a bond committee that began meeting in February. Null said the bond committee will play a large role in deciding the future need for portable buildings. “If the bond is called and passed, it would reduce that number [of porta- bles], but it won’t reduce the number for the next two years,” he said. “Even if we passed the bond in November, we won’t open a school building until 2025 and then some of the bigger schools not [until] 2027.”

Jerry Coker 713-224-3426 ¡Hablamos Español!

BOND PLANNING

Jerry Coker 713-224-3426 ¡Hablamos Españo

To address projected growth, the district formed a bond committee that began meeting in February.

Jerry Coker 713-224-3426 ¡Hablamos Español! Limitations apply. See geico.com for more details. GEICO & affiliates. 20076. GEICO Gecko image © 1999-2022. © 2022 GEICO. 21_63331212 Limitations apply. See geico.com for more details. DC 20076. GEICO Gecko image © 1999-2022. Jerry Coker 713-224-3426 ¡Hablamos Español! Jerry Coker 713-224-3426 ¡Hablamos Español! Jerry Coker 713-224-3426 ¡Hablamos Español! apply. See geico.com for more details. GEICO & GEICO Gecko image © 1999-2022. © 2022 GEICO. Limitations apply. See geico.com for more details. GEICO & affiliates. Washington, DC 20076. GEICO Gecko image 1999- 2022. 2022 GEICO. 21_633312129 more details. GEICO & affiliates. Washington, 1999-2022. © 2022 GEICO. 21_633312129

Upcoming meeting dates:

Jerry Coker 713-224-3426 ¡Hablamos Español! Coker 713-224-3426 ¡Hablamos Español!

• April 25 • May 11 • July 17

apply. See geico.com for more details. GEICO & affiliates. Washington 20076. GEICO Gecko image © 1999-2022. © 2022 GEICO. 21_633312129 See geico.com for more details. GEICO & affiliates. GEICO Gecko image © 1999-2022. © 2022 GEICO. more details. GEICO & affiliates. Washington, 1999-2022. © 2022 GEICO. 21_633312129

Deadline to call for bond election:

• Aug. 21

Election Day:

• Nov. 7

SOURCE: CONROE ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT

THE WOODLANDS EDITION • APRIL 2023