FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER
Head to school with our Education Focus issue
Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, test results from Conroe, Tom- ball and Magnolia ISDs along with the Texas Education Agency’s accountability ratings for each campus. With temperatures still soaring, though, it is hard to believe we are going into the fall season. If you too love the fall, you will love our Fall Activity Guide (see Page ). Grab your loved ones and participate in your favorite autumn activities, even if it still is degrees out. I thank you for being a valued reader, and I encourage you to stay engaged by signing up for our free weekly newsletter at communityimpact.com/newsletter.
Just like that, school is back in session. As Conroe ISD and the surrounding area continue to grow, with more than , more students expected each year for the foreseeable feature, our community is faced with the question of how to sustain this growth. How do we create in our schools the best possible environments for learning? The revised Conroe ISD bond seeks to solve these growth ques- tions. We examine the two bond propos- als and what changed from May’s failed bond proposition in our front-page story. This edition features our annual Public Education Focus (see Page ), which includes the most recent State of Texas
PUBLISHERS AND FOUNDERS John and Jennifer Garrett PUBLISHER-HOUSTONMETRO Jason Culpepper GENERAL MANAGER Nicole Preston, npreston@communityimpact.com EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE EDITOR Joe Lanane MANAGING EDITOR Matt Stephens EDITOR Vanessa Holt REPORTERS Andrew Christman, Ben Thompson COPY CHIEF Andy Comer COPY EDITORS Ben Dickerson, Kasey Salisbury STAFFWRITERS Andy Li, Anna Lotz, Kara McIntyre, Jules Rogers ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Natalie Moore ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Tess Coverman ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Jada Lorio, Crystal Shaffer GENERAL MANAGER, DIGITAL Rick Robinson DESIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Derek Sullivan SENIOR ART PRODUCTIONMANAGER Jenny Abrego GRAPHIC DESIGNER Caitlin Whittington BUSINESS GROUP PUBLISHER Traci Rodriguez CHIEF OPERATINGOFFICER Claire Love ABOUT US John and Jennifer Garrett began Community Impact Newspaper in 2005 in Pflugerville, Texas. The company’s mission is to build communities of informed citizens and thriving businesses through the collaboration of a
Nicole Preston GENERAL MANAGER npreston@communityimpact.com
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What is the effective tax rate?
8 IMPACTS NowOpen, Coming Soon &more 21 GOVERNMENT Budgets for fiscal year 2019-20 25 ENVIRONMENT Bill could fund floodmitigation SPECIAL SECTION PUBLIC EDUCATION FOCUS 32 DISTRICT DATA A look at Conroe, Magnolia, Tomball ISDs 39 PUBLIC SAFETY Conroe ISD police evaluate new
Budget season is underway, and taxing entities, such as school districts, municipalities and counties, spent many hours over the summer formulating their expected revenue, expenses and tax rate projections. One term that gures prominently in discussion of budget items is the idea of an eective tax rate. The eective tax rate is the tax rate that will generate the same amount of tax revenue as the previous year. Because taxable property values have been trending upward in Montgomery County, a tax rate lower than the one previously in place is oen just as eective in generating revenue. We break down some of the most important details in each of these budgets in our government coverage this month (see Page ). Despite decreases expected in several local tax rates, residents may still nd themselves with higher tax bills. If property values increase, tax bills can increase even if the tax rate is below the eective rate.
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safetymeasures 49 CLOSE-UP Suchma Elementary School 52 GUIDE Fall activities 67 REAL ESTATE
Vanessa Holt EDITOR vholt@communityimpact.com
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We just celebrated our 9th anniversary here at CHJ. We’ve enjoyed a wonderful 9 years here in the Woodlands (I’ve lived here for 19 years). I’ve been in the investment business for 35 years and my partner Scott has been in the business for 24 years, and there’s never been a time when we’ve enjoyed working for our clients more than now. Over the past 9 years we have nearly tripled the size of our business, and if you asked me how that happened, I couldn’t give you a definitive answer. We simply come in each day and do our very best to take care of our clients and let nature take its course. If you or a loved one need someone to help you on your journey to financial freedom, we’d love to help. There’s never any obligation. Give us a call and come by for a visit. MONTHLYCOMMENTARY For our daily commentary and all disclosures, visit www.chjwealthmanagement.com 10200 Grogan’s Mill Road, Suite 340 • 281-298-2700
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The Woodlands edition • September 2019
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