$807M bond set for May election

Taxpayers in the growing Conroe Independent School District are to go to the polls later this year to consider an $807-million bond measure, less than four years after approving the last referendum for nearly $500 million.

At its board meeting Tuesday night, CISD trustees approved a new bond election for May 4.

“We continue to grow … we’re the 11th largest district in the state, and as of this morning we have 62,980 students enrolled in CISD,” District Superintendent Curtis Null said at the meeting.

Because of the district’s growth, a more than 30-person facilities planning committee was set in the fall to determine how to meet the district’s maintenance, replacement and growth needs while minimizing the impact on the property tax rate.

Last month, the committee presented a bond package of $827.5 million. Null said that the board reduced the allocations on a few line items that can be paid for by using the district’s fund balance and future savings in addition to removing the outdoor pool project billed at $11.2 million.

Six board members approved the package, while newly elected trustee Dale Inman abstained from voting.

The school district’s tax rate is $1.28 per $100 valuation, and it’s been steady since the 2015-16 school year.

Darrin Rice, the district’s chief financial officer, last week presented his preliminary bond referendum calculations at a board workshop last week: it could result in a maximum overall tax increase of 3 cents, for a tax rate of $1.31 per $100 valuation. That means an additional penny would be added to the tax rate every year over three years.

Accounting for a $25,000 homestead exemption on the average $300,000 home, the full 3-cent increase would add $82.50 to the annual household tax bill. That would put the tax requirement for the average home at $3,602.50.

CISD has the second-lowest tax rate in the Houston metro area — that ranking would stay the same if this bond referendum passed.

In calling for the bond, CISD trustees also approved elections services agreement and joint election agreement with Montgomery County.

The largest projects in the proposed bond measure include a renovation of Conroe High School from six buildings into one building, an overhaul of Oak Ridge High School and four new schools.

Voters approved Conroe ISD’s last bond, a $487 million package, in November 2015. This allowed the district to work on projects such as five new schools, classroom renovations and safety and security upgrades.

Located north of Houston, the Conroe ISD covers 348 square miles and includes The Woodlands, Shenandoah, Oak Ridge North, Conroe, Caney Creek and several towns and unincorporated areas. It is one of the fastest-growing districts in the state, adding about 1,500 students a year.