Conroe ISD urging voters to approve nearly $2B in bond proposals to keep up with area's growth

CONROE, Texas (KTRK) -- The Conroe Independent School District is asking voters to approve nearly $2 billion in bond proposals to keep up with the historic growth there.

"We will not have room at Conroe High School for 7,500-plus students," principal Dr. Tasha Smith said.

The first and largest of the four proposals ($1.82 billion) includes eight new schools, including a new Conroe-area high school, major renovations at five schools, additions at three schools, and the next phase of master plans at two schools.

"We're using hundreds of portable buildings for our classrooms now," Superintendent Dr. Curtis Null said. "As we continue to grow, we would reach a point, truthfully, where we could not place any more portable buildings."

Nearly 70% of voters approved a $487 million bond referendum in 2015 that added schools, rooms, and equipment at Conroe ISD. Voters approved a $687 million bond referendum in November 2019 for various projects and voted against a second proposal to add artificial turf to several athletic fields.

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"This was a bond that was long overdue," said Deputy Superintendent Steve Bassett. ABC13's Briana Conner shows how it helped Fort Bend ISD campuses improve.

The new proposals, which will be part of the November 2023 election, also include $40 million for new technology, $112.8 million for 16 P.E. classrooms/elementary gyms, a new agriculture barn and revocations at two agriculture barns, and $22.9 million for an outdoor pool and "natatorium mechanical refurbishment."

The new schools would add 13,700 classroom seats, and renovations and master plans will "impact" 10,000 students, the district said.

One-hundred-fifty members of the Conroe ISD community worked on the bond package for several months. The Conroe ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved the combined $1,995,777,000 proposals at a special board meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 1.

"One thing that the school board is really proud of is that we produce this great product, and we are very fiscally responsible," Null said. "We have one of the lowest tax rates in the Houston area."

If passed, the proposals would cost $4.17 per month in property taxes on a home worth $350,000, "including $100K homestead exemption," according to the district.

The election is on Tuesday, Nov. 7.