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The Montgomery ISD Board of Trustees met for their regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 15. You can watch the meeting and read the recap below.
During their February monthly meeting, the Montgomery ISD Board of Trustees unanimously voted to call for a $326.9M bond referendum on the May 2022 election ballot. The bond addresses significant enrollment growth across the district, expands Career and Technical Education programs, and includes improvements to all campuses.
On January 18, a Community Bond Task Force comprised of parents, students, teachers, school district staff and community members presented the recommended bond proposal to the Board during its regular monthly meeting. Following that meeting, the district held two town hall forums to share the recommendation with community members and parents and offer the opportunity for questions and comments from the public.
The bond referendum contains three separate ballot propositions:
· Proposition A for school facilities, land acquisition and transportation, totaling $312,986,000;
· Proposition B for renovations to the MISD Athletic Complex, totaling $8,514,000; and
· Proposition C for technology devices, totaling $5,400,000.
Early voting for the May Election begins April 25. Election Day is May 7, 2022. The deadline to register to vote is April 7, 2022.
“Tonight’s Board meeting created a significant opportunity for our community to shape the future of our outstanding school district,” Board President Matt Fuller said. “Every school would receive updates in this bond. The projects included would address the facility needs of our growing district, support every student and school, and open the door to new opportunities for students exploring Career and Technical Education pathways.”
The property tax rate impact for Montgomery ISD residents would be less than a penny per $100 value. The current tax rate in MISD is $1.26 and the proposed bond would increase that to $1.267, once all bonds have been sold, which occurs over a number of years as projects begin. The May 7 ballot will also offer voters the opportunity to increase the state Homestead Exemption from $25,000 to $40,000 and if that decision passes, the total school district property taxes paid for most MISD residents will decrease, even with this increase in the district’s total tax rate.
The bond referendum also includes the construction for Elementary School 7, a district Career and Technical Education Center and a district Agricultural Science Center. The second building phase of Lake Creek High School and renovations and updates to all schools and the district athletic complex are included in the bond. More information on the bond can be found at http://www.misd.org/bond. Each project included in the bond can be found here.
“This bond would address the rapid growth we are experiencing throughout our district and expand our ability to meet the growing educational needs of all students, especially in the area of Career and Technical Education,” Superintendent Dr. Heath Morrison said. “I am incredibly grateful to our Board of Trustees for acknowledging the outstanding work of our Community Bond Task Force. This was an authentic process driven by voices from across the entire Montgomery community.”
In honor of Career and Technical Education (CTE) month, the school board recognized Montgomery ISD’s amazing CTE educators and director, Amy Vance, for the work they do to provide our students with a fabulous education, serving so many secondary students.
The Board of Trustees also approved the academic calendar for the 2022-2023 school year. In developing the 2022-23 academic calendar, the Montgomery ISD District Advisory Committee (DAC) evaluated survey feedback from families and staff to develop draft calendar options. In January, the DAC voted to recommend the calendar option that was presented to the Board.
The first day of school for the 2022-23 academic year is August 11, 2022. The entire 2022-23 academic calendar can be viewed here.
District leaders also presented a recommendation to revise the calendar for the current school year by adding a student holiday on Monday, March 21, 2022.
March 21, which is the Monday following Spring Break, will be a workday for teachers and staff.
