Nearly 73,000 Conroe ISD students head back to class Wednesday, Aug. 12, and families at The Woodlands High School, College Park High School and area junior highs will find tougher phone penalties, a new district-wide discipline system and freshly renovated buildings waiting for them.

Here's what changed over the summer.

Stricter phone rules, unified discipline

Superintendent Dave Vinson announced in an Aug. 7 letter to families that the district is rolling out a unified Discipline Management Framework across all 67 campuses. The system standardizes consequences so students face the same penalties regardless of which school they attend.

Cell phone violations drew the most attention last year. During the 2025-26 school year, phone infractions accounted for 46.6% of all high school disciplinary referrals, excluding tardiness, according to Houston Chronicle reporting. A total of 6,587 unique students were disciplined under the policy.

This year, updated penalties escalate from device confiscation to detention to in-school suspension depending on grade level and number of offenses. Deputy Superintendent Ted Landry told trustees June 16 that most students did not break the rule a second time and that referrals dropped toward the end of last school year.

Board President Misty Odenweller said at the June 16 meeting that removing phones forced students to engage in other forms of communication. Some campuses made board games available before school.

Special-ed students return to neighborhood schools

The district's "Homecoming Plan," announced in a May 1 communication, moves students in specialized programs back to their zoned neighborhood campuses rather than busing them to centralized sites. The district says no positions are being eliminated and that principals and staff completed targeted training over the spring and summer. The shift is also expected to reduce bus routes and transportation costs.

Knox, McCullough renovations done

Students returning to Knox Junior High on Sawmill Road will find completed renovations ready for Wednesday. McCullough Junior High on South Panther Creek Drive in The Woodlands has new gym space and classroom additions. The South Agriculture Facility on Pruitt Road, being updated for the new school year, will serve south-county schools including The Woodlands and College Park high schools, according to Houston Chronicle reporting.

Budget holds tax rate flat, freezes most pay

Trustees unanimously approved a compensation plan that freezes salaries for most employees while providing state-required raises for teachers hitting three years of experience ($63,850 to $64,250) and five years ($64,700 to $67,200). The total cost: $700,000.

CFO Karen Garza told trustees June 17 that the district front-loaded $33 million in raises last year. "We would love nothing more than to be recommending an across-the-board pay increase for our employees tonight," Garza said. "However, the funding is simply not there."

Ten Commandments posters stay down

Conroe ISD posted the Ten Commandments in classrooms by the Sept. 1, 2025, deadline set by Senate Bill 10 but removed them after being named in the Cribbs-Ringer v. Comal ISD lawsuit. The Texas Attorney General's office has since provided written guidance directing the district not to display the posters while the litigation remains pending. The board also voted Feb. 17 against adopting a daily prayer-and-Bible-reading period allowed under Senate Bill 11.

What's next

The candidate filing deadline for three Conroe ISD trustee seats is Monday, Aug. 17. The election is Nov. 3.